Exercise Risks at the Health Club

By Peter Laird, MD

Exercise is an important activity to prevent and in some cases treat chronic health problems such as HTN, diabetes and chronic kidney disease with studies showing improved survival in all of these risk groups.  However, taking your exercise regimen to the local gym might endanger patients unduly, especially for people who are already at high risk of developing infections from these chronic medical conditions.  MRSA is a resistant bacteria previously seen in hospitalized patients, but now there is a subset of patients who develop a community based strain of MRSA.  Health clubs are one of the most common sites where MRSA is spread from person to person.

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Exercise remains an important adjunct to dealing with chronic medical conditions, but where you choose to exercise is important. Prevention of acquired infections should be one consideration when deciding on an exercise program. Fortunately, there are many options that do not place people at increased risk. Grab the running shoes and beware of communal spread of infectious agents.

 

Comments

[MooseMom]

Why coop yourself up in the company of sweaty strangers with cooties when you can take a brisk walk outside or do some strength training with free weights in your own home. If you have Netflix, you can put exercise vids in your queue. Gyms and health clubs smell bad.

(PS..I got snowshoes for Christmas!)

[Peter Laird, MD]

My snow shoes are up in Idaho. Not much use for them in southern California.