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This is a booklet from NHS Choices. It gives examples of exercises to help build strength.You might want to speak to your doctor before trying them.
May patients suffer from muscle wasting, muscle weakness or stiff and painful joints after Intensive Care.This link will take you to the NHS Inform website and their pages on muscle and joint issues, which you might find helpful. You can print off their advice and there is also an "app" that you can download onto your phone.
Is it normal to feel so weak? Yes. It is very common to feel weak and washed out in the first few weeks and months after getting home, even if you were previously fit and well. From what other people have told us, it seems that the legs are most severely affected by weakness, but you may also notice weakness in your arms, hands and shoulders. Going home usually means that you will be starting to do more for yourself than you did in hospital, and this may leave you feeling tired and...
Once you are transferred to the general ward and are beginning to become more active, you may be surprised to notice that you are perhaps not quite as able to do the things you thought you would. There are a number of reasons for this, not least that you are still in the very early stages of recovering from a serious illness, an operation or an accident. Tiredness and general weakness are extremely common, even if you only spent a short time in Intensive Care or were previously fit and...
Patients sometimes tell us that they continue to have problems getting around after they get home. This can happen as a result or a combination of many things; muscle wasting, general weakness, fatigue, joint pain and stiffness or issues with balance. Some people also tell us that they lose their confidence a little, in the first few days of getting home.
This link will take you to the website of NHS Inform and their Musculoskeletal Zone (which deals with muscle or joint problems).They offer advice and information on upper body issues (neck, shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand), lower body issues (hip, thigh, calf, ankle and foot) and back issues. They also have an app, which you can download onto your phone, tablet or computer Please be aware that the information given is not geared specifically to patients who have spent time in...
Why do you get muscle wasting? In the early stages of your illness, you may have been unconscious, and needed help from a breathing machine (or ventilator) for your breathing. During this time, you will have been unable to use the muscles in your arms and legs, and to move your joints yourself. We know from research (where pictures have been taken of the patients' muscles) that these muscles reduce in size, or waste, when they are not being used. This can happen quite...
This link will take you to the ICUSteps website and a to a short video by Dr Zudin Puthucheary on muscle wasting in Intensive Care patients.