Does exercise worsen Crohn's?

Just wondering if exercise (jogging, tennis, dancing) makes inflammation worse? Since it raises "stress" levels a bit...:ywow:

Exercising, while being a rigorous activity, actually helps reduce stress and improve digestion for most people. As long as you're not in flare-up, I don't think it should be a problem. Basically: don't do anything you're uncomfortable with.

I also found an article about it here, if you're interested. It also has tips at the bottom and the next page on exercises that might be easier on your body if you have Crohn's.

Working out too hard can trigger a flareup for me...... if I go mild I dont have any issues..but if i really push hard it seems to take me out quite bad..usually severe fatigue the next day followed closely by a flareup ....

I've never heard of exercise making inflammation worse. As long as you're feeling up to it and your Crohn's is mostly under control, there should be no harm in exercising. Just know your limits and don't overdue it. Good luck!

Thank you theOcean! That's exactly what I was concerned about: in the article it says low-impact exercises to reduce jostling, jarring around....picturing my ileum bouncing around while playing Tennis is what triggered this post lol. But you're right, it reduces stress...

NitroNeal: that's strange, I've never heard about exercising causing a flareup :/ But yes, in moderation!

Alev: thank you

I think my issue is my disease seems to be always active in the background....if I tire myself out too badly it seems to make me sicker.......if I work a double shift length day or two I can get sicker then if I work 2 moderate days...does this make more sense ?

It definitely does, especially since it sounds like you do a lot of physical labor at your job.

theOcean said:

It definitely does, especially since it sounds like you do a lot of physical labor at your job.

Click to expand...

I work with machine tools...Lots of fine detail work..long hours on my feet holding concentration.

Currently for me yes because my ostomy is essentially an open wound and I would be afraid of prolapse or hernia.

I think exercise is great otherwise but what do you guys who have had operations do? Im always afraid of hernia even weeks after surgery because my abdominal muscles are weak.

I don't have an ostomy but I have had several surgeries. I just do what I can afterwards and try not to hurt myself. Common sense goes a long way. After I had my current seton put in a year ago I couldn't do much because almost any exercise or movement seemed to aggravate it. Eventually I got to where I could do squats and such so I started to get back to weightlifting. Also I had an inguinal hernia repair earlier this year but the recovery time was pretty short. 5 days post op I did a bit of very light lifting. 2 weeks post op I was back to training heavy.

Exercise has been great for me as a stress-reliever. I do listen to my body though and either tone a workout down or give it a miss if I'm too tired. I did a strength class at the gym today and adapted where I needed to (there are only so many burpees my body wants to do, even on a good day!)