#NationalHeartMonth: Physical Therapy for Cardiovascular Health
February is #NationalHeartMonth, a month to highlight the importance of cardiovascular health and effective ways to prevent and address cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States; however, it is preventable through lifestyle choices, including exercise which prevents the onset and development of cardiovascular disease. Physical therapists help individuals exercise safely and effectively, designing a customized exercise program to prevent cardiovascular disease and using exercise as a therapeutic tool to improve the fitness and aerobic capacity of cardiovascular disease patients.
What is Cardiovascular Disease?
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States and almost half of all adults in the United States have at least one key risk factor for CVD. Risk factors for CVD include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, stress, and a sedentary lifestyle. Cardiovascular diseases are conditions that affect the heart and circulatory system.
There are four types of cardiovascular disease:
Coronary Heart Disease: a disease of the heart and blood vessels that is related to clogged arteries, or atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is a condition in which plaque builds up in the walls of the arteries. This narrows the blood vessels, making it harder for blood to flow and can lead to a blockage in the artery that causes a heart attack or stroke.
Hypertension: high blood pressure, which is the result of blood pushing too much force against the walls of the blood vessels. Nearly 75 million Americans have hypertension and when unmanaged, it can lead to heart attack and stroke.
Heart Attack: A cardiac event that occurs when blood flow to or from the heart is blocked, often due to a build-up of plaque. Plaque in the arteries can break away and cause a clot that creates a blockage. If the clot completely blocks blood flow, the part of the heart muscle supplied by that artery can begin to die.
Stroke: Strokes cut off the blood supply to the brain, causing brain cells to die and affecting function governed by that part of the brain. The most common type of stroke is an ischemic stroke in which a blood vessel that supplies the brain gets blocked by a blood clot.
Physical Therapy for Cardiovascular Health and Cardiac Rehabilitation
A customized physical therapy exercise program helps individuals exercise safely and effectively, both to prevent the development of cardiovascular disease and as a therapeutic tool to improve the fitness and aerobic capacity of cardiovascular disease patients. A physical therapist designs a graded exercise program to help patients gradually build up endurance and strength based on their fitness level. The therapist monitors the patient during exercise and helps increase exercise tolerance gradually. For cardiovascular disease patients, the therapist assesses heart rate and exertion levels to ensure the patient is not overtaxing the heart during exercise. For stroke rehabilitation patients, physical therapists have a specific treatment protocol to address and relearn motor control, motor skills, and function. Exercise program components include aerobic conditioning, strength training, and flexibility exercises.
Regular exercise, paired with a nutritious diet, maintaining a healthy weight, and not smoking are critical protections against cardiovascular disease. Studies have shown that these four factors reduce the chance of death from all causes by 90%. Regular exercise reduces the risk of heart disease by 50% and stroke by 35%.
Aerobic conditioning strengthens the heart and blood vessels, improving oxygen flow and use throughout the body, lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, and building increased aerobic capacity and endurance. Strength training speeds up the body’s metabolic rate and decreases visceral fat around vital organs, including the heart. The CDC recommends adults engage in moderate exercise five times a week, 30 minutes a day, and strength training at least twice a week.
Exercise improves the capacity of blood vessels to dilate in response to exercise as well as the ability to provide oxygen to muscles during exercise. Exercise also improves metabolic health and insulin sensitivity.
Benefits of Exercise for Cardiovascular Health:
Exercise lowers blood pressure and heart rate at rest and when exercising.
Exercise strengthens muscles, improving their ability to draw oxygen from circulating blood and taking the load off of the heart to pump more blood to the muscles.
Exercise reduces chronic inflammation in the body.
Exercise can help you quit smoking and address the negative effects of smoking on the structure and function of your blood vessels.
Exercise lowers and relieves stress. Stress is often a contributing factor to the development of hypertension.
Exercise is a critical component of maintaining a healthy weight. Being overweight or obese places stress on the heart and is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke.
Exercise slows and stops the development of diabetes by 50%. Exercise helps the body have greater insulin sensitivity.
During #NationalHeartMonth, commit to a regular exercise program to prevent the development of cardiovascular disease. Work with our physical therapists to design an exercise conditioning and strengthening program that is right for you!
