What Should I Expect from Heart Rehabilitation?

Also known as cardiac rehabilitation, heart rehabilitation is a program designed to help people recover after experiencing some health issue with the heart. In most cases, the rehab has to do with recovery after a heart attack. However, the rehab process may be connected with recovery from drugs, rapid weight loss, or surgery that corrected a malfunction of some portion of the heart. With each of these situations, there are certain outcomes that the patient can reasonably expect from the process of heart rehabilitation.

Generally, the process of heart rehab begins while the patient is still in the hospital. The program is paced to challenge the patient, but not to place too much strain on the weakened heart too fast. At first, expect to engage in activities such as sitting up, limited walking, and a gradual return to managing basic self care tasks such as bathing and shaving. The idea of this initial level of heart rehabilitation is ensure you are fit enough to manage routine tasks on your own once you return home.

After release from the hospital, the heart rehabilitation will continue at home. Generally, there are specific low impact exercises that will be done each day, allowing your heart to continue regaining strength. At the same time, there is also a good chance that you will be making changes in your diet, eliminating foods that could increase cholesterol levels or otherwise increase your chances of heart disease. You will also be counseled to give up tobacco and other habits that place additional stress on your heart.

Along with your efforts at home, expect to spend some time at a rehabilitation clinic or center as an outpatient. This will usually last anywhere from a couple of weeks to four months, depending on your general health and the type of heart condition you are recovering from. In situations where the heart rehabilitation is taking place due to an eating disorder or drug abuse, you may actually reside at the rehabilitation center for a period of time. During this period, you will engage in a supervised exercise program, be trained in how to eat properly, and also receive psychological counseling as part of an overall physical rehabilitation effort.

Some aspects of your heart rehabilitation program will continue for the rest of your life. As an example, the dietary restrictions and habits you cultivate during the earlier stages of the rehab must be observed for the rest of your life. In like manner, what you learn about exercise must also become a part of your ongoing routine if you wish to prevent a recurrence of the heart issue. From this perspective, heart rehabilitation is an ongoing process that may have a specific starting point, but has no end. However, the benefits of good physical and mental health make the continued use of what you learn in the early stages of rehabilitation worth all the time and effort.