THE EXERCISE YOU SHOULDN'T DO

There is a general notion that every man should be physically active which in some ways boosts his ego. There are certain signs the body sends out to tell you “that’s enough”. If you feel pain while exercising on any part of your body, I suggest you stop immediately. If you indulge in physical activity or sports this advice also goes for you.

Not everyone has a strong heart. I met a man once who had this challenge, his friends made jest of him, called him a weak man. After our interaction, I had to convince him that he couldn’t afford to take any risk or do anything physically challenging, because he had a condition called Angina pectoris.

Angina pectoris is not having enough blood supply to the muscles of the heart. It usually expresses itself as discomfort in the chest with mild to moderate exertion. The concept of referred pain, in which pain occurs at point A but is felt at point B, is also a major sign of Angina Pectoris. In this case, pain is radiated to the jaw, inner left arm, shoulder and neck. Pain can be accompanied by breathlessness, nausea and sweating in some cases. It’s usually induced by mild to moderate exertion or emotions.

Referred pain often occurs in gastric ulcer (stomach and intestinal ulcer) too but the major difference is that this occurs in the stomach, and the referred pain is most often at the back. Also exertion or physical activity does not aggravate the symptoms of gastric ulcer instead the pain is affected by food.

Major risk factors for angina include cigarette smoking, diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, sedentary life style and family history of premature heart disease.

If you feel any of the above symptoms, please consult our physician.