A lot of things are still uncertain about coronavirus – symptoms, immunity after infection, and more. A lot of people, including you, want to know if it’s safe to exercise after you have recovered from coronavirus. We still do not have clear-cut answers. With all the uncertainty, it can be a little dangerous to exercise with all the complications relating to COVID-19. It is believed that the more severe the infection, the longer the complications might persist.
Unfortunately, the complications aren’t restricted to the lungs but might cause multi-system organ distress as well. So, while it affects your respiratory tract, it can also affect your heart and other organs. Therefore, you must ensure that these organs are working properly for you to work out well. A lot of people recover from the disease and are unsure about recovery.
Coronavirus Symptoms on the Lungs
Coronavirus affects both upper and lower respiratory tracts, which leads to symptoms like runny nose & cough and breathing difficulties, respectively. As the body fights the virus, it triggers inflammation in the lungs, which might lead to pneumonia.
The inflammation can cause fibrosis in the lungs in the long run but there’s not enough data to ascertain whether it is due to COVID-19 or not. For those who have been put on respiratory support will need months to recover and start exercising. In some cases, COVID-19 leads to adult-onset asthma, which causes chest tightness, wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, etc. when you exert yourself. However, a majority of people get back normal lung function soon after recovering according to experts. However, it can take up to 6 weeks for you to feel good enough to start working out again.
- How Coronavirus Affects the Heart
While heart problems due to coronavirus are rare, they can still occur in people with serious cases. Some cases were even found in which coronavirus triggered cardiac arrest. The rate of heart problems due to other viral illnesses is much lower. Cardiac problems are numerous but this virus weakens the heart due to inflammation, which causes arryhthmias and blood clots. The latter can lead to heart attacks, strokes, pulmonary embolism, etc. In some cases, it can lead to the inflammation of the heart wall as well.
- When to Start Exercising after Coronavirus
You should ideally take a break and return to your workout schedule gradually. Athletes are advised to wait for at least 10 days after the symptoms have subsided to start working out again. Some doctors advise waiting for at least 2 weeks before starting light exercise routines, even to those who are asymptomatic. Those who are hospitalised should seek the advice of their doctors to resume training.
- How to Ease Back in Exercising after Coronavirus
As mentioned earlier, you might have to wait a little longer to get back to your regular exercise routine after recovering from coronavirus. According to some reports, you might feel fatigued for a few weeks after the symptoms subside. This will obviously make working out a little difficult. However, it is alright to walk around a little and maybe even visit the park. It is normal if you feel quite bad after starting working out again. Therefore, you will have to start gradually.
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