Can you exercise with pleurisy?

Written by Luo Peng

Thoracic Surgery

Updated on September 03, 2024

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Whether or not a patient with pleurisy can exercise should be determined based on the individual's specific condition. For mild pleurisy without pleural effusion and severe pain, exercise is permissible. However, if pleural effusion is present, it should be drained or aspirated first, after which exercise can be encouraged. Exercise should be moderate, as it can help absorb the pleural effusion, which is beneficial for the patient. Additionally, if pleurisy causes severe pain, it is best to minimize movement to avoid exacerbating the pain.

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Written by An Yong Peng

Pulmonology

58sec

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What are the symptoms of pleurisy?

Pleurisy often presents with symptoms of chest pain, which tends to worsen with deep breathing. Patients with pleurisy may also experience a feeling of tightness in the chest, possibly caused by a significant accumulation of fluid in the chest cavity due to the pleurisy. Sometimes, this tightness could also be due to severe chest pain that makes the patient reluctant to inhale deeply. Patients with pleurisy are likely to exhibit symptoms of fever. It is important to note that pleurisy caused by different factors may have distinct clinical features. For example, purulent pleurisy often presents with high fever, while tuberculous pleurisy may show symptoms of tuberculosis intoxication like low-grade fever in the afternoon and night sweats. However, some cases of tuberculous pleurisy might present with high fever, and others may not have noticeable fever at all. Additionally, viral pleurisy usually features prominently painful symptoms in the chest.

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Written by Shen Jiang Chao

Radiology

48sec

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Pleural inflammation CT manifestations

The causes of pleurisy mainly include tuberculous, purulent, bacterial, tumorous, traumatic, and rheumatic types, with the tuberculous type being the most common. Pleurisy is predominantly characterized by pleural effusion, which generally looks similar on a CT scan. CT scans cannot distinguish the cause of pleurisy. A small amount of pleurisy manifests as a minor amount of free effusion, appearing as an arc or crescent of uniform density along the posterior chest wall. As the effusion gradually increases to a moderate or large amount, it can compress lung tissue, leading to compressive atelectasis. In cases of large volume effusion, aside from causing atelectasis, it can also significantly push the mediastinum towards the healthy side.

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Written by Wang Chun Mei

Pulmonology

43sec

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Does pleurisy cause chest pain?

Pleurisy can cause anterior chest pain. It is a very common clinical disease, mostly caused by bacterial invasion of the pleura resulting in inflammatory lesions, with Mycobacterium tuberculosis being the most common pathogen. Due to inflammatory exudation, some patients may also experience varying degrees of pleural effusion. The clinical symptoms presented by patients mainly include fever, cough, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and chest pain. In severe cases, different levels of breathing difficulties and other clinical symptoms may occur. Therefore, it is very common for patients with pleurisy to experience anterior chest pain.

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Written by Xu Jun Hui

General Surgery

49sec

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The difference between pleurisy and peritonitis

Peritonitis generally refers to a severe disease caused by bacterial infection, chemical irritation, or injury, most of which are secondary peritonitis originating from infections and necrosis of abdominal organs, perforations, trauma, etc. The main symptoms include abdominal pain, tense abdominal muscles, tenderness, and board-like abdomen. Pleurisy generally refers to the inflammation of the pleura caused by pathogenic microorganisms, also known as pleuritis, which can be accompanied by pleural effusion. Pleurisy is commonly caused by tuberculosis. Generally, the symptoms of peritonitis are more severe than those of pleurisy. Both pleurisy and peritonitis require active, timely, and regular treatment.

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Written by Luo Peng

Thoracic Surgery

35sec

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Can you exercise with pleurisy?

Whether or not a patient with pleurisy can exercise should be determined based on the individual's specific condition. For mild pleurisy without pleural effusion and severe pain, exercise is permissible. However, if pleural effusion is present, it should be drained or aspirated first, after which exercise can be encouraged. Exercise should be moderate, as it can help absorb the pleural effusion, which is beneficial for the patient. Additionally, if pleurisy causes severe pain, it is best to minimize movement to avoid exacerbating the pain.