MERUK reporting a new Belgian study here:
http://www.meresearch.org.uk/news/muscle-weakness/
http://www.meresearch.org.uk/news/muscle-weakness/
MERUK said:One of the key difficulties that ME/CFS patients face is standing (orthostasis), particularly standing still. For them, simply being upright can trigger a cluster of symptoms, such as dizziness, altered vision, nausea, fatigue, headache or sweating. This ‘orthostatic intolerance’ can have many causes (see our article, “Standing up for ME”), but a a lack of endurance in the muscles of the trunk, which maintain the upright position, could be a contributing factor, as a new study shows.
For the investigation, researchers at Antwerp University Hospital recruited 72 women with ME/CFS, 30 women with osteoporosis (who also have standing problems) and 55 healthy women. All underwent a timed-loaded standing test which measures how long a person can hold a 1 kg dumbbell in each hand in front of her with straight arms. This test assesses combined trunk and arm endurance, and is intended to simulate the performance of the torso during everyday activities. As expected, timed-loaded standing was significantly shorter in patients with osteoporosis (84.5 seconds on average) than in the healthy women (165 seconds). In women with ME/CFS, however, timed-loaded standing was significantly lower (50 seconds) than in either of these groups. The authors note that problems with standing upright and physical activity are similar in ME/CFS and osteoporosis patients – both groups have problems keeping their spines vertical (read the report). This, and the specific biomechanical weakness identified in the women with ME/CFS, certainly needs further investigation.
[Read more via the link above)]