Are there any risks with physical activity?
There are only a few reasons why physical activity may be harmful. A common wrong belief is that physical activity may be bad for the heart. On the contrary, physical activity is good for most people with heart disease provided they follow guidelines given by exercise specialists or health professionals. In general, if you gradually build up to do regular moderate intensity physical activity, the potential benefits to your health will greatly outweigh the small risks involved.
However, sometimes problems can occur with physical activity:
• Injury is possible. Sprains, and sometimes more serious injuries, are a risk with some types of physical activity. You can cut down your risk of injury by warming up before any activity, and by wearing the correct footwear.
• Endurance sports such as marathon running can sometimes cause stress fractures in bones. Prolonged endurance exercising can mean that some women stop having their monthly periods.
• In rare cases, sudden death can occur in people who are doing some physical activity. However, most of the time, there is usually an underlying heart problem (which may not have been previously diagnosed) and it is the excess stress that is placed on the person's body during exercise that causes the sudden death. It should be stressed that, in general, regular exercise protects the heart.
Do I need to see a doctor before I start a physical activity program?
If you have a problem or medical condition that you are worried may be made worse by physical activity, then see a doctor before starting a program to increase your physical activity levels. In particular, you should see your doctor before you start if you:
• Have a known heart condition or have had a stroke.
• Have any chest pains, particularly if chest pain is brought on by exercise.
• Have had falls due to becoming dizzy or blacking out.
• Get very breathless on mild exertion.
• Are intending to start a vigorous physical activity program.
• Are worried that a joint or back problem may be made worse by increasing your physical activity levels.