Top 10 Fitness Commandments #7: Survive, Thrive, and Take Control

Imagine coming into a physical therapy clinic for an orthopedic condition but eventually leaving after having been put on high blood pressure medication!

This is something that can and does happen. Now, I am not the one who would place a patient on high blood pressure medications however, it is not uncommon for physical therapist to assess their patients’ vitals. In one particular case, I began working with a women who arrived in the clinic for a lower extremity orthopedic complaint. After a few sessions and greater depth to our conversations, I became mildly concern of the amount of injections she had been having for other orthopedic issues. Another concern I began to have was the level of exhaustion and shortness of breath she would present with after having just arrived to the clinic. Because of this I began to consistently assess her vitals, most especially her blood pressure and her oxygen saturation for which I assessed to be too high and too low respectively.

This patient eventually did follow up with her doctor. She informed her physician that her therapist (me) had been assessing her blood pressure, telling him that it was high. This led to him assessing her vitals with similar results but having a few other concerns. As a result, she was placed on medication to facilitate the lowering of her blood pressure as well as another medication to help with her lowered oxygen saturation.

As we continued to work with each other, I continued helping her to improve her cardiovascular endurance, her global strength but also the needed conversations about what food she is eating, when she is eating it, her sleep hygiene, her motivation and compliance of getting into the gym.

Although it seems to be a relatively benign or innocent concern, high blood pressure is a concern. When allowed to get high and not do the work to lower it into normal levels, one is increasing their risk of heart disease, heart failure, and stroke. Add to it the functional impact of these diseases which can lead to a loss personal independence. By simply checking one’s blood pressure and achieving high cardiovascular fitness, one can safely minimize these risks. The value of taking control of high blood pressure can help prevent the long-term consequence of cardiovascular disease.

In the situation mentioned above, it is these kind of health issues that if not addressed can have a greater and more profound impact a person’s health and longevity. We must strive to take control of the situation before it gets out of hand, survive the moment and address the issues to allow oneself to thrive for years to come.

Action Step:

Assess your Vitals

*(in mm Hg)	*Systolic	*Diastolic
Normal	Under 120	Under 79
Elevated	120-139	80-89
Stage 1	140-159	90-99
Stage 2	160+	100+

Is your oxygen saturation at least at 97%? It should be!