Med Center Health raises awareness during Cardiac Rehabilitation Week

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Heart disease is the number one killer for men and women in the United States, and sometimes, major surgery is required to extend the life of a patient.

However, rehab can be just as important as the surgery. This week is Cardiac Rehabilitation Week, and Med Center Health is sharing the importance role rehab plays for those recovering. Rehab helps strengthen the heart, reducing the effects of of heart disease.

Through exercise and better dietary choices, the cardiac rehab team at Med Center has changed many lives. One nurse stresses that keeping up with your rehab can mean the difference in improving the quality of life.

“Some patients who maybe don’t start very soon after their surgery have a tendency to not progress themselves and not, you know, continue with their exercise like they should, whereas somebody who comes in and get started with cardiac rehab, you know, within a few weeks after their event, they start to see that they can do more, they start to progress quicker. They start to be able to build up their endurance and be able to get more activity,” said registered nurse Jill Steen.

Steen says walking for as little as 30 minutes a day can play a big difference in heart health. Those who are at risk like smokers, diabetics and people with high blood pressure should always be looking out for for signs of decreasing heart function, like the inability to perform that were easy tasks and pain that radiates from the chest to the arms and neck.