Cardiovascular or Heart disease is Australia’s Leading cause of death, killing one Australian every 28 minutes according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2018.
Heart disease is when your heart muscle can’t effectively pump blood around your body. There are a wide range of reasons as to why this may be. Some factors are lifestyle related (reduced exercise, poor diet, smoking etc), however other causes can be unknown (idiopathic) or genetic. Health professionals will group your risk factors into modifiable or non-modifiable categories. Risk factors that fall into the non-modifiable category such as genetics or idiopathic causes unfortunately cannot be changed. However modifiable risk factors such as our lifestyle choices can be addressed in order to reduce your chances of developing cardiovascular disease.
How can your Physio help?
It is well researched that reduced physical activity is a preventable risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Increasing the amount of physical activity in your weekly routine can improve your heart health by strengthening your heart muscle which improves blood flow, delivering more oxygen to your muscles and organs. Increased blood flow also improves the efficiency of your arteries by reducing artery wall thickening and increasing the diameter of the vessels carrying the blood.
Following the Australian Department of Health guidelines, an adult should be aiming for 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per week. Moderate physical activity is a simple as a fast walk. Other moderate activities include Pilates, golf or swimming.
Physiotherapists can also provide education, pain management and post-operative cardiac rehabilitation.
If you need help introducing physical activity into your weekly routine or would like some further education on how to improve your heart health then book an appointment with one of our experienced Bend + Mend Physiotherapists today. Our physio’s can tailor you an exercise program or simply discuss your personal modifiable heart disease risk factors.
