More evidence for the brain benefits of exercise
 

"The value of mental-training games may be speculative...but there is another, easy-to-achieve, scientifically proven way to make yourself smarter. Go for a walk or a swim. For more than a decade, neuroscientists and physiologists have been gathering evidence of the beneficial relationship between exercise and brainpower. But the newest findings make it clear that this isn’t just a relationship; it is the relationship. Using sophisticated technologies to examine the workings of individual neurons — and the makeup of brain matter itself — scientists in just the past few months have discovered that exercise appears to build a brain that resists physical shrinkage and enhance cognitive flexibility. Exercise, the latest neuroscience suggests, does more to bolster thinking than thinking does. ..."

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/ma...general&src=me

I was just talking with a rep of the Nedley Clinic that Eowyn has mentioned. They use 10,000 steps per day as the minimum level of exercise. That is equivalent to walking or running 5 miles. Exercise appears to be the foundation of their program.

this Sounds great... but I find even a little bit of walking around at this point triggers a headache... And then once my head hurts, the jostling that walking causes just exacerbates the issue....I couldn't even imagine exercise!

I think a distinction needs to be made for people recovering from PCS.

- First you need to rest (physically and mentally) in order to get symptom-free (or to a relatively low level of symptoms). You really have to curb or limit exercise during this phase if it's exacerbating symptoms. This may take days, weeks, or months.

- Then you can start adding exercise (likely something gentle like slow walking with cushioned shoes, or some very easy stationary cycling, to start).

I don't think you can do a lot to speed up the first (ie, resting) stage of recovery, apart from the usual suggestions (getting lots of rest, good nutrition, limiting stimulation, minimizing stress, etc). But there is no hard and fast rule. I am at 11.5 months PCS and was barely able to walk initially - even a brief walk outside could make me feel horrible. Now my pace is better and I'm typically doing a couple of walks a day (up to 35 mins and counting) in addition to household chores and various forms of cognitive work. I'm feeling a lot better overall but it has been slow and steady as she goes.

thanks... I can do a little at a time, and I try to.... I need to be careful about where I walk... malls and grocery stores are simply too much for me. and if I do even a little too much I still have huge setbacks. Thanks for the advise though, I appreciate it!

Yesterday's entire NYT Magazine was dedicated to the brain. A little off topic for the TBI/PCS thread but there was a thought provoking article on antidepressants and new research in the field of depression, an article on whether it’s possible to increase “fluid” intelligence (IQ), and use of psychedelic drugs for terminally ill patients as well as the afore mentioned article on the benefits of exercise.

Like Camyam, I also suffer from activity-triggered headaches (migraines). Unfortunately, you can't tell if you've done too much until it's too late, as migs occur in a general relaxation phase post-activity.

It's too bad, too as I love exercise (I'm a martial artist).

Kenjhee - YES! I don't even realize that I am going too far, as most often I feel the effects well after, sometimes not until the next day, when I am suddenly back on the couch and unable to function!

I am just now slowly adding in exercises from my Vestibular Therapy. These are low impact core strenthening training steps that gradually progress. I do 7different exercises 2-3 times a day and also try to walk 15 minutes.

This a huge improvement to where i was even a couple of weeks ago. Before my medicine was doubled, the Migraines were so severe, this would not have been possible.

I am battling the pins/needles and weakness in my arms/hands, along with several other symptoms, but I am doing it slowly after 6 months of being semi-sedentary. Boy do I feel it afterwards!

Yes, sometimes it's not till the next day! When I'm resting or doing light work. There's usually little or no warning. One minute I'll feel fine, like I've never been sick a day in my life; the next minute, I start getting that tight feeling upstairs, and I know what's about to hit (at that point it's decision time as to whether to start burning Imitrexes).

Sucks to be us, yeah??!:rolleyes:

What are Imitrexes?

Dr. Nedley did work with me on finding a level of exercise that I could do without aggravating symptoms. I was able to complete the entire DURATION of exercise at a lower INTENSITY without aggravating headaches.

Imitrex is a migraine medication. Usually they will only give you a certain number per month because they can cause rebound headaches.

A brand name for sumatriptan, a drug used to relieve migraines. Can be a God-send, completely killing the headache. Does not work for everyone, or 100% of the time. People with limited supply due to health coverage limits must constantly wrestle with using up their monthly supply too soon.

That's a great article.

I've read articles like this before and I trust the content of them, but I also read on previous posts here that you should exercise until you have symptoms and then stop for a break. Well, I get instant cognitive symptoms, "brain fog", as soon as I start. I know this is something I should be asking one of my therapists, but I thought I'd ask here too, just to expand the feedback on this subject. I would love to become more physical, go swimming, shoot hoops, do some push-ups..etc. I just don't like the way it makes me feel.

Any thoughts?

Nick

The rule of thumb regarding exercise is to find the point where symptoms start then back of from that level about 10%. The usual measurement is pulse. So, if you have symptoms at 120 bpm, then exercise to 108 bpm. Wrist worn exercise pulse monitors are quite common and affordable.

If you work out on a computerize tread mill, they often have pulse monitors built in.

What kinds of exercise are you doing? I was doing exercise in a chair for a while... chair salsa... etc...

Stretching can be a good thing too. Light walks. Chi Gong. Tai Chi. etc.

You might be trying to do "normal" exercise which might just be too much for your brain at the moment. What we thought of as exercise before the accidents we had that caused the injuries we sustained needs to be built up to slowly from a much lesser point of activity. :P

I was also getting cognitive warning signs right off the bat, just doing very minimal physical things, like unloading the dishwasher. I am able to do more now; not anywhere near what I used to be able to do (yet.) I think it's definitely a warning sign to stop.

My boyfriend also got me little 3lb weights so I could start lifting them while I sit too.

If only I could exercise without feeling tons worse for the whole following month!

Here's an interesting Q&A with another Times writer on the benefits of exercise. A quote:

"If people want to be healthier and prolong their life span, all they really need to do is go for a walk. It’s the single easiest thing anyone can do. ... The human body is a really excellent coach. If you listen to it, it will tell you if you’re going hard enough, if you’re going too hard. If it starts to hurt, then you back off. It should just feel good, because we really are built to move, and not moving is so unnatural. Just move, because it really can be so easy, and it really can change your life."

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/0...better-health/

Hey Margarite,
I am sorry that you have such problems when you exercise. Perhaps you are overdoing it. It is natural to try to exercise in the same way that we exercised before getting injured, but that may no longer be the best way to do it.

Greenfrog makes a good point about the benefits of walking. Perhaps before you were injured you didn't consider that exercise, but if that is all that you can do without making yourself worse then that sounds like the right exercise for you at the moment.

Mark makes the point that if you know what point you might start getting symptoms then back off of that point so that you don't get them. Mark suggests back off by 10%. I read 15% - same principle. Don't do it to the point that it makes you worse, whatever that point is.

Also, some exercise that we might have enjoyed previously jerks the head too much for us now. Even shooting hoops can involve jumping which is bound to cause trauma to the head, previously not a problem, maybe it is different now.

I have found that using a cross-trainer does not make me feel worse, whereas jogging, even really slowly, does. So in this case, it isn't the fact that I am burning calories that is the problem, it is the fact that I am jerking my head around. When my head is more or less still, using the cross-trainer, I don't get the same bad feeling as when I try to go on a run, even though I might be actually working a lot harder on the cross-trainer.

So, if you are having problems exercise, I would recommend the cross-trainer, or if that is too much then walking, as Greenfrog suggest.

I found that exercise didn't eliminate PCS but it was at least possible to find a way to exercise without making the symptoms worse.

There is an interesting book I was listening to on audible.com (I'm sure the book is available at Amazon, etc too) that is called:

Spark, the Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain

I haven't finished it yet, but it is fascinating so far

As for exercise, we were talking on another post about people finding swimming or light walking, stretching in a pool helpful. No jostling around, low impact. If you're to the point of getting out, it may be something to think about. I went today to swim for ten minutes only and I felt better afterward. Try to find a pool and the hours are the slowest, quietest time of day to go. I can't wait to go back!