Exercise causes relapse in ME/CFS by triggering immune dysfunction

Author: Louise Hunt, 19 January 2011:
From ‘Frontline’ magazine, journal of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
Source: http://www.csp.org.uk/director/members/newsandanalysis/frontlinemagazine.cfm?ITEM_ID=94BB25D7FF1377A74D840FCE80170683&article=

There is evidence that exercise can exacerbate symptoms, including pain and prolonged fatigue, in CFS/ME patients.

Vigorous exercise or activity may trigger immune dysfunction and cause relapse.

In May 2010, the ME Association published the largest UK survey of the opinions of people with CFS/ME about which treatment approaches worked for them. It found that graded exercise therapy (GET) was rated the least favoured physiotherapy-led approach, with 56.5 per cent of 906 patients who had tried it reporting that it made them feel worse.

Conversely, pacing therapy, which matches activity levels to the amount of energy a patient has, was the favoured approach, with 71 per cent of the 2,137 who had tried it saying it had greatly improved their condition. Earlier patient surveys have produced similar results.