Never heard of deconditioning? You’ll be moved
Have you ever felt wobbly in your legs the first time you’ve tried to stand during a hospital stay? Did you think even just for a second that you might fall? Did a nurse hold your arm while you gained your balance?
Imagine what it would be like trying to stand and use all your muscles if you been in hospital for weeks or months. Most of us believe that being in bed is good for us. And it is, that is, until it’s not. When we are in bed, we’re not moving. Our bodies are designed to move and when your body doesn’t move enough it begins to decondition.
Deconditioning describes what happens in your body after a period of inactivity such as after a prolonged hospital stay. It can affect your heart, your lungs, your muscles and your mental health. That’s not good.
You may feel tired and less able to be active. You may lose your ability to do everyday tasks over time. It may become an effort just to fill the kettle and lift it on to the stove top.
If you are a patient in hospital or sick at home, here are some very good reasons why you should try to move, even if it’s just a little.
- If you are over 80, after you have been in bed in hospital for ten days, your muscles will age by ten years
- If you don’t move, your bones will start to lose their strength, and your muscles will begin to waste
- People who do move around in hospital are more likely to be able to go home and are likely to need less support after discharge.
Deconditioning is preventable. Keep your body in good condition. Get up and get moving.
As they say, if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it. And no one wants that!
Find out more:
NHS East Lancashire Hospitals. Information for patients, Get up, get dressed and keep moving: How to prevent hospital related deconditioning https://elht.nhs.uk/patients/keeping-active-hospital/deconditioning (Accessed 7 November 2024)
Gouvernement du Québec. Preventing deconditioning in seniors. https://www.quebec.ca/en/family-and-support-for-individuals/seniors/preventing-deconditioning-in-seniors. Également disponible en français (Accessed 7 November 2024)