Lab 7: Exercise Prescription for a Middle Aged Female and Cardiovascular Disease

Berit Dool, Kristen Ibey, Kelly Heikkila

Peripheral Vascular Disease

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Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD) refers to diseases of blood vessels outside the heart and brain. There are two types of these circulation disorders: (

  • Functional PVD – Usually characterized by short-term effects related to "spasm" that may come and go that are not related to the vessel’s structure or organic causes.

Ex. Raynaud’s disease

  • Organic PVD – Caused by structural changes in the blood vessels, such as inflammation and tissue damage.

Ex. Peripheral Artery Disease (aka. Arthrosclerosis)

Signs and Symptoms

*** Only half of individuals have symptoms***

  • Numbness, tingling, weakness in legs
  • Coldness, or discoloration of the feet and toes
  • Ischemic pain – aching, cramping, weakness or tightness sensation in the leg during physical activity

Medications

  • Nitroglycerin (for chest pain), beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, ACE (angiotension) inhibitors, ARBs (angiotension receptor blockers), diuretics, alpha-blockers

Contraindications

  • risk of a myocardiac infaction
  • pain

Exercise Considerations for individuals with PVD

  • medial clearance from a physician
  • non-weight bearing exercises most comfortable

Exercise Benefits for PVD

  • Decrease blood viscosity
  • Increase symptom-limited functional capacity
  • Improve blood flow
  • Microvascular changes in muscle and/or improved oxidative capacity in muscle

Myocardial Infarction

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Myocardial Infrarction(MI) (a heart attack) is a result of death of heart tissue due to an occluded blood supply (Earle & Baechle, 2004, p. 658).

Signs and Symptoms

  • angina
  • pressure radiates to arms
  • back and neck-sweating
  • nausea and vomiting
  • shortness of breath

Medications

  • Nitroglycerin (for chest pain), beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, ACE (angiotension) inhibitors, ARBs (angiotension receptor blockers), diuretics, alpha-blockers

Contraindications

  • Resting systolic blood pressure >200 mm Hg or diastolic >110 mm Hg
  • Uncontrolled diabetes
  • Thrombophlebitis

Exercise Considerations for individuals with MI

  • medical clearance
  • severity of MI

Benefits of Exercise

  • increase VO2 – 20%, ventilation, relief, angina, BP, HR variability, lowering of LDL, modest weight loss
  • Exercise benefits for coronary bypass surgery is similar to those of MI’s

References

American College of Sports Medicine. (1991). Guidlines for exercise testing and prescription

(4th ed.). USA: Lea & Febiger.

Anderson, M., Hall, S., & Martin, M. (2004). Foundations of athletic training (3rd ed.). USA:

Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Harris, D. (1996). Fitness and exercise sourcebook. USA: Omnigraphics, Inc.

National Strength and Conditioning Association. (2004). In Earle R., Baechle T. (Eds.), NCCA's

essentials of personal training