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Just like anyone else, individuals with spinal cord injuries may feel tired because they're ill, stressed out, or simply because they've had a hard day. But people with this injury often face an ongoing fatigue that comes from a combination of physical, mental, and emotional problems.
Their extreme fatigue deeply affects their lives and adds to the daily challenges they face. Fatigue not only saps the energy they need to complete daily tasks, but also can make them feel depressed, helpless, lonely, and worthless. Because many spend their waking hours in a wheelchair or a bed, others often perceive them as inactive. They may hear from others that they shouldn't be tired if they've just been "sitting around all day."
People with spinal cord injuries need to understand the complex reasons why they may feel so tired, which, for example, may be from medical causes, poor nutrition, or even Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Doing too much, environmental conditions, and lack of stimulation and exercise, for example, are physical causes of fatigue. Boredom and depression are emotional causes. Often the best treatments for easing chronic fatigue come when people make changes in their daily routine and lifestyles.
People can ease fatigue by doing the following:
Reduce the amount of daily activities.
Try to finish only what has to be done.
Find someone to help them with their tasks.
Let family members know how they can help.
Take more frequent breaks.
Find equipment or devices that can help with daily living tasks such as a shower seat or long-handled shoe horn.
Increase exercise.
Learn relaxation techniques.
Meditate.
Look into muscle conditioning.
Keep a sense of humor. #2098
Research and Training Center on Independent Living, University of Kansas. (1994). Chronic fatigue syndrome. Lawrence, KS: Author.
Keyword: Treatment
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