Exercise Intervention in PTSD: A Narrative Review and Rationale for Implementation.
TL;DR: A review of existing literature exploring aerobic exercise and PTSD and briefly discuss potential mechanisms of PTSD symptom reduction can be found in this article, where the authors provide encouraging evidence that aerobic exercise interventions alone or as an adjunct to standard treatment may positively impact PTSD symptoms.
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Abstract: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a prominent mental health problem in veteran and community populations. There is accumulating evidence to suggest that aerobic exercise may serve as an effective treatment option for individuals with PTSD. The purpose of this review is to summarize the existing literature exploring aerobic exercise and PTSD and briefly discuss potential mechanisms of PTSD symptom reduction. A search of electronic databases and reference sections of relevant articles published through October 1, 2018 revealed 19 relevant studies that examined aerobic exercise and PTSD symptomatology. A narrative review of extant studies provides encouraging evidence that aerobic exercise interventions alone or as an adjunct to standard treatment may positively impact PTSD symptoms. Potential mechanisms by which aerobic exercise could exert a positive impact in PTSD include exposure and desensitization to internal arousal cues, enhanced cognitive function, exercise-induced neuroplasticity, normalization of hypothalamic pituitary axis (HPA) function, and reductions in inflammatory markers. Randomized clinical trials and translational neuroscience approaches are required to clarify the efficacy of exercise intervention for PTSD and elucidate potential mechanisms of exercise-induced PTSD symptom reduction.
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Citations
The Role of Exercise in Management of Mental Health Disorders: An Integrative Review
Patrick Smith,Rhonda M. Merwin +1 more
TL;DR: A review of treatment data on exercise interventions and mental health outcomes focuses primarily on depression and anxiety within a health neuroscience framework, highlighting sources of treatment heterogeneity by integrating the critical influences of neurobiological mechanisms enhancing neuroplasticity and behavioral learning of self-regulatory skills.
166
Dysregulation of inflammation, neurobiology, and cognitive function in PTSD: an integrative review.
TL;DR: Evidence of dysregulated inflammation in PTSD is summarized and how the neurobiological underpinnings of PTSD, in the context of fear learning and extinction acquisition and recall, may interact with inflammation is explored.
Physical Exercise as Treatment for PTSD: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Frida Björkman,Örjan Ekblom +1 more
TL;DR: In this article, the effects of different types of exercise on PTSD symptom severity and symptoms of coexisting conditions in adults were systematically reviewed, and a meta-analysis was performed with a mixed-effects model and restricted maximum likelihood as model estimator.
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Pilot randomized controlled trial of exercise training for older veterans with PTSD.
Katherine S. Hall,Katherine S. Hall,Miriam C. Morey,Miriam C. Morey,Hayden B. Bosworth,Hayden B. Bosworth,Jean C. Beckham,Jean C. Beckham,Michelle M. Pebole,Richard Sloane,Richard Sloane,Carl F. Pieper +11 more
TL;DR: Clinically significant improvements in PTSD and related conditions were observed following exercise, suggesting exercise training is safe and acceptable in older adults with PTSD, may improve PTSD symptoms, and broadly impacts PTSD-related conditions.
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Symptoms improve after a yoga program designed for PTSD in a randomized controlled trial with veterans and civilians
Louanne W. Davis,Arlene A. Schmid,Joanne Daggy,Ziyi Yang,Caitlin E O'Connor,Nancy Schalk,Ai-Nghia L Do,Danka Maric,Donna L. Lazarick,Heidi Knock +9 more
TL;DR: Yoga may be an effective intervention for PTSD in addition to standard treatments, and future yoga trials should consider adding a social component to interventions or booster classes to maintain effects long term.
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References
The interactive role of exercise and sleep on veteran recovery from symptoms of PTSD
Kimberly A. Babson,Adrienne J. Heinz,Gil Ramirez,Melissa Puckett,Jessica G. Irons,Marcel O. Bonn-Miller,Marcel O. Bonn-Miller,Marcel O. Bonn-Miller,Steven H. Woodward +8 more
TL;DR: In this article, the extent to which exercise and sleep interactively impact changes in PTSD severity was assessed, and it was shown that exercise may be a beneficial adjunctive treatment for reducing hyperarousal symptoms among individuals with PTSD and poor sleep.
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Lower cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with greater reduction in PTSD symptoms and anxiety sensitivity following aerobic exercise
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explored the role of cardiorespiratory fitness in predicting reductions in PTSD symptoms and anxiety sensitivity following aerobic exercise and found that individuals with lower pre-treatment levels of fitness experienced greater reductions in avoidance and hyperarousal symptoms of PTSD, as well as total, physical, and social symptoms of anxiety sensitivity.
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•Journal Article
Physical activity protects male patients with post-traumatic stress disorder from developing severe fibromyalgia.
Yoav Arnson,D. Amital,Leah Fostick,A. Silberman,Michael Polliack,Joseph Zohar,Alan Rubinow,Howard Amital +7 more
TL;DR: Physical exercise in male patients with combat-related PTSD provides protection from the future development of fibromyalgia, and physical activity is related in this group of patients to a better perception of their quality of life.
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Association between exercise and posttraumatic stress symptoms among trauma-exposed adults.
TL;DR: This study adds to the scarce, yet growing, body of exercise—PTS literature—by illuminating the inverse associations of vigorous-intensity exercise, specifically, and PTS hyperarousal symptom severity among trauma-exposed individuals.
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Exercise is medicine for mental health in military veterans: a qualitative commentary
Nick Caddick,Brett Smith +1 more
TL;DR: It is concluded that qualitative research has made a significant contribution to the emerging evidence base for exercise-based interventions and can be used to inform current debates about quality assurance in the area of veterans’ mental health-care and to underpin quality provision for service users.