People who follow a cardiac rehabilitation program can get fitter and recover more quickly. The information and support you get from the program can help you to make healthy lifestyle choices. Cardiac rehabilitation has been found to reduce the risk of dying from coronary heart disease, and helps reduce some of the risk factors for the disease.

Who is cardiac rehabilitation for?

Cardiac rehabilitation can be helpful if:

• you have had a heart attack
• you have had a coronary angioplasty
• you have had coronary bypass surgery or another type of heart surgery
• you have stable heart failure.

Cardiac rehabilitation can also be helpful for people who have other conditions such as stable angina, cardiomyopathy or congenital heart disease.

When should I start cardiac rehabilitation?

If you are having heart surgery or another procedure that has been planned in advance (such as a coronary angioplasty), ideally you should start introducing some lifestyle changes before you have your surgery or treatment, to help improve your overall wellbeing and speed up recovery. While you are in hospital, a physiotherapist will see you while you are on the ward, and help getting back to your usual activities.

Cardiac rehabilitation program

You are invited to go on a cardiac rehabilitation program which starts about two to six weeks after you leave hospital after your treatment; your cardiologist will decide if such a program is suitable for you. The program will be driven by specially trained physiotherapists in collaboration with our clinical nutritionist and psychologist. It will be held on an OPD basis at the JH Physiotherapy department premises, in a hospital setting fully equipped to manage all your medical needs.

The program will consist of 12 sessions, each lasting for about one hour, held twice a week. Before starting, the physiotherapist will make a formal assessment and decide the type or exercise suitable for you. The program will typically include:

• exercise
• education, and
• relaxation and psychological support.

Exercise

The exercise sessions tailored to your specific needs will be group-based, with one-one sessions as required. You will be encouraged to start slowly and gently, and to increase your exercise gradually over the weeks of the program.

Before beginning an exercise session, you will do some gentle warm-up movements to get your joints moving and to prepare your muscles and heart for exercise. The main part of the exercise sessions will include a range of different exercises designed to improve the fitness of your heart and circulation, as well as your strength. At the end of each exercise session, you will do a gentle cool-down which is essential for ending the exercise session safely.You will also be taught to monitor your heart rate, and to recognize symptoms of exertion.

Education
Some of the topics covered:

• Different types of heart conditions such as coronary heart disease and heart attack and treatment
• Risk factors for heart disease – such as smoking, high blood cholesterol and high blood pressure and how to help reduce your risk.
• Healthy eating: heart-healthy diet, weight management
• Practical issues such as driving, returning to work, and holidays.
• What you or your relatives or friends should do if there is an emergency.
• How to manage stress, long-term management of your condition.

Participating in our cardiac rehab program can improve your confidence and help you return to your usual activities more quickly. It will give you the chance to discuss your concerns, which can help relieve anxiety. You can also meet other people who have been through the same thing as you. It can also be great fun!