I posted a few years back how I have an autoimmune disease called Ankylosing Spondylitis, which is really a pain in the ass and a bummer.
[quote]
Ankylosing spondylitis is a long-term disease that causes inflammation of the joints between the spinal bones, and the joints between the spine and pelvis. It eventually causes the affected spinal bones to join together.[/quote]
(Mod note, I’ve hidden the photo below because some people at work may not wish to view a man in his underwear)
Yeah, it sucks harshly and no, that’s not me.
I do the right things now. I eat right, I exercise daily and I’m losing weight, I’m 180cm and 86kg now, but I noticed last summer scuba diving that my lung capacity is for shit. And when I wake up in the AM now I can barely catch my breath, and when I do inhale it hurts like hell, like my ribcage is clenching my organs. :s
My Dr has suggested exercises that increase my lung capacity, but he didn’t give any recommendations. I’ve been looking on the web and there’s too much information really, and I’m not into meditation (why should I empty my mind after putting all that stuff into it for so long )
I’ve heard Yoga is good, or just deep breathing exercises, but I honestly don’t know what that entails and I tried yoga before and it hurt so badly I couldn’t continue. So, I think that’s out.
Anywho, if anyone out there has some insight on how I can increase my lung capacity, I’d be grateful.
I’m not a medical specialist by any means, but I do know that I noticed a significant increase in my own lung capacity once I started doing daily cardiovascular activity about a year ago. I had always exercised regularly, but now that I exercise daily and for far longer and with higher intensity, I have actually felt my lung capacity increase over time.
Indiana, thanks. I exercise usually 6 days a week, ie jog, walk and barefoot jog. I can’t/refuse to do high intensity stuff because if I hurt myself, pull a muscle or tendon, I’m literally out of commission for months. My disease will go into a remission but if I suffer any trauma, whabamm, it’s back and bad as bad can be.
Igor, I’ll look into it, but like I said above, I am not willing to injure myself in an effort to get better.
It’s a rough road. :s
And how about some camping soon, dads and sons and guitars!?
You may want to consider this device http://www.powerbreathe.com/. Apparently it works rather well, I’ve tested one and it does feel like you have to ‘push’ when using it. Good luck.
[quote=“jdsmith”]Indiana, thanks. I exercise usually 6 days a week, ie jog, walk and barefoot jog. I can’t/refuse to do high intensity stuff because if I hurt myself, pull a muscle or tendon, I’m literally out of commission for months. My disease will go into a remission but if I suffer any trauma, whabamm, it’s back and bad as bad can be.
Igor, I’ll look into it, but like I said above, I am not willing to injure myself in an effort to get better.
It’s a rough road. :s
And how about some camping soon, dads and sons and guitars!? [/quote]
I walk and jog as well and use a couple of different elliptical machines at the gym…I don’t do anything super high intensity on a regular basis, but I think that if you regularly exercise to the point where you are breathing harder this should naturally make your lungs stronger and increase their capacity. Elliptical machines are great as well because they ease the stress placed on your joints / muscles while mimicking the motion of more strenuous exercise (like running).
For how long are you walking / jogging when you do? Maybe if you increase the duration of your exercise that would help.
jd, this worries me a bit…it doesn’t sound ‘normal’ for someone who is eating right, at a good weight, and exercising.
A good friend of mine had breathing issues like this come on rather suddenly, and after a couple of weeks after it got progressively worse he got checked out and they found that he had a blood clot in his lung. I’m not trying to be an alarmist, but if it came on out of nowhere, maybe it is another issue that needs to be attended to.
Indi, I will check out what an elliptical machine is and get back to you, and I really do appreciate your suggestions. Thanks.
The problem with increasing my exercise times is that one of the wonderful benefits having AS is I gets tired for no reason. Dude, I’m ALWAYS tired, even if I spend the day doing nothing but writing. AS sucks ass, as do most autoimmune diseases. :fume:
I’ll give it a go though. Jog the track for an hour and see what happens, as when I do walk or jog, I’m never out of breath, as in I’m in good shape comparatively speaking.
I’ve been looking at some actual deep breathing exercises tonight and it seems it’s not too hard…just really inane and long…
Kea, I appreciate this, really. But are you familiar with my disease?
I’m not some 44 year old guy saying hey, I can’t catch my breath.
[quote]
A good friend of mine had breathing issues like this come on rather suddenly, and after a couple of weeks after it got progressively worse he got checked out and they found that he had a blood clot in his lung. I’m not trying to be an alarmist, but if it came on out of nowhere, maybe it is another issue that needs to be attended to.[/quote]
Nah, it’s more of a slowly but surely thing, but hey, thanks for the extra nightmare!
I’m not sure why, but I think exercise in a swimming pool is very good for your lung capacity. At least it’s low impact, so you’re less likely to injure yourself.
[quote]
A good friend of mine had breathing issues like this come on rather suddenly, and after a couple of weeks after it got progressively worse he got checked out and they found that he had a blood clot in his lung. I’m not trying to be an alarmist, but if it came on out of nowhere, maybe it is another issue that needs to be attended to.[/quote]
Nah, it’s more of a slowly but surely thing, but hey, thanks for the extra nightmare! [/quote]
JD, I had some problems like that after my heart surgery. Now obviously you can’t do anaerobic cardio workouts while in Cardiac ICU, so they gave me one of these things to use. It worked pretty well, and I still use one to help me train for kayaking.
I was just going to suggest swimming (and not just cause it’s my favorite sport ).
You should be doing some exercise that gets you out of breath. You just need to find something low impact that can get you out of breath. Swimming is great because it’s low impact and most people suck at it, so it doesn’t take much to get them huffing and puffing. Even just kicking with a kickboard is often enough. Doing some kind of intervals can also be really helpful - a minute or so of higher intensity, a bit of recovery, and repeat. This is much more likely to improve cardiovascular fitness than a sustained medium pace.
What about cycling? Or doing a stationary bike at the gym? Can one hurt themselves on one of those?
I think those advising Yoga were more suggestive of the meditation breathing techniques, rather than you stand on your head or do the crab position. Diaphragmatic Breathing. Qigong is also popular here, focuses very much on the breathing and meditation.
Hi jdsmith, do you seriously have ankylosing spondylitis? I’m sorry to reconfirm this 'cause I hardly can believe to meet someone with a problem that I know of.
I highly recommend you to check up the LAB first, although sometimes they are not so reliable . The doctor will arrange some tests to confirm the existence of inflammation, which renders the different ways of medical control. The doctor will also see your chest and evaluate whether your rib cage is completely or partially restricted. Then the strategy is tailored according to the clinical and laboratory findings. If the pain in the chest or back is not well controlled, you would dare not take deep breath and your rib cage will be restricted further, causing more pain and resulting a vicious cycle.
Basically some pain killers will be given to break this cycle at first. Once your pain goes away, exercise can be undertaken smoothly and things start to get better thereafter. Other drugs might be needed to ease inflammation in your body, if it’s present. And don’t worry, these drugs could be stopped afterwards. Anyway, you’d better to see a rheumatologist first and listen to his/her opinions.
I was just going to suggest swimming (and not just cause it’s my favorite sport ).
You should be doing some exercise that gets you out of breath. You just need to find something low impact that can get you out of breath.
Swimming is great because it’s low impact and most people suck at it, so it doesn’t take much to get them huffing and puffing.
Even just kicking with a kickboard is often enough. Doing some kind of intervals can also be really helpful - a minute or so of higher intensity, a bit of recovery, and repeat. This is much more likely to improve cardiovascular fitness than a sustained medium pace.[/quote]
ha, that’s exactly why I hate swimming. But that is a good suggestion, getting myself out of breath. As I said last night, I’m in fairly good shape and am rarely out of breath when I exercise although a get pretty sweaty, but maybe I’m coasting too much and need to push a little harder…but that means I’ll definitely need a nap.
In my case, yeah. I just need to be very cautious about how much impact I give myself. 2 summers ago I was really into barefoot running and when I was in great shape I sprinted around the track once, just once, at the end of the 2KM jog and my back, neck and heels were focked for 6 months. :s
Yes, I’m quite sure. I was diagnosed with it years ago and have been on meds on and off since then. Presently on. I have another appointment with him next month and will bring up the chest restriction thing again, but I KNOW what’s going on now, and I’d like to do something about it, because even as I write this, and I just got up 30 minutes ago (woke up in pain because I shifted position in my sleep and ended up on my side) and it feels like a fourth grader is standing on my chest.
[quote=“jdsmith”]
Yes, I’m quite sure. I was diagnosed with it years ago and have been on meds on and off since then. Presently on. I have another appointment with him next month and will bring up the chest restriction thing again, but I know what’s going on now, and I’d like to do something about it, because even as I write this, and I just got up 30 minutes ago (woke up in pain because I shifted position in my sleep and ended up on my side) and it feels like a fourth grader is standing on my chest.[/quote]
Hmmm, then non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) might be inevitable. Although proper exercise could ease the pain, pain not yet controlled would frustrate the aspiration. If you are not so opposed to these drugs, short-term regular use will be very helpful. Once pain is gone, exercise will be more enjoyable, and good cycle will be set. Furthermore, NSAIDs could also slow the process of ankylosis, which possesses even more evidence than the brand that receives the most interest, the biologics (enbrel, humira, remicade, and many others, etc).
I remember I used to do Kundalini Yoga, which has a lot of intense breath-work, including the infamous “breath of fire” in which you basically use your diaphragm like an air pump. There is a lot of quick and heavy breathing, deep breathing, and holding your breath in a variety of stretched positions.
Swimming is also an excellent way to work on your breathing. If you can use the freestyle stroke, you can alternate your breath counts, such as: breathe - 3 strokes, breathe - 5 strokes, breathe - 7 strokes, breathe - 9 strokes, and then back to 3 three strokes and so forth. Another technique is to take a few deep breaths then hold your breath and swim underwater for as long as you can. Make sure you rest in between exercises!
I am not a doctor but I have read that it is difficult to increase lung capacity. Rather, you can increase your VO2-Max, which helps your whole cardio system become more efficient.
I was just going to suggest swimming (and not just cause it’s my favorite sport ).
You should be doing some exercise that gets you out of breath. You just need to find something low impact that can get you out of breath. Swimming is great because it’s low impact and most people suck at it, so it doesn’t take much to get them huffing and puffing. Even just kicking with a kickboard is often enough. Doing some kind of intervals can also be really helpful - a minute or so of higher intensity, a bit of recovery, and repeat. This is much more likely to improve cardiovascular fitness than a sustained medium pace.
What about cycling? Or doing a stationary bike at the gym? Can one hurt themselves on one of those?[/quote]
I was also thinking of swimming. It seems like a good idea given that he probably needs some more intensity, but needs to do so in a low impact environment.
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).
. The doctor will arrange some tests to confirm the existence of inflammation, which renders the different ways of medical control. The doctor will also see your chest and evaluate whether your rib cage is completely or partially restricted. Then the strategy is tailored according to the clinical and laboratory findings. If the pain in the chest or back is not well controlled, you would dare not take deep breath and your rib cage will be restricted further, causing more pain and resulting a vicious cycle.