Physical Activity and PTSD

We can all understand how difficult it might be for us to handle our day-to-day stressors. Some of us are bombarded with deadlines, added schoolwork and the added stress of work. Some of us even encounter life changing sequences in our life that cause a permanent scar into our mental lives. This permanent scar can alter your life, and it is commonly called posttraumatic stress disorder. “People with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) experience an excess mortality rate 2 to 3 times higher than the general population. Previous research demonstrated that the presence and severity of PTSD are associated with the presence and severity of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and predict mortality independent of age, gender, and other conventional risk factors” (Vancampfort et al., 2016). It’s important to understand that not only does PTSD affect the mental health of an individual, it can also affect the body systems to help one survive. When mental health is greatly affected, it is ultimately shown that the other body systems will compensate and shut down to help heal the affected area. While PTSD can reside in all of us, we see this to be the most prevalent within Veterans. It is shown in clinical trials that,
“While physical activity did not have a main effect on PTSD symptoms, it did evidence an encouraging association with lowered PTSD symptoms for the subset of Veterans who remained active despite higher levels of pain severity and interference” (Bourn et al., 2016). This fairly recent research gives so much insight that simple exercise and physical activity can lower PTSD symptoms! Although it is not significant, the main point that it moves the needle of using exercise as a modality for mental health in an exciting finding for us all!