Our heart, lungs and muscles get stronger or weaker in response to the stimulus they receive. Spend a lot of time running and lifting weights and your heart, lungs and muscles will get stronger. You can see this happening as you begin to run faster without getting out of breath and you are able to lift heavier weights at the gym. Anyone who exercises regularly can tell you, however, that missing even a week or two of their regular workouts can lead to a small reduction in fitness. When this period of rest or inactivity becomes even longer, general deconditioning develops. The strength, efficiency and power of the muscles, heart and lungs begins to decline which makes activity more difficult. Depending on your starting level of fitness and the length of inactivity, general deconditioning can be mild, moderate or severe:

Mild deconditioning: This refers to a decline in your ability to perform your normal level of exercise like running, lifting weights or cycling. At this point you should still be able to do your day to day activities but will notice you get more tired and your performance is not as high during your usual fitness activities.

Moderate deconditioning: At this level it becomes more difficult to perform day to day activities. You might find you need to take rest breaks while cleaning the house or use an electric scooter to accomplish grocery shopping. You will likely need more help with daily tasks and may have to give up some altogether. You may get short of breath or have a faster heart rate with everyday activities.

Severe deconditioning: When deconditioning becomes severe, even basic activities like showering, dressing yourself and sitting up in a chair may become very difficult or impossible. Muscles have atrophied, heart and lung function has declined and it takes a great deal of effort to complete simple tasks.

The severity of deconditioning is not only related to the length of inactivity but also the amount of inactivity. An individual that has stopped running and swimming for exercise but continues to do all of their normal daily activities will likely experience only mild deconditioning as long as they are healthy. A person who experiences a long illness, injury or is undergoing treatment for a medical condition that causes them to spend long periods of time in bed or sitting such as cancer treatment, is at much higher risk of developing moderate and severe deconditioning. The more deconditioned a person becomes, the more likely they are to further restrict their activities to conserve energy which can be a slippery slope.

If you decide to work with a physical therapist to help with general deconditioning related issues, your entire treatment plan could consist of around 8-20+ different physical therapy sessions that will each last 60-90 minutes. Once you complete your customized physical therapy treatment plan, you will be able to continue to do the prescribed stretches and exercises utilized during your PT sessions yet from the comfort of your own home.

HOW DO PHYSICAL THERAPISTS TREAT GENERAL DECONDITIONING

The goals of physical therapy for general deconditioning include some of the following:

• Restore normal strength
• Maintain or improve joint range of motion
• Restore balance and motor control
• Improve cardiorespiratory endurance
• Restore the ability to perform daily tasks independently
• Improve walking capacity
• Return to your prior level of function
• Establish a progressive exercise program that a patient can continue after discharge

Components of a treatment plan for general deconditioning often include the following: