Renal Failure may lead to poor physical endurance as well as psychological
disorders in patients, and they often wonder that "Should I exercise if I have
kidney failure?" In fact, proper physical activity can benefit patients both
physically and psychologically, as exercise can reduce the risk of heart
disease, which is particularly important for Renal Failure patients. So, doing
regular exercise can help improve the illness condition.
Benefits
1. Other diseases that may accompany Renal Failure like anemia or Diabetes
will be positively affected. In addition, the levels of cholesterol,
triglyceride and risk for coronary artery disease can be lowered. Those changes
can contribute to preserve remaining kidney function.
2. Persons who are overweight can lost extra pounds after burning fat during
the process;
3. The psychological well-being can be improved through reducing depression
and anxiety.
What kind of exercise should I do?
The exact answer depends on a person's current physical condition and history
of exercise in the past. People can begin an exercise with the doctor's
approval.
▪ In general, the best exercise choice is those that involved continuous
movement and the large muscle groups, as they can increase the fitness of heart.
These activities include walking or swimming.
▪ Discuss with the doctor about what exercises should be avoid in order to
keep persons safe and healthy.
▪ To monitor the body's reaction to the activity, have a blood test and check
blood pressure after the activity.
When the kidneys cannot function properly with Renal Failure, they lost the
ability to easily and effectively remove waste products from the system.
Untreated, this loss of function can progress until the kidneys ultimately fail
altogether. So, the most important point is to find a systemic therapy which can
restore the kidney function.