Resuming physical activity after a cardiovascular accident

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Extract from the article: In Togo, cardiovascular accidents are very common. While many people survive, these survivors need to be extremely careful about their lifestyle. Indeed, a proportion of them will suffer a recurrence within five years of the first accident. In this c

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In Togo, cardiovascular accidents are very common. While many people survive, these survivors need to be extremely careful about their lifestyle. Indeed, a proportion of them will suffer a recurrence within five years of the first accident. In this context, resuming sporting activity appears to be one of the best ways of preventing another accident. Physical activity is crucial to reducing the risk of recurrence. But it's not always easy to get back into it.

Physical activity helps reduce all the risk factors for recurrence of a cardiovascular event: blood pressure, unhealthy fats, diabetes, smoking, alcohol and obesity. Sport is not a magic remedy, but it's close. Resuming moderate physical activity can reduce the risk of a second cardiovascular event by 30%.

Yet few patients follow these recommendations. You'll never see a patient starting physical activity on his or her own after a cardiovascular accident: it's too hard and frightening.Returning to sport is easier said than done.All the more so as you shouldn't do it just any old way or at any old time.You shouldn't take up sport too soon, as there's a risk of having another accident.At the very least, you should do a stress test, which is part of the cardiac rehabilitation program.This will tell you at what level you can resume sport and up to what heart rate you can safely push your heart.

Overcoming fear

Following a cardiac rehabilitation program is an invaluable aid to resuming physical activity under the right conditions.This personalized program, supervised by a cardiologist, is highly beneficial: it can reduce the risk of recurrence by up to 25%.Yet few patients follow such programs after a first cardiovascular event. They're generally frightened by the idea of it happening again, so they don't dare do any more sport.

On the other hand, of those who enter a cardiac rehabilitation program, more than half will continue to be physically active. Cardiac rehabilitation can be carried out during the day at a rate of 3 to 5 sessions a week for one or two months. The program can also be followed during hospitalization for 2 to 3 weeks.  Sessions are structured around physical activity, especially walking, cycling, ballet dancing and stair climbing/descending. At the same time, cardiologists and dieticians provide advice on diet and the management of physical effort. Once the program has been completed, patients are free to go their own way. There are no limits to physical activity: patients know what they can do, so they can join any club or gym.

What activities can help reduce sedentary lifestyles?

Once the program has been completed, all types of physical activity are strongly encouraged to limit sedentariness.In particular, heart patients are generally advised to take part in low- to moderate-intensity endurance sports for 20 to 30 minutes a day, one to three times a week.Swimming and cycling, for example, are excellent options for gently exercising the heart, while avoiding the impact on the joints of overweight people.Another option is walking, which combines physical activity with family outings.

Elom AKAKPO

Source : « Le Figaro »