You Should Get an Exercise Stress Test. Here’s Why?

You Should Get an Exercise Stress Test. Here’s Why?

An exercise stress test is generally known as a treadmill test or an exercise ECG. It is a diagnostic test that helps find out how properly your heart responds when you are working hard. This test is generally advised for people below the age of 65. The test generally pushes a little more pressure to the males as compared to the females as to get the accurate results. While the test happens, you will have to run or walk on a treadmill. During this, your heartbeat count, blood pressure rate, and electrocardiogram are being observed by your doctor. 

The exercise stress test is mostly done to find out about your overall heart health. It also helps to identify any coronary artery disease and helps you evaluate the level of exercise that is safe after any related issues. 

How Is the Test Done ?

While the test happens, you have to initially start by walking and running slowly on the treadmill. Every few minutes, the speed and incline of the treadmill shall be increased in order for your heart to work harder. The test shall be continued until you reach a specific targeted heart rate, experience chest pain or even feel discomfort, develop abnormal changes in your ECG, or are too tired to continue the test. 

The doctor observes your signs closely when the test happens, and also asks you to make some changes during the test in order to get the accurate results. After the test, the patient is kept under observation for a little time in order to ensure that everything is back to normal. Further, after observation and results the doctor advises the further procedure to be followed.

Why Do You Need to Do an Exercise Stress Test ?

An exercise stress test is an important test because, firstly, it helps you identify and diagnose heart-related conditions and the percentage of heart blockage, if any. It helps us to find out how well the heart muscles receive blood and oxygen while exercising. Exercise stress tests help us find out the symptoms of a patient's problems and the reasons causing them. They also help in finding out the capacity at which an individual's heart can exercise. With all of this information, the doctor can evaluate the overall health of the patient and guide the patient for the further treatment. The test plays an important role in finding out the betterment in a treatment such as medicines, procedure, and also evaluate lifestyle changes. The test also helps in finding out the risk associated with a heart attack or any other heart related problems or diseases, especially for individuals with diabetes, high blood pressure or even smoking.

An exercise stress test guides a patient who has suffered from a heart attack or any other related problems whether he can continue with all his physical movements or not. If not then what are the precautionary measures to be taken and other things that are to be taken care of. The test helps to find out abnormal arrhythmias that may happen while exercising. Also, this is a critical test for athletes as it gives them a detailed view of their physical health and fitness that they may require during their performance. Also this helps them in improving their performance wherever they lack back.

The exercise stress test is not only of importance for the heart patients but also for people doing physical activities and athletes. As it helps in finding out, estimating and directing the cardiovascular conditions of the heart. 

FAQs

1. What is an exercise-stress test?

An exercise stress test is a medical test procedure used in finding out the working of your heart during any physical working of the body or while the body rests. 

2. How difficult is an exercise stress test?

An exercise stress test may be difficult for people that suffer with problems such as shortness of breath, their fitness level, and other health problems. Other than that the test has no difficulty , the patient just has to walk and run. 

3. What are the signs that one needs an exercise stress test? 

The signs that an individual should get an exercise stress test done are discomfort related to breathing, shortness of breath, chest pain, irregularity of heartbeat, nausea, fatigue, history of heart diseases, etc. 

4. What is a normal exercise stress test result?

A normal exercise stress test result generally shows that all the functions of the heart are occurring properly even after any physical activities. And also there are numerical values of the result that can help in the result more precisely.

5. What is a Treadmill test? 

A treadmill test is another name for the exercise stress test or the cardiac stress test. It is a medical procedure which is used to evaluate how well the heart works while conducting any physical activity.