Leading an active life with chronic Lyme disease or Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome requires special care, as there is an infection behind this chronic condition.
Exercise in Lyme warriors may be helpful on several fronts. First, it has been hypothesized that increased heat and oxygen flow in exercise may make the body less hospitable to Borrelia burgdorferi. Exercise may aid in the body’s efforts to detoxify itself from dead spirochetes and byproducts of damage from the infection. Light to moderate exercise may reduce stiffness in joints and muscles.
Lyme manifests so uniquely in each patient that general guidelines are difficult to provide. Any patient whose Lyme has affected their heart should obviously be examined by a cardiologist before beginning an exercise regimen. Similarly, patients with fever or flu-like symptoms should avoid exercise until those symptoms have subsided.
Dr. Joseph J. Burrascano, Jr. of the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society offers recommendations about exercising with Lyme on pages 31 and 32 of the guide available here.
Exercising with Lyme often requires a mindfulness toward the symptoms it brings about. For example, Lyme can lead to symptoms of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. Warrior-athletes dealing with Lyme and dysautonomia should check out our resources for dysautonomia.
Lyme can often look a lot like myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. Warrior-athletes who battle extreme fatigue should be cautious of over-exertion. Our resources for ME/CFS may be helpful.
Badasses treating Lyme disease with herbs might consider adjusting their protocols as they become more active. For more information, visit Stephen Buhner’s website.
If you are a Lyme disease Badass, we’d love to learn what works for you! Please feel free to email resources@chronicallybadass.org with your fitness tips and Lyme hacks.
The content on this website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.