Exercise is Crucial For Sickle Warriors But Knowing What to Do and How to Do it is Even More Important
Exercise is an important component of staying healthy for everyone, but for Sickle Cell Warriors it might be the difference between feeling so-so or feeling great!
But there’s no doubt about it. Those with sickle cell disease (SCD) must be more careful than those without a chronic illness. They need to know what kind of exercise is best for them, when to engage and when to stop.
“Exercise is important for everyone, okay, not just sickle cell patients,” Dana Hill, a dually certified psychiatric mental health practitioner and a family nurse practitioner at the Sickle Cell Sanctuary Holistic Healing For A Better Tomorrow told Tabatha McGee, the CEO of the Sickle Cell Foundation of Georgia and the host of “Unveiling Sickle Cell: Beyond the Pain.”
Hill believes exercise for warriors depends on the environment.
“They have to be careful they’re not outside running in the 100-degree weather or it's too cold or in climate with high altitudes. Those are things they can look out for.”
Hill focuses on a Warrior’s complete health, “head to toe, the mind and the body.”
So, she knows regular movement is crucial and can help sickle patients stave off pain crises.
“I feel that they can do a little bit of everything, just in small increments like not really overdoing it, staying hydrated while they're doing these exercises, and monitoring for signs of infections and pain, like swelling or pain in areas that they haven't had before,” Hill explained.
“Those are important things to watch out for,” she added.
Hill says weight-bearing and non-weight bearing exercises are good for those with SCD, but she says swimming is probably one of the best workouts a Warrior can do “because they're not putting that traction on all their limbs combined.”
“But the most important thing is moderation and climate.”
When Hill brought up swimming, McGee joked about women and their hair. “We can’t be messing up our hair now. You start messing up our hair swimming.”
If that’s a concern for you, Hill has an answer.
“What about the stair master? Or what about the elliptical? That way you’re not running in place but you’re still moving everything.”
To recap, experts like Hill strongly warn against intense, prolonged, or highintensity exertion - especially above the anaerobic threshold, which is defined as intense, short-duration activities that can cause a build-up of lactic acid. That build-up can cause acidosis. It can also trigger sickling in the blood and lead to pain crises.
The types of exercises to avoid include sprinting, weightlifting, high-intensity interval training, jumping rope and boxing.
But on the flip side, as mentioned earlier, current research supports low-to-moderate aerobic exercise and even strength training, if the Warrior is careful and adapts the routine to their ability.
Research shows that low-to-moderate aerobic exercise reduces inflammatory cytokines, improves capillary density in muscles and can create a better overall quality of life.
-By Shelby Lin Erdman