Answers for heart patientsతెలుగులో చదవండి
Walking after angioplasty: how to start
Start with a gentle walk, even for two minutes. Walk every day. By week 4 to 6, aim for 15 to 20 minutes at a time.
Walk every day. Go up one step only when the last one feels easy. From the British Heart Foundation.
How hard should it feel?
Use the talk test. You may be a little out of breath. But you should still be able to talk while you walk. If you cannot talk, slow down.
Stop and get help if you feel
- tightness in the chest,
- dizzy,
- your heart racing or fluttering,
- so out of breath you cannot talk.
What about sports?
If you used to play tennis or football, or cycle hard, wait a few weeks. Heart experts say to wait until a trained person has checked you. Do not start a sport without advice first.
Scared to walk?
Many people are scared that the chest pain will come back. That is normal. Walking in a group, with a doctor’s team watching, can help. This is called cardiac rehab. It means exercise and advice for heart patients, watched over by a doctor’s team.
A big review of 107 studies was published in 2026. It found that people who did cardiac rehab had 28% fewer heart attacks. They also had 35% fewer hospital stays.
What happens at Cardiac Rehab
- A doctor checks you first.
- You get an exercise plan made for you.
- You exercise for 90 minutes, 3 times a week, while the doctor’s team watches.
- Step by step, the exercise gets harder as you get stronger.
Why it helps with this
The 4 to 6 weeks above is for walking on your own. With a doctor’s team watching, you can start sooner. Dr Muralidar’s advice: supervised exercise at cardiac rehab can start as early as 1 week after a stent.
Studies back an early start. In Poland, 288 heart attack patients began supervised rehab about 17 days after. It was safe, and they got fitter.
The team checks how hard you are working from how you breathe and talk. So you learn your safe level, and stop guessing.
Heart guidelines in the US (AHA and ACC) and in Europe (ESC) give cardiac rehab their highest grade: Class I, Level A.
Cardiac Rehab, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad runs these sessions.
Frequently asked questions
Can a heart patient go to the gym?
Not straight away, and not alone. Heart experts say to wait until a trained person has checked you. Dr Muralidar has heart patients who now play sports, after a supervised plan.
How much exercise should I do in the long run?
For adults in general, AHA and the NHS both advise at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week. Your doctor will tell you what is right for your heart.
My knees hurt. Can I still exercise?
Yes. Heart experts say swimming can help people who cannot walk much, as it is easy on the joints. Check with your doctor first.
This page is general advice. Your own doctor knows your heart. If your doctor has told you something different, follow your doctor.
Written by Dr. Muralidar Babi, MBBS, MD (CMC Vellore), Cardiac Rehab Physician.