Exertion

From MEpedia, a crowd-sourced encyclopedia of ME and CFS science and history

Exertion is the physical or perceived use of energy. Exertion traditionally refers to a strenuous or costly effort related to physical, muscular, philosophical actions, and work,[1] resulting in the generation of force, initiation of motion, or in the performance of work.[2] Exertion often relates to muscular activity, which can be measured, with physiological readings this can allow metabolic response to be calculated.[3][4]

Exertion in ME/CFS[edit | edit source]

Only a minimal amount of exertion causes a marked increase in symptoms in people with ME/CFS[5], for instance chronic fatigue, chronic pain, cognitive dysfunction (e.g., brain fog), flu-like symptoms, muscle fatigability, unrefreshing sleep, and more, this is known as ME/CFS's hallmark symptom post-exertional malaise (PEM).[5][6] Depending on a patient's disease severity exertion capabilities is different and results in varying symptoms and degree of symptom severity.[7] Physical, mental or rben emotional exertion can trigger PEM.[8][9][10]

This post-exertional malaise is not limited to just musculoskeletal pain or fatigue, and does not occur in illnesses like depression, multiple sclerosis, or systemic lupus erthematosus or rheumatoid arthritis.[5]

Intolerance to exertion and exercise was built into the renaming of ME/CFS by the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) in the 2015 Institute of Medicine report (IOM report) where the name Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disease (SEID) was coined.[11]

Notable studies[edit | edit source]

2008, Can exercise limits prevent post-exertional malaise in chronic fatigue syndrome? An uncontrolled clinical trial.[5] - (Full text)

  • 2014, The delayed fatigue effect in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS)[10] - (Abstract)
  • 2015, "Beyond Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome"[11] - IOM report - (Full text)
  • 2018, Deconstructing post-exertional malaise in myalgic encephalomyelitis/ chronic fatigue syndrome: A patient-centered, cross-sectional survey[8] - (Abstract)

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. "What does exertion mean?". definitions.net. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  2. "Work and energy". physics.bu.edu. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  3. Arazi, Hamid; Mirzaei, Bahman; Heidari, Naser (2014). "Neuromuscular and Metabolic Responses to Three Different Resistance Exercise Methods". Asian Journal of Sports Medicine. 5 (1): 30–38. ISSN 2008-000X. PMC 4009085. PMID 24868429.
  4. Slentz, Cris A.; Houmard, Joseph A.; Kraus, William E. (2009). "Exercise, Abdominal Obesity, Skeletal Muscle, and Metabolic Risk: Evidence for a Dose Response". Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.). 17 (0 3): S27–S33. doi:10.1038/oby.2009.385. ISSN 1930-7381. PMC 3762482. PMID 19927142.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Nijs, Jo; Almond, Freya; De Becker, Pascale; Truijen, Steven; Paul, Lorna (2008). "Can exercise limits prevent post-exertional malaise in chronic fatigue syndrome? An uncontrolled clinical trial". Clinical Rehabilitation. 22 (5): 426–435. doi:10.1177/0269215507084410. ISSN 0269-2155. PMID 18441039. The severe exacerbation of symptoms following exercise, as seen in CFS patients, is not present in other disorders where fatigue is a predominant symptom such as depression, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, or multiple sclerosis. 10,11
  6. "Deciphering Post-Exertional Malaise". Solve ME/CFS Initiative. November 21, 2014. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  7. "NINDS CDE Project - Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Post Exertional Malaise Subgroup" (PDF). nig.gov.
  8. 8.0 8.1 Chu, Lily; Valencia, Ian J.; Garvert, Donn W.; Montoya, Jose G. (2018). "Deconstructing post-exertional malaise in myalgic encephalomyelitis/ chronic fatigue syndrome: A patient-centered, cross-sectional survey". PloS One. 13 (6): e0197811. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0197811. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 5983853. PMID 29856774.
  9. "Symptoms | Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. January 27, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  10. 10.0 10.1 Arroll, Megan A.; Attree, Elizabeth A.; O'Leary, John M.; Dancey, Christine P. (April 3, 2014). "The delayed fatigue effect in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS)". Fatigue: Biomedicine, Health & Behavior. 2 (2): 57–63. doi:10.1080/21641846.2014.892755. ISSN 2164-1846.
  11. 11.0 11.1 Institute of Medicine (March 16, 2015). Beyond Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. The National Academies Press. p. 228. doi:10.17226/19012.