Infections Impact on Strength and Endurance

When a person comes down with an infection, symptoms such as a fever, shortness of breath, body aches/soreness, cough, sore throat, chills, and sweats often follow. Additionally, changes in bowel movements and urination patterns and congestion can happen as well. Depending on the severity of infection, a patient can be admitted into the hospital, homebound, or have decreased endurance to participate in daily activities. When we have an infection, our bodies naturally choose to allocate energy reserves to different parts of the body to combat the infection more efficiently.

Due to our bodies fighting the infection, we have a decreased amount of energy allocated to perform activities. Which causes us to lose strength over the time we are recovering. Depending on how long a person has the infection and how long they are on bed rest will affect how much strength is lost.

The longer a person stays inactive or decreases their daily activities level due to feeling unwell, the more likely the body loses strength. It can also lead to muscle atrophy, where the muscle begins to break down. After our body fights off a viral infection, there is also a chance that a patient can have post-viral syndrome. This causes the patient to feel drained of energy for days to weeks following the initial infection.

A common misconception is for patients to rest until they feel better. Still, it is recommended that the patient engages in lifestyle changes to improve the time to return to the function's prior level.

The most commonly recommended lifestyle changes include:

• Reprogramming sleep patterns to sleep a full 6-8 hours

• Implement an energy conservation program

• Eat a balanced diet and drink plenty of water.

• Engage in mild to moderate exercise

Are you recovering from COVID-19 or an infection that has affected your endurance? Physical therapy can help. Call Dr. Kathy at 702.840.1222, to schedule a free assessment. Or, schedule an appointment here.