Lifting weights - Does it increase inflammation levels?

Posted by bbeaupre0128 @bbeaupre0128, Aug 9, 2022

I was diagnosed with MTD 8 years ago, although I believe I had been living with it for at least 7 years at that point. I watch what I eat and work out, stay out of the sun and stretch and in general that means I live with some pain, stiffness, etc but nothing to bad, although I can never get my RNP to go away sometimes my ANA does but I never get my c-reactive protein close to the normal range. I am getting older though and I've found it very difficult to lose (or sometimes even maintain) my weight. I used to be quite strong, and I was thinking about taking up weight lifting (I did this as a teen and young adult) to build my muscles back, but I am worried that this may increase my inflammation levels. Does anyone know if it's safe to slowly begin a weight lifting reginment?

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John, Volunteer Mentor | @johnbishop | Aug 9, 2022

Hello @bbeaupre0128, Welcome to Connect. Thanks for starting this discussion. To be honest, I had never even thought about it. I've done some mild weight lifting off and on during the years, and have recently added some resistance exercises to my daily routine hoping to increase my muscle mass some. From what I've read, lifting weights can actually lower inflammation levels. Here's a couple of references:

-- How Any Kind of Lifting Can Lower Inflammation in Your Body: https://www.muscleandfitness.com/workouts/workout-tips/how-any-kind-lifting-can-lower-inflammation-your-body/
-- Does Weight Training Reduce Inflammation?: https://cathe.com/does-weight-training-reduce-inflammation/

I think it's still a good idea to discuss the kind of weight lifting you want to do with your doctor. Are you able to dicuss your concerns with your doctor?