Get Back on Track with Cardiac Rehab
After you’ve suffered a cardiac event, getting back to your previously active lifestyle may be challenging. This is completely understandable — for some, their bodies may not be ready to jump right back into their usual routine, while others may feel anxious about potentially putting their health at risk.
Thankfully, you don’t have to go it alone. By enrolling in the Culbertson Memorial Hospital Cardiac Rehabilitation program, you can ease yourself back into an active lifestyle while strengthening the body to regain function gradually and safely.
What is Cardiac Rehab?
Cardiac Rehab is a program designed to help patients regain function after a serious medical event. The program is divided into three phases:
- Phase I: The first phase is engaged immediately after a cardiac event or surgery. This phase serves as an introduction to the program and educates patients on what they can expect moving forward.
- Phase II: This phase can last anywhere from eight to 12 weeks with the goal of helping patients regain function after a major medical event. Phase II is when physical therapy and activity begins.
- Phase III: Also known as the maintenance phase, this phase lasts for the rest of the patient’s life. During this phase, patients are instructed to keep up with the progress they’ve made so far and apply the knowledge and information they’ve learned from the previous phases to their everyday lives.
Who is eligible for Cardiac Rehab?
Anyone who is experiencing or has experienced any of the following conditions is eligible for the Culbertson Cardiac Rehab program:
- Heart disease
- Heart attack
- Heart or lung surgery
- Angioplasty
- Angina (ischemic chest pain)
- Heart failure
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Asthma
- Chronic bronchitis
What are the benefits of Cardiac Rehab?
Of course, the chief benefit of the Culbertson Cardiac Rehab program is getting patients active. By easing them into an exercise regimen, the program helps patients regain physical function in addition to the health benefits that come with regular physical activity, including improved heart and lung functions.
Patients also receive emotional support through from the Culbertson nurses and staff, who encourage patients and motivate them to keep going. The activities that are part of the Cardiac Rehab program can also help control blood pressure and diabetes, as well as helping arthritis patients stay mobile.
Finally, most patients who enroll in the Culbertson Cardiac Rehab program have reported numerous additional benefits, including but not limited to the following:
- Breathing easier
- Sleeping better
- More endurance during and after the program
Getting back into an active lifestyle may seem challenging, but with some friendly, familiar faces on your team, you’ll be back on your feet in no time.