How Cardiac Rehab Can Help Your Heart

heart cardiac rehab If you have a heart attack or other heart problem, cardiac rehabilitation (rehab) is an important part of your recovery, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly 800,000 people in the United States have a heart attack every year, and about one in four of those people have already had at least one heart attack. Cardiac rehab not only can help a person recover from a heart problem, but it can also prevent another heart problem in the future.

“Cardiac rehab can reduce your chance of a second heart event by 47 percent within one year,” said Jennifer Reagan, exercise physiologist at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center. “That’s a statistic compiled from research by all facilities accredited by the AACVPR (American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation). Not all rehab centers are accredited like Fort Sanders Regional’s cardiac rehab program. There are certain qualifications for accreditation, so it is prestigious.”

There is little wonder that cardiac rehab is consid-ered an important program for anyone recovering from a heart attack, heart failure, or other heart problem that required surgery or medical care.

Supervised by a team of exercise physiologists, registered nurses, and registered dietitians, cardiac rehab is a 12-week, 36-session program of physical activity and education about healthy living.

In addition to preventing future heart problems and death, cardiac rehab benefits include:

  • Strengthening your heart and body after a heart attack
  • Relieving symptoms of heart problems, such as chest pain 
  • Building healthier exercise and nutrition habits
  • Reducing stress
  • Helping prevent and lessen depression

For more information about Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Outpatient Program, call (865) 331-1250.

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