Can Exercise Heal PTSD?

PTSD is increasingly being diagnosed, and estimates suggest that 8% of women and 4% of men will be diagnosed with this disorder at some point in time. The exposure to a traumatic event is the catalyst for the onset of PTSD, and these may include physical assaults; weather disasters; manmade disasters; sexual violence; and the violence experienced in active combat. Being directly involved in or witnessing an event can lead to PTSD. Not everyone who is involved in a traumatic incident develops PTSD, but for those who do, their lives can change dramatically.

The markers of PTSD include intrusive memories, recurrent dreams related to trauma, flashbacks in which a person feels as if they are back at the moment of the incident, and significant emotional and or physical distress when internal or external cues related to the trauma are experienced (APA, 2013). PTSD leads people to avoid any stimuli associated with the trauma in order to avoid unpleasant memories or emotions. In addition, PTSD affects mood and thoughts – there may be difficulty remembering details of the event; the trauma may re-shape a person’s beliefs about others or the world; and hyperarousal and hypervigilance may develop as the individual’s ability to relax diminishes (APA, 2013).

PTSD typically and dramatically affects a person’s ability to manage daily life, including engaging in routine activities and enjoying healthy, low-stress relationships. Trauma can splinter trust with others and affect intimacy in multiple domains, including physical intimacy, communication, and vulnerability. While social support has been shown to be a key contributor to overall well-being, when a person has been victimized through a man-made trauma, they may use isolation and withdrawal as a means for safety. Unfortunately, this self-prescribed “cure” may do more harm than good.

PTSD is viewed as more than just a psychological disorder. With PTSD, changes in the body occur as do changes in the brain structure that support executive function and episodic memory (Hegberg et al., 2019). PTSD is also associated with an increased risk for Type 2 Diabetes, cardiovascular disease, sleep disruption, inflammation, and autoimmune disorders, including inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Treatment Recommendations

Treatment protocols for PTSD have been studied, and psychotherapy and medication have been ranked similarly high in their effectiveness (Martin et al., 2021). Cognitive behavioral therapy is a frequent choice, as it can address thoughts, feelings, and behaviors – all of which can be negatively impacted by PTSD. In terms of psychotropic medications, the Veterans Administration notes that three antidepressants that affect serotonin reuptake are recommended for PTSD, sertraline, paroxetine, and venlafaxine. They have wide-reaching positive effects that work by regulating neurochemicals in the brain that manage emotions and mood. However, there may be a more organic and less intrusive treatment.

Switch the Meds for Exercise?

A significant new study has broadened our understanding of how exercise affects organisms down to the molecular and cellular level (MotRPAC Study Group, 2024 ). Even though the study involved animals, the findings indicated that exercise affects virtually all organs – not just the heart, lungs, muscles, or fat cells, but virtually all other organs. The most significant changes were found in the adrenal gland – this is a powerhouse gland whose functioning affects the metabolism, the immune system, and blood pressure among other processes. The adrenal gland is also where both adrenaline, a “propulsion” hormone, and cortisol, the stress hormone, are produced, so harnessing the benefits of exercise may positively affect PTSD symptoms, as PTSD reflects dysregulation of the stress response system including the adrenal glands and the hypothalamus (Berger et al., 2019).

The Power of Exercise to Quell Stress

In addition to the effects of exercise on adrenal gland functioning, research indicates that exercise has the power to reduce PTSD symptoms by rewiring the brain (Risako, 2024). In a recent study with mice that exhibited PTSD-type behaviors, it was found that mice who had access to an exercise wheel experienced a significantly greater reduction in symptoms than those that had experimentally induced neurogenesis and rewiring of the hippocampus. In addition, the mice who engaged in physical exercise exhibited less anxiety, as well. Exercise can effect change at the cellular and molecular level, and the more organic changes may have greater success over the researcher-manipulated neurogenesis. Similar results were also reported for substance-addicted mice – researchers hypothesize that the brain rewiring that takes place as a result of physical exercise may help animals forget their traumatic memories or the memories that trigger substance use. In humans, it’s been found that a variety of exercises diminish symptoms of PTSD, but one study found that a combination of yoga, aerobic exercise, and resistance training, practiced regularly, was the most effective.

Exercise as a Healing Modality?

Exercise may effectively reduce symptoms of PTSD in many people. For those who face cost and stigma as barriers to other treatments, exercise may be the treatment of choice. Not only does it make good sense in terms of accessibility and cost, but there is empirical evidence that it is clinically effective in decreasing symptoms of PTSD across adulthood and across gender (Hegberg et al., 2019; Wang et al., 2023). Noting that PTSD is a systemic disorder that can lead to the onset of multiple metabolic disorders, the benefits of exercise for overall physical and mental well-being cannot be overstated.