Home : What is Cardiac Rehab?

Cardiac Rehab: What is it?

Cardiac rehabilitation (rehab) services are designed to help patients with heart disease recover faster and return to full and productive lives. Cardiac rehab includes exercise, education, counseling, and learning ways to live a healthier life. Together with medical and surgical treatments, cardiac rehab can help you feel better and live a healthier life.

You can benefit from cardiac rehab if you:

• Have heart disease, such as angina or heart failure, or have had a heart attack.
• Have had coronary bypass surgery or a balloon catheter (PTCA) procedure on your heart.
• Have had a heart transplant.

Cardiac rehab can make a difference. It is a safe and effective way to help you:

• Feel better faster.
• Get stronger.
• Reduce stress.
• Reduce the risks of future heart problems.
• Live longer.

Almost everyone with heart disease can benefit from some type of cardiac rehab. No one is too old or too young. Women benefit from cardiac rehab as much as men.

How Does Cardiac Rehab Work?

Cardiac rehab has two major parts:

1. Exercise training will help you learn how to exercise safely, strengthen your muscles, and improve your stamina. Your exercise plan will be based on your individual ability, needs and interest.

2. Education, counseling and training will help you understand your heart condition and find ways to reduce your risk of future heart problems. The cardiac rehab team will help you learn how to cope with the stress of adjusting to a new lifestyle and to deal with your fears about the future.

Cardiac rehab helps you recognize and change unhealthy habits you may have and establish new, healthier ones.

Take charge of your recovery! No one else can do it for you. Your new lifestyle is healthy for your heart, so stick with it -- for life.