Cardiac Rehab After a Heart Attack
Cardiac Rehab rebuilds your strength and stamina
after a heart attack; it strengthens the heart muscle, and encourages
a healthy lifestyle.
Rebuilding your strength and stamina is crucial
to recovery and to the rehabilitation of heart disease.
The Common Procedure after a Heart Attack
Your cardiologist prescribes cardiac rehabilitation
( Cardiac Rehab) as one of the treatments for your heart disease.
You set up an appointment at a cardiac rehabilitation facility
to test your physical exertion level. This is to determine if you
are physically capable to begin an exercise program. And to determine
what the beginning level of your accepted physical exertion is.
The doctor at the rehabilitation center tests your hearts condition
by giving you a moving EKG. You walk on a treadmill. He increases
the levels and speed of the treadmill gradually. This elevates your
heart rate.
Each time he increases the speed and the level your heart rate
level raises. The doctor then determines you're:
- Maximum heart rate which is the maximum level where
your heart rate is allowed to rise to.
- Resting heart rate. Your heart rate when you are at
rest.
- Target heart rate. this is the target zone where you
heart rate has to be in order to get the cardiovascular benefits
of exercise.
When all of this information is determined, and the doctors feel
that you are capable of beginning your rehabilitation. You can schedule
a program that allows you to participate for a minimum of three
times per week.
Cardiac Rehab The Rehabilitation Sessions
There may be minor differences between each center, so I am only
describing the rehabilitation center and program that I participated
in.
The staff consists of a cardiologist and a physical therapist
who are at the center at all times. They are there to monitor and
insure the safety of all the participants.
Each person puts on a small EKG monitor that had four electrodes
attached to it. These electrodes are attached to four areas on the
chest. These portable EKG monitors allow for remote viewing. During
the exercises the cardiologist and the physical therapist view the
EKG at all times.
The Actual Program Cardiac Rehab Program
- 5 minutes warm-ups - this is done to gradually
build up the heart rate and to warm up the joints to avoid injury
- 25 minutes walking on a treadmill - walking
at a pace that increases the heart rate for at least 20 minutes
of the session. This walk exercises the lower body too.
- 10 minutes on a hand bicycle- this is a machine
that is usually found at cardiac rehabilitation programs only.
You turn your arms in circular motion as if you are riding a bicycle
with your hands. This too gives a good cardiovascular workout
increasing the heart rate significantly. This exercise strengthens
the arms shoulders and upper body too.
- 10 minutes on a stationary bicycle- this is
done as a cardiovascular exercise and also to strengthen the leg
muscles
- 5 minutes of a light weight lifting routine-
weight lifting also known as resistance exercise is extrmely important
for heart patients because it builds up their ability to do day
to day chores effortlessly.
Each week the intensity, the speed, and the levels are increased
gradually. At all times all the participants' heart rates, EKG,
and blood pressure is continuously monitored. There exists a certain
sense of security knowing that the exercises are being done under
medical supervision which is extremely important.
Disclaimer: The information that I am writing
on these pages are for educational purposes only, and are intended
to inspire us to learn more about heart disease. By doing so we
can learn how to eliminate the leading cause of death, and create
a better life for us and our children. I am only a heart patient,
in no way should what I am writing, replace any medical advice given
to you by your doctors. |
Heart
