Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation
For patients who suffer from chronic lung diseases, have heart-related conditions, or COVID-19 survivors, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation can rebuild strength and help one to live a more fulfilling life. These programs are designed to improve lung function, reduce symptom severity and improve quality of life.
Cardiac Rehabilitation
What is Cardiac Rehabilitation?
Cardiac rehabilitation is a physiotherapist-led program that combines exercise training, education, and support to reduce the risk of experiencing another heart event, needing further surgery, or being readmitted to the hospital.
The programme typically includes:
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Exercise Training: Fitness routines designed to enhance cardiovascular health, along with improving muscular strength, endurance, balance, and other physical attributes.
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Education: Gaining insights into symptoms monitoring and management, current lifestyle habits and making adjustments to physical activity routines and nutrition.
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Counselling: Addressing stress, which can worsen heart conditions, and providing mental support as needed throughout the recovery process.
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Risk Factor Modification: Implementing strategies to manage or eliminate risk factors for heart disease, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, and obesity.
Why is it important to have Cardiac Rehabilitation?
Cardiac rehabilitation is crucial for several reasons:
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Improves Cardiovascular Fitness and Physical Health: Regular exercise strengthens the heart and improves blood circulation. Light resistance training enhances muscular power and endurance, which are key for daily functional activities.
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Lowers Risk of Future Heart Problems: Education on lifestyle modifications and risk factor management helps prevent subsequent heart issues.
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Enhances Quality of Life: Participants often experience enhanced physical and mental well-being.
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Supports Recovery: Facilitates a faster recovery from heart-related procedures or conditions.
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Reduces Mortality Rates: Research indicates that cardiac rehab can lower the risk of death from heart disease and other causes.
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Promotes Healthy Lifestyle Changes: Cultivates long-term habits that support overall heart health.
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Who needs Cardiac Rehabilitation?
Cardiac rehabilitation is recommended for individuals with various heart conditions, including but not limited to:
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Heart Attack/Myocardial Infarction (MI)
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Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)
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Heart Failure
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Angina
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Chest Pain
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Post-operative recovery from heart surgery procedures such as coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), heart valve surgery, or heart transplant
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Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI): Recovery after procedures like angioplasty or stent placement.
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Cardiomyopathy
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Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)
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If you have survived a heart attack, or experienced any of these conditions, you will likely need cardiac rehabilitation. You will receive a personalised physiotherapy plan, along with attention and support to help you get back to activities of daily living and to doing what you love.
When should I start Cardiac Rehabilitation?
Early intervention and treatment are crucial for improving outcomes and reducing the risk of complications and mortality associated with heart conditions. Cardiac rehabilitation can help you regain strength, prevent your heart condition from worsening, reduce the risk of future heart failure and live longer.
If you would like to start the programme, you may also discuss with your doctor if you are suitable for cardiac rehabilitation. Our physiotherapists will collaborate closely with your cardiorespiratory doctor to support your cardiac rehabilitation journey. This includes coordinating the best time to start rehabilitation and providing timely updates on your progress.
Pulmonary Rehabilitation
What is Pulmonary Rehabilitation?
Pulmonary rehabilitation is a structured program designed to improve the quality of life for individuals with lung diseases through exercise training, education, and support. Rehabilitation will help to improve their lung function, manage symptoms, and enhance their overall quality of life. It combines:
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Exercise Training - Tailored exercises to improve cardiovascular and muscular fitness, specifically focusing on breathing exercises to enhance lung capacity.
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Education - Information on lung health, disease management, and lifestyle changes.
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Breathing Techniques - Training in specific techniques to help manage shortness of breath and improve breathing efficiency.
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Counselling - Support to address the emotional and mental health aspects of living with a chronic lung condition.
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Nutrition Coaching - Guidance on healthy eating to support overall health and lung function.
Why is it important to have Pulmonary Rehabilitation?
Pulmonary rehabilitation is crucial for several reasons:
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Improves Lung Function: Helps individuals learn more efficient ways to breathe, reducing shortness of breath.
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Enhances Exercise Capacity: Increases physical stamina and strength, enabling individuals to perform daily activities more easily.
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Reduces Symptoms: Manages and alleviates symptoms such as fatigue, cough, and breathlessness.
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Improves Quality of Life: Enhances overall well-being by promoting better physical and mental health.
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Reduces Risk of Readmission: Helps prevent exacerbations and reduces the need for hospital visits.
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Promotes Independence: Empowers individuals to manage their condition and maintain a more active lifestyle.
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Who needs Pulmonary Rehabilitation?
When we go through prolonged periods of breathlessness, our lung’s ability to effectively perform its function decreases, leading to a worsening of the breathlessness. This will impact one’s ability to work, or carry out activities of daily living.
Patients referred for pulmonary rehabilitation can benefit through optimising techniques for secretion management, inspiratory muscle training and maximising effort tolerance to reduce the risk of future complications.
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Pulmonary rehabilitation is beneficial for individuals with a variety of chronic respiratory conditions, including but not limited to:
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Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), including Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema
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Asthma
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Pulmonary Fibrosis
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Bronchiectasis
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Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD)
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Cystic Fibrosis
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Pulmonary Hypertension:
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Post-Surgical Recovery (from lung surgery or lung transplantation)
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Lung Cancer: Patients undergoing treatment or recovering from lung cancer.
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COVID-19: Individuals recovering from severe COVID-19, especially those who experienced pneumonia or were on mechanical ventilation.​
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Of note, some people who have been infected with COVID-19 can experience long-term effects from their infection, known as post-COVID conditions (PCC) or long COVID.
People call post-COVID conditions by many names, including: long COVID, long-haul COVID, post-acute COVID-19, post-acute sequelae of SARS CoV-2 infection (PASC), long-term effects of COVID, and chronic COVID.
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Post-COVID conditions can include a wide range of ongoing health problems; these conditions can last weeks, months, or years.
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Post-COVID conditions are found more often in people who had severe COVID-19 illness, but anyone who has been infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 can experience post-COVID conditions, even people who had mild illness or no symptoms from COVID-19.
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What can I expect at my sessions?
Our physiotherapists first start with an assessment on the needs of the patient. Thereafter, we will chart the treatment plan with the patient and their loved ones, and provide caregiver training to ensure consistency in standards and safety in the patient’s care.
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At Thrive Healthcare, our physiotherapists can visit you at your home, providing safe and convenient home therapy for patients with difficulty leaving the home. With home physiotherapy, we can help you to optimize the home environment, to help you to learn how to continue to perform activities of daily living in a familiar environment.
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