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Exercise Intolerance: pain, weakness and injury
I've read that hypothyroidism can cause exercise intolerance. I have been very ill since exposure to some toxic pesticides. Part of the poisoning is that I became hypothyroid. I used to be a keen athlete cycling many miles a week and competing often. Now I am unable to do any exercise. I suffer from pain in my joints, particularly my knees. If I try and do any level of exercise, I suffer injuries and weakness afterwards which take ages to heal (some haven't healed at all). For example, an hour's walk incorporating a hill can leave my foot flexors so weak that I can then struggle to lift up my foot for weeks at a time and have to back off doing anything at all. Swimming can cause sharp shoulder pain and weakness.
I have some periods when I feel a bit better (relatively- nothing like when I was well). I notice that the joint pains are worse when I get my period. Could this exercise intolerance be due to hypothyroidism? I am struggling to work out what is the direct result of poisoning and what is the result of hypothyroidism. Anyone experience similar? My TSH is now 4.88 (still too high- was below 2 when well). However, it did get to 0.7 a few months ago and I still had these problems. Free T4 is now 14.1 (range is 12-22 I think). Free T4 did go up to 18.1 a few months ago and I still had these difficulties. Free T3 is now 5.1 (range 4-8 I think). This is higher than it has been since I got ill. It was 4.3 earlier on in the year. When it was that low I could barely walk on the flat.
Any info much appreciated. Thank you
I have some periods when I feel a bit better (relatively- nothing like when I was well). I notice that the joint pains are worse when I get my period. Could this exercise intolerance be due to hypothyroidism? I am struggling to work out what is the direct result of poisoning and what is the result of hypothyroidism. Anyone experience similar? My TSH is now 4.88 (still too high- was below 2 when well). However, it did get to 0.7 a few months ago and I still had these problems. Free T4 is now 14.1 (range is 12-22 I think). Free T4 did go up to 18.1 a few months ago and I still had these difficulties. Free T3 is now 5.1 (range 4-8 I think). This is higher than it has been since I got ill. It was 4.3 earlier on in the year. When it was that low I could barely walk on the flat.
Any info much appreciated. Thank you
["exposure to some toxic pesticides. Part of the poisoning is that I became hypothyroid"]
- So you tested negative for Hashimoto antobodies TGab and TPO tests?
You need to know this. Otherwise how did the doc just assume your thyriod took a beating from the toxicity? - it is possible though, very fragile gland.
As a past endurance athlete myself, I can understand your frustration. Untreated and then under-trated Hoshimoto is what made me stop competing. Even though I am a lot better than a few years ago, i do a variety of out-door adventure sports at a much more average normal pace.
Your FT3 is still low. You could try multi-dosing at a lower daily dose. if that still does work well after three weeks (headache), can you get Armour or Canada's ERFA thyroid there or try a generic cytomel?
So I can assume your more in tune with your body than average. You say you have pain and weakness. Hypo muscle pain if looked at closer is usually muscle tightness that never relaxes, this is felt as pain at the end of muscles where it tuns to tendon fiber and will pull on joints. An experienced muscle "body worker" or manual PT or therapeutic massage professional can feel the difference in your muscles if this is what is happening. It is not a good idea to over exercise with this type of pain as muscle adhesion and many knots can result and damage muscle fibers. That can take years to fix with trigger point therapy, active release technique, malic acid and magnesium. I've gone though all that so I know.
So get those FT3 levels up to where you don't get new pain, and then concentrate on fixing any residual pain if any is left over. If you do have small muscle knots and adhesion, they are very tight too stretch out and generally require the above info to correct. If you tie a knot in a sock, you can still stretch the sock on either end, but the knot remains - same thing with muscles.
- So you tested negative for Hashimoto antobodies TGab and TPO tests?
You need to know this. Otherwise how did the doc just assume your thyriod took a beating from the toxicity? - it is possible though, very fragile gland.
As a past endurance athlete myself, I can understand your frustration. Untreated and then under-trated Hoshimoto is what made me stop competing. Even though I am a lot better than a few years ago, i do a variety of out-door adventure sports at a much more average normal pace.
Your FT3 is still low. You could try multi-dosing at a lower daily dose. if that still does work well after three weeks (headache), can you get Armour or Canada's ERFA thyroid there or try a generic cytomel?
So I can assume your more in tune with your body than average. You say you have pain and weakness. Hypo muscle pain if looked at closer is usually muscle tightness that never relaxes, this is felt as pain at the end of muscles where it tuns to tendon fiber and will pull on joints. An experienced muscle "body worker" or manual PT or therapeutic massage professional can feel the difference in your muscles if this is what is happening. It is not a good idea to over exercise with this type of pain as muscle adhesion and many knots can result and damage muscle fibers. That can take years to fix with trigger point therapy, active release technique, malic acid and magnesium. I've gone though all that so I know.
So get those FT3 levels up to where you don't get new pain, and then concentrate on fixing any residual pain if any is left over. If you do have small muscle knots and adhesion, they are very tight too stretch out and generally require the above info to correct. If you tie a knot in a sock, you can still stretch the sock on either end, but the knot remains - same thing with muscles.
Hi,
Thanks for your answer. I'm currently taking 25mcg levothyroxine 1 day and 50mcg the next. I started on 25mcg in Feb and was increased to 50mcg on alternate days beg this month (Dec). I got a funny reaction (painful puffy eyes) when my dose was increased straight to 50mcg (last Sept) hence the alternate days approach. I was tried on T3 and it gave me an unbearable pressure in my head, but think that was because the dose was too high (started on 10mcg tablets). I was going to ask to try T3 again, but a lower dose, but because my T3 has come up from 4.3 to 5.1 on 25mcg levothyroxine, my GP thinks adding in T3 may not be necessary.
It's not that body's not used to exercise I don't think, as I have physio every week and do gentle swimming for 20 mins 3 times a week. I also walk 40 mins per day to and from work (on the flat) in a bid to keep up whatever fitness I can. However, whenever I try and increase to anything more than the above exercise-wise, it all goes wrong. I've been trying to increase my walking tolerance since beginning of last year. My physios tried everything, including getting me to do work on a stepper first, to build up leg muscles. Even having strong looking muscles doesn't resolve the problem though.
By way of contrast, until end of 2010 I used to compete in cycle endurance events. I came 3rd in the UK's longest mountain bike race (7 day event through mountains) and completed in an 8 day race across Germany through the Bavarian mountains. I also used to love cross country running and would train with a triathlon club at their swimming sessions. Until last year I had a body that was pretty much up to any sporting challenge, including some pretty extreme endurance sports.
I weigh less than 9 stone, so don't think it can be weight on my joints. I just don't understand how my body works anymore. Can hypothyroidism have such a radical effect on someone, or is it more likely to be the poisoning? (I was exposed to organophosphates which as well as disrupting endocrine function can cause muscle pain and weakness). I'm just trying to work out whether there's hope for me in that corrected thyroid levels might help me, or whether this is all just organophosphate which the thyroid meds won't help).
Thanks for your answer. I'm currently taking 25mcg levothyroxine 1 day and 50mcg the next. I started on 25mcg in Feb and was increased to 50mcg on alternate days beg this month (Dec). I got a funny reaction (painful puffy eyes) when my dose was increased straight to 50mcg (last Sept) hence the alternate days approach. I was tried on T3 and it gave me an unbearable pressure in my head, but think that was because the dose was too high (started on 10mcg tablets). I was going to ask to try T3 again, but a lower dose, but because my T3 has come up from 4.3 to 5.1 on 25mcg levothyroxine, my GP thinks adding in T3 may not be necessary.
It's not that body's not used to exercise I don't think, as I have physio every week and do gentle swimming for 20 mins 3 times a week. I also walk 40 mins per day to and from work (on the flat) in a bid to keep up whatever fitness I can. However, whenever I try and increase to anything more than the above exercise-wise, it all goes wrong. I've been trying to increase my walking tolerance since beginning of last year. My physios tried everything, including getting me to do work on a stepper first, to build up leg muscles. Even having strong looking muscles doesn't resolve the problem though.
By way of contrast, until end of 2010 I used to compete in cycle endurance events. I came 3rd in the UK's longest mountain bike race (7 day event through mountains) and completed in an 8 day race across Germany through the Bavarian mountains. I also used to love cross country running and would train with a triathlon club at their swimming sessions. Until last year I had a body that was pretty much up to any sporting challenge, including some pretty extreme endurance sports.
I weigh less than 9 stone, so don't think it can be weight on my joints. I just don't understand how my body works anymore. Can hypothyroidism have such a radical effect on someone, or is it more likely to be the poisoning? (I was exposed to organophosphates which as well as disrupting endocrine function can cause muscle pain and weakness). I'm just trying to work out whether there's hope for me in that corrected thyroid levels might help me, or whether this is all just organophosphate which the thyroid meds won't help).
COMMUNITY LEADER
It's true that hypothyroidism can cause exercise intolerance.
Looking back at your profile page, I see that you've posted some similar threads and that you are/were on thyroid replacement medication. Please tell us what medication you are currently on, and how long you've been on it. Your FT levels are still quite low in their ranges.
Walking for an hour is a lot of exercise at one time, if you aren't used to it and if I didn't walk that long on a daily basis, I'd get really sore, as well. Even though you say you used to be athletic, if you haven't been used to exercising for a while, you should always start out slowly and work up to what you can tolerate. For instance, rather than walking for an hour uphill, try walking for 10 minutes, 3 times/day on level ground and gradually work up to the hour walk.
I also very highly recommend yoga as an excellent form of exercise. Yoga centers on stretching and relaxing, and will help keep muscles toned and in shape. I have not been doing my yoga, daily, as I had been for some time, and I can certainly tell a difference. There are a variety of typed of yoga - one that will fit nearly everyone's capabilities. There's even yoga for seniors and chair yoga.
Additionally, I find that the more I weigh, the more difficult it is to exercise.
Looking back at your profile page, I see that you've posted some similar threads and that you are/were on thyroid replacement medication. Please tell us what medication you are currently on, and how long you've been on it. Your FT levels are still quite low in their ranges.
Walking for an hour is a lot of exercise at one time, if you aren't used to it and if I didn't walk that long on a daily basis, I'd get really sore, as well. Even though you say you used to be athletic, if you haven't been used to exercising for a while, you should always start out slowly and work up to what you can tolerate. For instance, rather than walking for an hour uphill, try walking for 10 minutes, 3 times/day on level ground and gradually work up to the hour walk.
I also very highly recommend yoga as an excellent form of exercise. Yoga centers on stretching and relaxing, and will help keep muscles toned and in shape. I have not been doing my yoga, daily, as I had been for some time, and I can certainly tell a difference. There are a variety of typed of yoga - one that will fit nearly everyone's capabilities. There's even yoga for seniors and chair yoga.
Additionally, I find that the more I weigh, the more difficult it is to exercise.
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