Physiotherapy exercises for the treatment of hypertension

• Dr Gholam Sarwar

According to the Ministry of Health, hypertension affects 25% of adults in India – that is, one in four. The condition is characterized by blood pressure levels greater than or equal to 140 mmHg for systolic pressure and/or 90 mmHg for diastolic pressure.

Although there is no cure, the disease can be controlled with continued care. Hypertension, by the way, usually progresses without symptoms over the years. Therefore, it is common for people to find out only after serious complications. It is in this context that physical therapy can help hypertensive patients to prevent cardiovascular problems, through physical exercises and other care.

The prescription of any physical activity for people with comorbidity should only be carried out after the anamnesis has been carried out. It is necessary to collect information and clinical data from the patient, such as weight, height, waist circumference, body mass index (BMI), flexibility, and muscle strength and, whenever possible, perform a maximal effort test.

Main exercises for the treatment of hypertension

The treatment of arterial hypertension values?? The reduction of morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular diseases. With this, its objective is to promote the fall and regulation of blood pressure (BP) through aerobic exercises and controlled breathing.

For BP regulation to be constant, it is important to implement lifestyle changes. With controlled pressure, the patient reduces drug consumption, mitigating the side effects of drug treatment.

Physiotherapist in Dwarka suggests physical-aerobic exercises are the most suitable for hypertensive patients, as they produce physiological and metabolic changes in the body. Changes like this lead to greater use of lipids as an energy substrate, delaying the use of muscle glycogen. The action promotes a better training time, increasing the intensity of effort.

It is recommended by that the exercises be done three or more times a week, with a minimum duration of 30 minutes. This is the only way to obtain a hypotensive effect, which helps to reduce body weight. The cardiovascular response, in turn, will depend on the aerobic exercise ratio, which varies according to the person's intensity, duration and muscle mass.

Aerobic activity can be dynamic or isometric, with each type implying different cardiovascular responses. The health professional should avoid those of the isometric type, which during execution require strength or that the person holds their breath. Movements like this can cause spikes in high blood pressure.

An alternative is to associate the activities with resistance exercises, which need to be performed at a light intensity and which use 40% to 60% of the maximum voluntary load. Another significant agent for lowering BP is breathing control during aerobic exercise, in addition to maintaining a low-sodium diet. Click Here