Addressing muscle deconditioning associated with pulmonary fibrosis
My husband hopes physical therapy will help ease his soreness
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The past year has been particularly challenging for my husband, Donnie, as he navigates persistent muscle soreness and fatigue, along with his regular pulmonary fibrosis symptoms. Because autoimmune disorders ultimately caused Donnie’s pulmonary fibrosis (doctors suspect polymyositis, Sjögren’s disease, and scleroderma), it’s been difficult for him to discern if his pain is from autoimmune activity or deconditioning.
Earlier this spring, blood tests showed elevated muscle enzymes that are often associated with a flare-up. His doctor ordered an electromyography, or EMG, test, which helps evaluate the health of nerve and muscle tissue and shows how well they communicate. The results were normal, which was surprising but also a relief.
Because Donnie’s doctor needs conclusive results before starting him on a new treatment, she also ordered an MRI to see whether it would show any inflammation in his muscle tissue. Thankfully, it didn’t show any damage, and while we still don’t know the next course of action, we’re relieved that no major issues were found.
Another possible contributor to Donnie’s muscle soreness is simply deconditioning. Before his autoimmune diseases started to attack his lungs, Donnie worked a very physical job that included lots of heavy lifting and kept him on his feet for most of the day. Naturally, the near-constant movement during the workday helped keep his muscles in good shape. Besides that, he helped to coach our daughter’s basketball team and was generally fairly active.
As his symptoms began to present themselves, Donnie became less and less able to maintain that level of activity, which we have since learned is a pretty common cycle that pulmonary fibrosis patients fall into. Dyspnea, or breathlessness, can lead to decreased activity, and decreased activity can lead to muscle weakness. Muscle weakness and soreness make it harder to exercise, which can cause further exercise avoidance.
Breaking the cycle
To break the cycle, Donnie recently started a physical therapy program that will hopefully help him rebuild his muscle strength. Right now, he attends two sessions a week, each for an hour. On days he doesn’t have physical therapy, he has a printout of exercises to do at home. He likes that there is also an associated app that shows him the correct way to do the exercises and helps him track his progress. All can be done easily at home with little to no equipment.
A few examples include calf raises, stair steps, bicep curls and other arm exercises, squats, and a variety of stretches designed to help strengthen different muscle groups. It’s a lot harder to do with pulmonary fibrosis, but he is managing it and knows it will help him regain his strength.
Next month, Donnie will meet with his pulmonologist and rheumatologist for his six-month checkup. Hopefully, by then we’ll know whether he needs a different, additional treatment to keep his autoimmune disease under control, as polymyositis causes inflammation, weakness, and pain in his muscles when left unchecked. Until then, he plans to continue physical therapy in hopes of breaking the cycle of deconditioning.
Note: Pulmonary Fibrosis News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Pulmonary Fibrosis News or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to pulmonary fibrosis.
Patricia Powell
This sounds interesting thank you x