spiderwave
New member
Can I exercise?Will doing vigorous exercise do long term damage to bfs? I have calf muscle twitching and cramping in legs feet and back.I find exercise makes it worse but I want to improve my fitness levels. Any advise ?
Can Exercise Damage Long-Term Health?
- Thread starter spiderwave
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physicsmon24
Active member
My advice would be to let your body tell you how much to do. A lot of people with BFS and particularly BFCS do experience exercise intolerance. If I push myself too hard, I will get more twitches along with cramps and pains. Just don't try not to do too much and listen to your body.
spiderwave
New member
Thanks .How long do your increased symptoms last after you ve finished exercising ? Do they settle back to pre exercise levels ?.
physicsmon24
Active member
It's likely different with each person but I can give you an example for me. I was doing some weight training (tricep extensions) and the following day it felt like someone was stabbing my triceps with a knife. Lasted a couple of days. I also try to walk 4 to 5 miles each morning. This can cause some cramping in my quads but it usually doesn't last more than an hour or two. Just pay attention to your body as you are exercising. If you feel muscle groups getting tight or cramping, then you should stop and scale it back a little. With respect to twitching, there are so many things that can set it off and you never know what could trigger hotspots (areas that will twitch non-stop 24/7).
JohnnyRocket
Well-known member
As a nearly 10 year twitcher, who has heard and followed up on hundreds of BFS cases over the years, my advice is to not allow BFS to control your life. BFS is a BENIGN condition that is incapable of harming you or "turning into" some other sinister disease. Although intense exercise may increase your symptoms for the following few hours or day (which it does for me), the longterm effects of being healthy and living an active life far outweigh the short term annoyances IMO. Reducing anxiety and getting to a healthy mental state is the key (if there is A key) to reducing symptoms longterm and getting back to normal life. Its hard to have health anxiety when you have a healthy body. If I ride a bike for an hour, my thighs will twitch constantly and profusely for hours after stopping. It used to bother me, but not it indicates that I got a *beep* good workout in. And hey, if my muscles are twitching, then I figure I'm burning more calories than some boring non-BFSer. 
If your case involves intense pain after exercise, then obviously don't over do it if the pain is too much....that goes without saying really, but don't spend another minute worrying about long term consequences with anything BFS. Its harmless, and one day will fade into little more than background noise (as it has for me.)
If your case involves intense pain after exercise, then obviously don't over do it if the pain is too much....that goes without saying really, but don't spend another minute worrying about long term consequences with anything BFS. Its harmless, and one day will fade into little more than background noise (as it has for me.)I agree with Johnny regarding the fact that BFS is rather not harmful... but at the same time I must admit that BFS people often are 
I mean BFS often means that obsessive or anxious mind is added for free. And many fellows here, reporting their cases, state vigorous trianing which sometimes looks compulsive. So your task is just to be as much moderate as possible. Think WHY you need fitness, adn if you feel that you hate yourself too much or your would not enjoy the excercises, or if you plan to excercise till the full exhaust becasuse your real need is in fact to exhaust yourself (mind and body relationships are somteimes as much complicated as a soap opera) - then no matter whether you have BFS or not - you would harm yourself anyway.In all other aspects BFS is not a physically disabling disease and you can excersise of course. We have moujntain climbers here, marathon runners and swimmers, etc.Just keep a good reason and a measure and always remember what is a TRUE goal of your excercises (as much as possible).
I mean BFS often means that obsessive or anxious mind is added for free. And many fellows here, reporting their cases, state vigorous trianing which sometimes looks compulsive. So your task is just to be as much moderate as possible. Think WHY you need fitness, adn if you feel that you hate yourself too much or your would not enjoy the excercises, or if you plan to excercise till the full exhaust becasuse your real need is in fact to exhaust yourself (mind and body relationships are somteimes as much complicated as a soap opera) - then no matter whether you have BFS or not - you would harm yourself anyway.In all other aspects BFS is not a physically disabling disease and you can excersise of course. We have moujntain climbers here, marathon runners and swimmers, etc.Just keep a good reason and a measure and always remember what is a TRUE goal of your excercises (as much as possible).spiderwave
New member
Thank you all for your good advice,I will pace myself and see how it goes..Good to know it won't harm me long term.IInteresting thought about burning calories Johnny !