What Are the Benefits and Risks of Cardiac
Rehab?
Benefits
Cardiac rehab has many benefits. It can:
- Reduce your overall chance of dying, the chance
of future heart problems, and the chance of dying from a
heart
attack
- Decrease pain and the need for medicines to treat
heart or chest pain
- Lessen the chance that you will have to go back
to the hospital or emergency room for a heart problem
- Improve your overall health by decreasing the
risk factors for heart problems
- Improve the quality of your life and make it
easier to work, participate in social activities, and exercise
People who attend cardiac rehab on a regular basis
also reduce stress, become more independent, and prevent disability.
People who receive help for their emotional health
and also start an exercise program can improve their overall health. They can
lower their blood pressure and heart rate. They also can lower their LDL
("bad") cholesterol and raise their HDL ("good") cholesterol. These people are
less likely to die or have another heart attack.
Treatment for emotional health also can help some
people quit smoking.
Risks
The lifestyle changes that you make during cardiac
rehab have few risks.
At first, physical activity is safer in the rehab
setting than at home. Members of the rehab team are trained and have experience
teaching people with heart problems how to exercise.
Your rehab team will watch you to make sure
youre safe. They will check your blood pressure several times during your
exercise training. They also may use an
EKG
(electrocardiogram) to see how your heart reacts and adapts to exercise. After
some training, most people learn to exercise safely at home.
Very rarely, physical activity during rehab causes
serious problems. These problems may include injuries to your muscles and/or
bones, or heart rhythm problems that can lead to death or recurrent heart
attack.
Your rehab team will tell you about signs and
symptoms of possible problems to watch for while exercising at home. If you
notice these signs and symptoms, you should stop the activity and contact your
doctor.
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