Sports after coronavirus: when and how to start training – a doctor’s advice
When can I start training after illness? How to properly distribute the load? What exercises should you start training with? Says the doctor-therapist Nikolai Unguryan.
What are the most common covid-19 consequences
The consequences after coronavirus, as practice shows, can be a lot – the infection can affect all body systems.
“So, these can be respiratory diseases – damage varies from blockage of blood vessels in alveoli to scarring of pulmonary tissue. Such changes in tissue are called pulmonary fibrosis and can lead to shortness of breath, ”the doctor explains.
Complications are often found from the cardiovascular system-these are myocarditis, arrhythmias, and interruptions in the work of the heart. The hematopoiesis system also suffers: after coronavirus, blood clots form in people, blood thickens.
There may also be cognitive changes, for example, in some patients there are exacerbations of mental illness, someone begins to suffer from asthenia (chronic fatigue syndrome, is considered one of the most typical manifestations of postmos). If a person had any chronic diseases before the illness, then coronavirus often provokes their exacerbation.
Basic rules for restoration and rehabilitation after Covid
The main goal of rehabilitation is the prevention and reduction of disability, the restoration of lost functions. It is divided into three stages:
“When all the stages of medical rehabilitation have already been completed, we can talk about physical exertion that will help the body recover. Unfortunately, to date, unified recommendations for recovery after Covid-19 are neither in medical rehabilitation or in sports, ”says Nikolai Unguryan. “Work on the effectiveness or uselessness of certain methods of restoration after coronavirus infection is just beginning to appear.”
When can you start playing sports after Covid?
It is better to start training no earlier, than two weeks after obtaining a positive test with an asymptomatic course. With a mild degree of disease and outpatient treatment to physical activity, you can proceed Not earlier than four weeks after recovery. And no earlier than six months after severe With pneumonia, Ivl or myocarditis of any severity.
It is worth increasing the load gradually, always focus on your well -being.It is better to start training with fitness or cardio, gradually moving to power loads.
How to return to training after coronavirus?
The first thing to remember is that everyone's illness is different, so the timing of returning to training will be individual for everyone. The following factors must also be taken into account:
in what form the person was ill;
what organs and systems were affected by the virus;
whether there are chronic diseases or acquired chronic diseases.
The intensity of training should be increased, focusing on the recommendations of the attending physician and your own feelings. So, the recommendations for athletes and sports enthusiasts are somewhat different.
“Athletes are most often advised to start with contact sports: boxing, wrestling, football, basketball. After training, you need to rest for about 7-10 days, especially when you are just returning to the regime. Regardless of the severity of the disease, before classes, the following is necessary: a control ECG, heart rate monitoring, a blood test for troponins, blood clotting factors, C-reactive protein and other markers, ”the expert explained.
For fitness enthusiasts, it’s better to start with analytics: think about how your weight has changed, how much muscle mass you have lost during your illness, how the infection has affected your performance and endurance. If you have had mild or asymptomatic pain, then the first workout should be about 15-20 minutes. Gradually increase the load until you return to the usual mode. After a severe course of the disease, it is necessary to resume training together with exercise therapy specialists and a therapist, since there is a high risk of complications, in particular cardiomyopathies and myocarditis.
Exercise after coronavirus
Training can start with small walks. The best option: slowly walk three times a day for 20 minutes. The more severely you were ill, the less the first distance should be. Take good care of yourself, says the therapist. Even if you can only walk 50 or 100 meters, then try to make at least one acceleration within a few seconds.
Then, when the walks are easy, you can alternate walking with a 15-20-minute workout on an exercise bike at a comfortable pace or with special exercises.
Effective Coronavirus Recovery Exercises
Walking with acceleration at the very beginning of loads;
Alternating walking and running;
Exercises to activate the lymphatic system or drainage exercises. They are necessary to remove toxins, metabolic products that have accumulated during the illness, as well as to increase blood flow. These include swinging in place from toe to heel, jumping, bouncing, trampolining and mini-trampolining;
Chair exercises to strengthen different muscle groups.
Exercise examples
Walking in place. While doing this exercise, you can lean on the back of a chair or any stable surface, and place a chair next to you in case you need to rest.After you take a convenient position, begin to alternately raise your knees. Gradually increase the height of the legs raising so that if possible, knees rise to the level of the pelvis.
Striding for a step. To do this, use the lower step of your staircase, if necessary, hold on to the handle of the stairs, and also put a chair nearby so that you can sit down and relax. Go up to the step and get down from it, changing your leg every 10 steps.
Repulsive from the wall. Stand at a distance of about 30 centimeters from the wall. Put the outstretched arms on the wall with your fingers up at the shoulder level (fingers are directed up). Keeping the direct position of the body, bend your elbows and sink to the wall, then slowly push it away from it, returning to its original position. If you want to increase the load, move away from the wall.
Getting up from the chair. Sit down, spreading your legs to the width of the hips. Stretching your hands along the body or crossing them on the chest, slowly stand up, holding the position at the score 3, then slowly sit back to the chair. Keep your legs on the floor all the time. If you cannot get up from a chair without the help of your hands, try to sit on a chair higher. If at first, performing this exercise is too difficult, help yourself with your hands.
If you want to increase the load:
Get up as slowly as possible;
Perform an exercise using a lower stool;
Perform exercise with weighting agents, pressing them to the chest.
Straightening the knee joints. Sit in a chair, putting your legs together. Straighten one leg in the knee joint, hold it in a direct position for 1-2 seconds, then slowly lower it. Repeat the exercise with the other foot.
The examples do not end there. Watch experts described in detail what the exercises should be (from the warm -up to stretching after training), and also explained how to determine that physical activity does not harm the body – the list can be found here.