Treatment (part two): Exercise

It seems quite hypocritical to tell someone who is basically allergic to gravity that exercise is the way to help them feel better. Exercise can be very daunting to someone who struggles to walk to the bathroom or down the stairs. However, exercise is one of the only things that is proven to help POTs patients feel better. This can be tricky because exercise is a double edged sword for someone with POTs. On one hand, it can help improve symptoms and increase orthostatic tolerance. On the other hand, if you push your body too much it can actually make you feel worse or regress your progress. Baby steps and listening to your body is crucial when using exercise to help treat POTs symptoms.

When I began my journey, I was crawling to the bathroom from my bedroom and had major trouble tolerating any standing or walking. The first few months, I did all horizontal exercising. Any low intensity movement that can be done laying down was where I started. One I began to tolerate more and more upright positioning, my foot pedal bike became my best friend. I bought this foot pedal bike off amazon and it was one of the best things I did. Getting my legs moving while being able to sit on my couch was something that helped me a lot. 

Walking is one of the best exercises for someone with POTs. Trying to re-train the autonomic nervous system to function properly again can be really hard but walking can do great things for you. At first I was only able to walk to the end of my driveway and back. I own a wheelchair and I would bring a family member with me and walk as much as I was able to that day. When I hit my limit, I would sit in the chair and they would wheel me back home. I began setting goals for walking such as making it to the tree in front of my neighbors house then two houses down and slowly worked my walks up farther and farther. Again, listening to your body is very important so monitoring your heart rate or stopping when you feel terrible is crucial for success.

YOGA is my favorite form of exercise and I will create a whole other post on how that has helped me:)