Hearts and exercise

by Jerry Vance

The heart is a complicated organ. It reacts to outside stimulus, anxiety, stress, medication, overexertion, dehydration, caffeine and temperature. Having suffered a trip to the emergency room last week, I gained a bit more knowledge about the heart. And nothing can frighten an exercise student or instructor more than a sharp chest pain or sudden body weakness. Along with pain and/or weakness comes more anxiety and fear.

How do you distinguish between sudden weakness, myocardial infraction (heart attack) and angina pectoris (a feeling of pressure in the middle of your chest)? Angina pectoris' characteristics do mimic that of a heart attack. There are a few differences.

Angina pain usually lasts only a few seconds or minutes, and an angina attack does not lead to death of the heart muscle. Essentially, during exertion movements such as jogging or aerobic workouts, when you have depleted your oxygen supply to the heart, you may restrict blood vessels in the heart thus becoming a candidate for angina pain. Rest and slow breathing practices will give your heart the needed oxygen and relieve the pain quickly.

There are medications that help combat angina pectoris such as nitroglycerin. Patients who suffer from this type of chest pain carry medication with them at all times.

Signs of myocardial infraction, or heart attack, are a crushing chest pain under the sternum, possible pain down the left shoulder or even down both arms. In a fitness student, the signs can also follow nausea, excessive sweating and a sudden weakness. The chest pain here is long lasting, not the few seconds of angina pain.

Angina pectoris' pain can be brought on by emotional stress. And this, combined with the exertion of exercise, can trigger a "first time" angina pain in new fitness students. Fear, along with pain, can drive the emotional level up and increase pain, creating a cyclic effect.

Any time you find yourself or someone near you with chest pain or sudden weakness, it is time to consider medical assistance. History of prior heart problems is needed and immediate rest. Medication should be checked and a doctor's approval required for further exercise. I don't wish to alarm the new exercise student, only to make you aware of the interaction of the heart and body with physical exertion. Understanding the situation can sometimes diffuse anxiety and being aware of symptoms can lessen fear.

Jerry Vance is owner of The Sweat Shop/Wet Sweat. She offers classes through Carson City Recreation and Aquatics Center and is a fitness instructor for the Senior Center.