Cardiac Rehabilitation: Home Program
Cardiac Rehabilitation: Home ProgramSkip to the navigationTopic OverviewYour cardiac rehabilitation (rehab) might include an exercise program that you do at home. You might start this program after you go home from the hospital. The home program is one part, or phase, of your cardiac rehab. The goals of a home program are to: - Make a smooth transition from hospital to home.
- Take care of yourself after leaving the hospital. This includes taking care of your incisions if you had surgery.
- Get stronger and be more active.
Follow your
discharge instructions to avoid postsurgical complications
and to prepare yourself for a more active lifestyle. Your home program will
vary in length depending upon your medical history and current
condition. Your rate of recovery depends on age,
gender, and other health conditions. Depending on your condition and how you
respond to rehab, you may stay in a particular phase or move back and forth
among the various phases. There is no set length of time that you must stay in
a specific phase. Home exercise programYour exercises at home depend on your medical history, clinical status, and symptoms.
Discuss additional physical limitations or medical issues with your doctor before you begin any exercise program. Exercise progresses from activities of daily life to regular exercise. You will most likely walk or ride a stationary bike. Aerobic exercise A regular walking or stationary
cycling program is an essential part of your home exercise program. How fast
you progress will depend on your overall cardiovascular and muscular strength.
Always warm up and cool down. Never exercise at an intensity that causes
shortness of breath soon after open-heart surgery. Drink plenty of fluids, and
avoid extreme weather conditions and temperatures. In extreme weather, you can
try walking indoors at a mall or a gym. Example programMode | Frequency | Intensity | Time |
|---|
| Walking (indoors or outdoors) | - Week 1 to week 4: 3 to 5 times a
day
- Week 4 to week 8: 2 or 3 times a day
| - Slow to moderate pace
- Avoid
becoming short of breath.
- Avoid hilly terrain.
| - Week 1: 5 to 10 minutes
- Week
2: 10 to 15 minutes
- Week 3: 15 to 20 minutes
- Week 4: 20
minutes
- Week 5: 25 minutes
- Week 6: 30
minutes
- Week 7: 35 minutes
- Week 8: 40 minutes
| | Cycling (stationary) | - Week 1 to week 4: 3 to 5 times a
day
- Week 4 to week 8: 2 or 3 times a day
| - Little to moderate
resistance
- Comfortable speed
- Avoid becoming short of
breath.
| - Week 1: 5 to 10 minutes
- Week
2: 10 to 15 minutes
- Week 3: 15 to 20 minutes
- Week 4: 20
minutes
- Week 5: 25 minutes
- Week 6: 30
minutes
- Week 7: 35 minutes
- Week 8: 40 minutes
| ReferencesOther Works Consulted- American College of Sports Medicine (2010). Exercise prescription for patients with cardiac disease. In WR Thompson et al., eds., ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 8th ed., pp. 207-224. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
- Graham IM, et al. (2011). Rehabilitation of the patient with coronary heart disease. In V Fuster et al., eds., Hurst's the Heart, 13th ed., vol. 2, pp. 1513-1530. New York: McGraw-Hill.
CreditsByHealthwise Staff
Primary Medical ReviewerRakesh K. Pai, MD, FACC - Cardiology, Electrophysiology
E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine
Martin J. Gabica, MD - Family Medicine
Specialist Medical ReviewerRichard D. Zorowitz, MD - Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Current as ofSeptember 21, 2016 Current as of:
September 21, 2016 Last modified on: 8 September 2017
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