Low blood pressure and exercise
By Tiaridakdyl
@Tiaridakdyl (114)
United States
August 27, 2010 3:56pm CST
Has anyone with low blood pressure been told NOT to exercise too much? My sister is on meds for low blood pressure and is afraid to do much because her doctor advised her NOT to! To me that's totally backward. I would think she should exercise daily to get her blood pumping; it certainly helps me when I have a physical job. It's true that there may be other factors for my sister but she hasn't been told of any - things like maybe her heart is defective in a way that would be overwhelmed if she raises her blood pressure too much or too suddenly.
I can't decide if the doctor is trying to keep a patient under care and on medication for the money; if my sister is using this as an excuse to be lazy; or if there can be a true reason for this precaution. Has anyone heard such advice?
1 response
@yoganandht (125)
• India
29 Aug 10
The cause of low blood pressure varies in accordance with age and previous health status. It can be due to de-hydration due to causes like fever, diarrhea, vomiting etc., or serious underlying disorders like poor pumping ability of the heart.
If one has low blood pressure due to any reason, keeping upright too long can lead to under-perfusion of brain leading to faints. This is especially so when one has conditions wherein the body's ability to adapt to postural variations by increasing or decreasing blood pressure as the need may be is affected. This could most likely be the cause for the advise not to exercise if low blood pressure alone is the problem. But if low blood pressure is due to some underlying serious cardiovascular disorder, then any sort of exertion can upset the hemodynamics (blood circulation) putting the person in danger. In this scenario, it is even more imperative that exercise should be avoided.
A discussion with the treating physician will definitely clear the doubt both about the cause of advise and doubts about the genuineness of the advise!
