Symptoms
- Reduced exercise tolerance
- Shortness of breath with minimal exertion
- Chest discomfort
- Fatigue and weakness
- Anxiety and fear of physical activity
Common causes
- Coronary artery disease
- Blood clot blocking a coronary artery
- High blood pressure and cholesterol
- Smoking
- Diabetes
- Family history of heart disease
How physiotherapy helps
Phase-based cardiac rehabilitation: Phase 1 (in-hospital mobilisation), Phase 2 (supervised outpatient exercise with ECG monitoring), Phase 3 (community-based maintenance). Includes risk factor education and lifestyle modification.
Exercises your physiotherapist may give you
- Graded walking programmes
- Stationary cycling (low to moderate intensity)
- Light upper and lower limb exercises
- Breathing exercises
- Warm-up and cool-down routines
- Progressive aerobic conditioning
Please note: start these exercises only after an assessment, and stop if pain increases. Your physiotherapist will choose the right exercises, number of repetitions and progression for you.
Guide written by the physiotherapists of CAPT – Centre for Advanced Physiotherapy, MVM Educational Trust. For more reading, search MedlinePlus (U.S. National Library of Medicine).