How to prevent hospital related deconditioning
Keeping your loved ones active and what to bring
Helpful information about keeping active in hospital
A stay in hospital can make you feel weaker than normal and everyday tasks can feel challenging and tiring.
Despite this, staying as active as possible whilst you recover from your illness or injury in hospital is important.
Staying in bed for too long, not getting up and not trying to wash and dress yourself may mean that you struggle to get back to normal when you go home and you can be at risk of developing further medical problems. This is called deconditioning.
Click on the common myths below to learn the facts:
Bed rest is not a good way to recover from many illnesses and injuries and may make your recovery time longer.
Every bit of physical activity can help keep you healthy and reduce your recovery time.
Staying in hospital is not like being at home and so you might need help or safety advice to keep active.
If you are able to, maintaining your normal routine of getting up, dressed and moving around throughout the day as you normally do will help to get you home more quickly.
Are there risks to staying active in hospital?
With any form of physical activity there is a risk of 'over doing it' if you are feeling unwell and a risk of falls, if the activity you are doing is testing your balance.
To reduce these risks, you can take the following steps:
1. Tell a member of staff if you are feeling more unwell (such as an increase in dizziness, nausea, or if you are in any pain) and rest whilst you are checked over.
2. Make sure you are wearing supportive footwear, glasses if needed, and have your usual walking aid to hand. If you feel unsteady, stop and wait for further advice.
3. Ask for a review by the ward physiotherapy and occupational therapy team if you are not able to manage as you normally do with walking or personal care activities (such as washing yourself or using the toilet).