Exercise for Leaky Heart Valve

If you’ve been diagnosed with a leaky heart valve, you may worry about having a cardiac event such as a heart attack. Those concerns may prevent you from exercising and getting your heart rate up. But not only is exercise safe in people with a leaky heart valve — it can help you manage the condition.

“Your heart is a muscle, and the way you improve efficiency of any muscle is to exercise it,” says Ashraf Sabe, MD, a Mass General Brigham cardiac surgeon who cares for patients at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “The way to exercise your heart is to be active physically. If you have leaky valve disease, it’s very important to maintain an active lifestyle.”

Exercise can help you control symptoms and help your heart pump more effectively.

Managing symptoms of leaky heart valve

Your heart has four valves that help blood flow in the right direction at the right time. The valves can become weak or dysfunctional, allowing blood to leak backwards. A leaky heart valve, also called valve regurgitation, can strain the heart and affect its ability to pump effectively. The condition can cause symptoms, such as fatigue, shortness of breath, and irregular heart rhythms (atrial fibrillation). It can sometimes lead to heart failure over time.

Mild cases of leaky heart valve may not cause you to have any symptoms or require any treatment, just regular monitoring and checkups. For people with moderate leaky heart valve that causes bothersome symptoms, medications can help. However, surgery is the only treatment for leaky heart valve that can fix the underlying cause.

How does exercise help leaky heart valve?

No matter where you are in your care journey, you should be exercising as part of your treatment plan. Dr. Sabe says exercise works in several ways to improve symptoms of valve regurgitation:

• It delivers more oxygen throughout your body.

• It helps you reach and maintain a healthy body weight, which is better for your heart health and function.

• It increases the strength and efficiency of your heart.

• It lowers your blood pressure, which puts less strain on your heart.

• It reduces episodes and intensity of atrial fibrillation and reduces the likelihood of more rhythm disturbances.

“Although the valve is leaking and will continue to leak, exercise will help you manage your symptoms and improve the functionality of your heart,” Dr. Sabe says.

Best exercise for leaky heart valve

The American Heart Association recommends that adults and children get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week. This should mix aerobic activity that raises your heart rate, as well as weight or resistance training.

Dr. Sabe says people with valve regurgitation should do the same, as tolerated. If you have trouble reaching that amount of exercise or that intensity, build up your exercise program over time. There are no best exercises for leaky heart valve, and there are no exercises that are off-limits.

Of course, it’s important to talk with your primary care provider or cardiologist. They can review whether exercise is safe for you based on your overall health and any other conditions you have. They also can work with you to find a regimen that is safe, effective, and successful. They may be able to refer you to a cardiac rehabilitation specialist to design and supervise an exercise program.

Is exercise dangerous with a leaky heart valve?

Exercise is safe for almost anyone with a leaky heart valve, Dr. Sabe says. The condition is gradual and doesn’t cause sudden changes.

“When people hear they have a problem with their heart, they automatically associate that with something that could result in a sudden event, such as a heart attack,” he says. “But valve regurgitation is not one of those heart conditions that causes a sudden event.”

But he encourages anyone to focus on general exercise safety:

• Stay hydrated and eat a healthy diet to fuel your body for exercise.

• Warm up before you start exercise.

• Stop your exercise if you don’t feel well or notice heart rhythm disturbances, such as palpitations.

• Stretch at the end of every workout.

• Rest between exercise sessions and get enough sleep.

“Now that you have a heart condition, it’s a great time to pause, think about your health and what you could improve, and make sure you take time to do the right things for your body,” Dr. Sabe says. “Don’t just make time to exercise, but do it with excellence. Do it carefully, thoughtfully.”