Bed rest is often used to treat a variety of medical conditions. Prolonged bed rest causes major cardiovascular, respiratory, musculoskeletal and neuropsychological changes. Negative effects include thromboembolism, pneumonia, muscle wasting and physical deconditioning. Many of the negative effects begin within days of confinement, but consequences can last much longer. Specifically, in acute DVT/PE, bed rest has no impact on the risk of developing new PE. Furthermore, in acute low back pain, advice to stay active compared to rest in bed showed benefits in pain relief and functional improvement. Therefore, it is important to limit bed rest as much as possible.
Conditions: Deep vein thrombosis (DVT), Pulmonary embolism (PE), lower back pain
Treatments: Bed rest, inactivity
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Sources
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