My name is Sanna, and I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease, an Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) at the age of 18. Despite the illness, I have continued to perform physical exercise, and have found it beneficial. I created this website with my classmate Pia as our Physiotherapy Bachelor's Thesis.
Physical activity has several physiological and psychological benefits. There are certain recommendations for physical exercise for healthy people. For people with IBD, however, there are many factors that need to be taken into account when exercising.
When my illness is in remission, I can do almost any sport I want. Even when I'm having a relapse, most of the time I can still perform a variety of activities. However, sometimes the best thing for me to do is just to take it easy and relax. If I got very sick and surgery had to be performed on me, I could still exercise; even if I required an ostomy or a j-pouch.
As an IBD patient, I may also suffer from several associated conditions outside the bowel, for example joint problems, back problems, osteoporosis, anaemia or depression. I have experienced some of these, but none of them are an obstacle for physical exercise.
When I was younger I sometimes wondered if I could become a professional athlete, and how my medication would affect my career. So far, however, I have exercised only for the benefits, pleasure, and challenge of it. I would not, however, try anything extreme without consulting my doctor first.
The aims of this website are to
- encourage and motivate young people and adults with IBD to exercise
- help young people and adults with IBD to see their possibilities and to be optimistic despite their illness
- provide valid and reliable information for young people and adults with IBD in a simplified and understandable form.
