Hypertension is a common condition in which blood exerts high pressure on the artery walls which increases the risk of heart disease.

Blood pressure is the amount of blood pumped by the heart and the amount of resistance of blood flow in the arteries. High blood pressure results when more blood your heart pumps in the narrow arteries. There are no symptoms of high blood pressure and it can cause damage to blood vessels and increases the risk of serious health issues including heart attack or stroke.

High blood pressure develops over many years and can affect anyone. However, you can control it by taking effective measures recommended by your doctor.

Symptoms:

Usually, there are no signs or symptoms noticed in those having high blood pressure but few may experience headaches, shortness of breath. Though these signs and symptoms aren’t specific and can’t be identified until high blood pressure reaches a life-threatening stage.

When to see a doctor?

Check your blood pressure taking a doctor appointment. Ask your doctor to take a blood pressure reading every two years. If you are 40 years or older or between 18 to 39 with a high risk of blood pressure then get a reading every year.

Blood pressure should be checked in both arms to identify if there’s a difference. Your doctor will recommend more readings if you have high blood pressure or other risk factors. You can use check your blood pressure with the machines available in pharmacies.

Causes:

There are two types of high blood pressure.

Primary Hypertension

There is no identifiable cause of high blood pressure and can develop gradually over many years.

Secondary Hypertension

It can be caused due to an underlying condition which tends to appear suddenly and causes high blood pressure.

There are various conditions that can lead to secondary hypertension which includes:

• Obstructive sleep apnea
• Kidney problems
• Adrenal gland tumors
• Thyroid problems
• Congenital defects
• Few medications such as birth control pills, cold remedies, decongestants, OTC drugs.

The blood pressure can be regulated by maintaining a proper diet before it reaches the stage of hypertension. Also, following hypertension physiotherapy and a healthy lifestyle is the standard treatment for hypertension.

Regular physical exercise

People with hypertension should engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic intensity exercise or 75 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity exercise. They can involve in activities such as walking, jogging, swimming, etc. Your physician will include these in physiotherapy treatment for hypertension.  

Reduce Stress

Try to avoid stress or develop strategies to manage stress to control your blood pressure.

Avoid using alcohol, drugs and unhealthy eating to cope with stress as it will add to hypertensive problems.

Smoking can elevate blood pressure and avoiding it reduces the risk of hypertension, heart conditions, and other health issues.

Medication

Hypertension can be treated with medication but the drugs should be taken at a low dose. The side effects associated with the drugs are usually minor.

There are drug types available that can help lower blood pressure which includes:

• diuretics, including thiazides, chlorthalidone, and indapamide
• beta-blockers and alpha-blockers
• calcium-channel blockers
• central agonists
• peripheral adrenergic inhibitor
• vasodilators
• angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors

The choice of drug varies among individuals and according to their condition.

Those who are taking antihypertensive medications should make sure to read the labels before taking any type of OTC medications.

How can hypertension physiotherapy help manage high blood pressure?

With lifestyle changes, one can easily lower high blood pressure. The drugs can be taken in the most severe cases however for the borderline treatment, exercise can be helpful rather than the medication.

Your physiotherapist can provide physiotherapy treatment for hypertension. They will tell you about the tips to lower your elevated blood pressure and about how to manage the health issues caused due to it. They can refer to a suitable exercise program depending on your fitness and health conditions.

High blood pressure can be caused due to several issues and can be managed by following a healthy lifestyle and exercise. If you are a beginner, then exercise can raise your blood pressure at first but your doctor can reduce it through medication. If you are having high blood pressure issues then do follow light exercise choosing physiotherapy treatment for hypertension.

What will happen when I see a physiotherapist?

Your physiotherapist will advise you about the lifestyle changes you need to make for achieving good health. They will develop an exercise program or hypertension physiotherapy that can help you increase your physical activity effectively. You can be asked to do some physical tests to assess your fitness level.

Doing moderate physical activities in your daily routine life can help. You can follow:

Cardiovascular Or Aerobic Exercise: 

This type of exercise program strengthens your heart and can help reduce your blood pressure.

Strength Training:

It strengthens your muscles, bones, and joints and thus helps burn your calories.You can start with weightlifting and enhance your muscle mass which therefore strengthens tissue around the joints.

Stretching:

You can stretch and do yoga. It can easily be done at home and help to increase flexibility and enhances our mobility and thus keeps you moving. It, therefore, reduces the sedentary lifestyle which is good for heart and blood pressure.

Isometric Exercises:

This type of exercise involves the contraction of large muscles without actually moving the body part and help to reduce the blood pressure.It can be done anytime, anywhere as it doesn’t require to bend or lift. Studies have proved that those with normal blood pressure who did fifteen to twenty minutes sessions of isometric exercises every week for 10 weeks experienced more plunge in their systolic blood pressure.

At Care24, we provide you the best physiotherapists that can help you or your loved ones recover faster in the comfort of your own home. Our physiotherapists are highly qualified & well-experienced to provide you the hypertension physiotherapy on the basis of your medical condition, preferences, and locality.

Our team of physiotherapists provides a good exercise program that suits your needs. The expert physiotherapist   the strengthening exercise regime to help you get relief from pain.