The benefits of regular exercise in promoting heart health are clear. But what are the risks involved? The two main considerations are heart problems and injuries to the muscles and joints.
Heart problems
Occasionally someone may develop heart trouble during exercise – or even die suddenly. Such events are extremely rare, although they frequently attract a disproportionate amount of press interest. Those under 40 years old who die suddenly, the usual cause is an abnormality of the heart, most commonly a structural fault, which has been present from birth. In those over 40, the commonest underlying cause is coronary heart disease. This is why symptoms such as lightheadedness, chest pain and palpitations during exercise, should never be ignored. In general, those who are physically active have a much lower risk of sudden cardiac death than those who are sedentary. But what about those who already have heart disease? Again, provided that you take things slowly to start with, build up gradually and don’t overdo it, exercise is very safe. The greatest risk for the heart patient lies not in exercising – but in not exercising!
Muscles and joints
The most common injuries resulting from exercise are strained ligaments, muscles and joints. These can be avoided by warming up properly before exercise, and taking time to cool down properly afterwards. Correct footwear also helps.
Other potential problems such as dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke are very uncommon and usually occur in athletes and others involved in extremely vigorous exercise. Female athletes involved in long distance running may have complete cessation of menstruation, amenorrhoea, which may lead to osteoporosis.
But overall we can say that the risks of exercise, though not irrelevant, are small and are overwhelmingly outweighed by the benefits.
