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Exercise: When to check with your doctor first

Keeping physically active is key to a healthy lifestyle. But sometimes it's best to check with your doctor before you start to exercise.

By Mayo Clinic staff

Regular exercise can help you control your weight, reduce your risk of heart disease, and strengthen your bones and muscles. But before you put on your workout shoes, you may want to talk to your doctor.

Although physical activity is perfectly safe for most people, sometimes it's important to get a doctor's OK before you exercise. Just when a person needs to see his or her doctor isn't known. But most experts suggest you talk to your doctor before you start an exercise program if any of the following apply:

  • You've had a heart attack.
  • You have asthma or lung disease.
  • You have diabetes or heart, liver or kidney disease.
  • You feel pain in your chest, joints or muscles during physical activity.
  • You have arthritis or osteoporosis.
  • You've had joint replacement surgery.
  • You experience symptoms such as loss of balance, dizziness or loss of consciousness.
  • You take medication to manage a chronic condition.
  • You have an untreated joint or muscle injury, or persistent symptoms after a joint or muscle injury.
  • You're pregnant.
  • You're unsure of your health status.

The American College of Sports Medicine also recommends you see your doctor if two or more of the following apply:

  • You're a man older than age 45 or a woman older than age 55.
  • You have a family history of heart disease before age 55.
  • You have high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
  • You smoke or you quit smoking in the past six months.
  • You're overweight or obese.

Working with your doctor ahead of time may be the best way to plan an exercise program that's right for you. Consider it the first step on the path to physical fitness.

References
  1. Haskell WL, et al. Physical activity and public health: Updated recommendation for adults from the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2007;116:1081-1093.
  2. Lauer M, et al. Exercise testing in asymptomatic adults: A statement for professionals from the American Heart Association Council on Clinical Cardiology, Subcommittee on Exercise, Cardiac Rehabilitation, and Prevention. Circulation. 2005;112:771-776.
  3. Fowler-Brown A, et al. Exercise tolerance testing to screen for coronary heart disease: A systematic review for the technical support for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2004;140:W9-W24.
  4. Physical activity for everyone: When is a medical evaluation necessary? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/physical/everyone/stages_of_change/medical_evaluation.htm. Accessed Sept. 29, 2008.
  5. American College of Sports Medicine. ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2006:19-35.
  6. Laskowski ER (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Sept. 30, 2008.

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Dec. 18, 2008

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