Struggling with POTS? We Can Help
You’re lying on the couch, reading a book. Your partner calls you into the next room, but when you stand up, your body goes haywire. Your heart rate soars, and you feel as if you might faint. The only thing that stops the attack? Sitting back down.
Such is the reality for people living with POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome), a condition affecting about one million people in the United States, most of them women. Its cause is unclear, and it has no cure. Many people with this condition struggle to get a diagnosis or find a healthcare provider who understands it.
At Flowstate Physical Therapy, we understand the difficulty of living with POTS and want to help you find solutions to manage your condition effectively. Request an appointment at our Tuscaloosa, AL clinic today to get started.
What is POTS? Signs and Symptoms
If you stand up too quickly, you might feel lightheaded for a few seconds. This is because gravity draws your blood down to the lower half of your body, meaning less blood gets to your brain. Fortunately, your body quickly corrects the imbalance, pumping blood back into your heart.
When someone has POTS, their body doesn’t pump blood back into their heart as quickly as it could, leading to often intense symptoms whenever they move from sitting or lying down to standing. While the condition isn’t life-threatening, it can make day-to-day activities extremely difficult.
People with POTS will experience a wide range of symptoms, including the following:
- Dizziness or lightheadedness, particularly during prolonged periods of standing or walking
- Rapid heart rate and/or heart palpitations while standing up
- Shortness of breath
- Chest pain
- Fainting
- Brain fog
- Headaches
Physical Therapy’s Role in Managing POTS
If you live with POTS, you know how difficult it can be to complete day-to-day tasks. Fortunately, Flowstate Physical Therapy offers evidence-based, non-pharmaceutical treatment options to help you manage your symptoms. Here are just a few of the techniques we might try:
- Education about your body’s breathing patterns and relaxation techniques to control symptoms
- Information about increasing salt and fluid intake, two approaches that can offer relief
- A specially designed physical conditioning program that recognizes your unique physical challenges, with a focus on beginning with comfortable, horizontal exercise that will be less likely to trigger symptoms and a progression based on your individual symptoms and needs.
- Information and training about compression garments to help minimize blood pooling in the lower body
Find relief from POTS symptoms today. Schedule an appointment at our Tuscaloosa, AL physical therapy clinic!
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