In May 2020 we were thrilled to announce that we had obtained funding from the ME Association Ramsey Research Fund for a study; “Feasibility of investigating oxygen consumption (VO2), heart rate, blood pressure, lactic acid levels and activity levels of people with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis during normal daily activities.” You can read more about what we plan to do here.
Well, as an early Christmas present we have just received ethical approval for our study! Huge thanks for the tireless work of our wonderful Associate Professor Nicola Clague-Baker to get the submission completed.
The Physios for ME team have joined up with two external researchers for this study; the first is Professor Helen Dawes, Director of the Centre for Movement, Occupational and Rehabilitation Sciences at Oxford Brookes University. Helen is a specialist in exercise science and neuroscience and has expertise in the equipment we will be using in this study.
We’ve also been joined by Professor Sarah Tyson, who is Professor of Rehabilitation at the University of Manchester. Sarah’s background is in neurological rehabilitation and she has over 100 publications, with much of her work focussed on stroke. Sarah also has ME and therefore brings a very valuable combination of research expertise and patient experience.
We have written previously about the opportunities that the Covid 19 pandemic has given us but unfortunately it has also caused disruption to our plans. We had hoped to begin recruitment for our study by now, but as it will involve going into people’s homes it is currently not possible due to Covid restrictions.
This means we have had to delay recruitment, with the aim to start around Spring 2021 when we might stand a better chance of avoiding pandemic complications, although the situation is ever-changing.
How you can be involved
We are not in a position to recruit right now so please hold back any offers until we release information about becoming a participant.
We will continue to provide updates on our blog and social media, so keep your eyes peeled!
Merry Christmas from Physios for ME
Finally, we wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, in whatever form that may take this year.
We have some big projects to announce in 2021, and there is the official publication of the revised NICE Guidelines in April that will generate lots of opportunities to raise more awareness across the profession, so plenty to look forward to.
The team should be having a chance to rest and recoup over this festive period, but knowing how busy most of our brains are we will no doubt be adding more to our to-do list!
Merry Christmas to everyone, and we will see you in the New Year!
Physios for ME.