Whether you've had a valve replacement or angioplasty or you're recovering from open-heart surgery, it's important to begin reconditioning your heart and regaining your health. Cardiac rehabilitation may be able to help improve the quality of your life.

Using a combination of patient education and physical training, cardiac rehabilitation teaches you how to manage many of the problems associated with cardiovascular disease.

Rio Vista Physical Rehabilitation Hospital offers a 12-week outpatient program to help patients reduce risk factors, improve their level of function and create a better sense of well-being.

The Cardiac Rehabilitation program involves the assistance of several specialists including:

• Medical director
• Physical therapists
• Nutritionists
• Registered nurses

There are two components that make up the Cardiac Rehabilitation program: education and exercise.

Education
The educational component includes:

• providing patients with information on heart disease and how to manage it
• counseling patients on proper nutrition to help them develop healthier eating habits
• behavior modification to help patients reduce risk factors such as cholesterol, body weight, high blood pressure and smoking

Exercise
Patients may choose from two exercise programs - land or aquatic.

• Land - your condition during exercise is continuously monitored for blood pressure, pulse and exertion rate.

  - Warm-up
  Stretching, active range-of-motion, bike or treadmill

  - Aerobic
  Treadmill, upper and lower extremity cycle

  - Cool down
  Walking

• Aquatic - after each activity, you will be monitored for blood pressure, pulse and exertion rate.

  - Warm-up
  Stretching, water-walking

  - Aerobic
  Water aerobics

  - Strengthening & Conditioning
  Arm and leg exercises

  - Cool down
  Water-walking, stretching

A maintenance program is also offered for those patients whohave completed the initial rehabilitation program and would like to continue exercising in a supervised program.

For more information or to receive a free informational brochure on the Cardiac Rehabilitation program, please call (915) 577-6000.