Abstract
Objectives: To assess prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints in patients participating in outpatient cardiac rehabilitation; to assess the impact of outpatient cardiac rehabilitation on health-related quality of life (HRQOL); and to assess pain medication usage during participation in outpatient cardiac rehabilitation. Design: Pre- to postintervention study. Setting: Outpatient phase II cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program. Participants: 31 patients, 19 of whom completed the study. The patients were all men who had a mean age of 67.4 years (n=19). Intervention: 12-week outpatient phase II CR program with 24 sessions of aerobic exercise and 12 weeks of resistance exercise. Main Outcome Measures: Musculoskeletal complaints were recorded as a part of each patient’s history and physical. A graded exercise test was used to assess patients’ aerobic exercise capacity, expressed in metabolic equivalents (METS). The LIFEware Cardiac Assessment Instrument and the Short-Form 36-Item Health Survey were used for HRQOL. Medication usage was monitored using the electronic medical record. Results: Percentage increase in METS pre to post cardiac rehabilitation was 37.7%. 37% of the patients reported musculoskeletal complaints. Knee pain was the most common. Percentage improvement in HRQOL was statistically significant. Pain medication usage was 68% at pre, 47.4% at 12 sessions, and 42.1% at 24 sessions. Conclusions: Despite musculoskeletal complaints, patients derived significant benefit from CR, resulting in cardiovascular risk reduction. A decline in pain medication usage from pre to 24 sessions reflects a favorable trend as pain medications, especially nonsteriodal anti-inflammatories, increase cardiovascular risk. Improved tracking of musculoskeletal complaints is needed to better assess the affect of CR on musculoskeletal limitation.
Published Version
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