Exercising may be bad for you?

I am mystified by this. It all started after I read the posting by Tic Tock-UK, below:

http://www.pacemakerclub.com/public/jpage/1/p/story/a/storypage/sid/31653/content.do

I love running, no marathons though, my favourite distance is 10K. I entered many races and I often run that distance just for enjoyment.
About 20 years ago during a routine check up I was told that my EKG showed a small abnormality but it was probably due to my exercising and nothing to worry about. A few years later a fainted in the gym, and I ended with a pacemaker due to A/V block.
I always assumed that this happened because I had an unexplained (maybe genetical) issue. I never though that this could have been caused by too much exercising.

Still, I discussed this with my cardiologist. He is the type that spends time talking to you (and thanks God for the Canadian Health System). My doc looks after Olympic athletes. He confirmed that arrhythmias are common among endurance athletes, and that they end up with pacemakers at a higher rate than people that don't exercise. His theory is that pushing the heart too far for long periods can cause injuries (after all the heart is a muscle that can get tears and injuries). These injuries produce scar tissue that can affect the conductivity and produce blocks or even SSS. To avoid this injuries you have to follow some routines so that you know when to push it, and when to take it easy, etc. He didn't say that we shouldn't exercise, but that we need to know more about exercising and heart health.

I am not sure that I am asking for answers here, rather I am asking for opinions. I see this as a subject for discussion. I trust medical science and I don't like to believe everything that I read, but I am surprised that this has not been brought up in more detail.

5 Comments

Exercising and Afib

by golden_snitch - 2014-05-25 03:05:16

There also seems to be a linkage between atrial fibrillation and intense, long-term exercising. Just google Afib + athletes, and you'll get lots of results. One prominent study can be found at:

http://eurheartj.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2013/06/10/eurheartj.eht188.abstract?sid=ba62c962-0fcd-4509-aab4-e78fd7e492bf

Inga

Keep your cardiologist !

by IAN MC - 2014-05-25 04:05:18

Hi Enrique You have asked for opinions , here is mine :-

i) I have no doubt whatsoever that endurance training can increase the chances of having a PM and / or arrythmias later in life. The evidence is fairly convincing.

ii) What level of "endurance training " do you need to cause it ? It probably varies from person to person. I don't think that the occasional 10k would be a factor.

I have been an active member of a running club for over 30 yrs and it is easy to spot the nutters who get hooked on endorphins and are pushing their hearts too much.

We have one guy who ran 60 miles a day , for 58 days, across China. He raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity, he has also given himself arrythmias !

When I started marathon running , several of us were running around a hundred miles a week in training (training schedules are more sensible now ) but I am pretty certain that is why I now have a PM as do some of my friends.

iii) i suspect that the risk factors from not exercising at all ( furred up arteries etc) far outweigh those from intensive exercise but most scientific studies just look at one risk factor in isolation.

Your cardiologist's theory sounds pretty convincing to me but I doubt that all the evidence in the world will have any effect on people's behaviour.

Ian

may be true

by wjs1954 - 2014-05-25 05:05:48

Just think how much we enjoyed being active, and still do thanks to our PM. I still work I am turning 60 shortly and look at co-worker ( believe my I am the judge of no man) but when I look at some of them and myself I will take my 30 plus years of running and PM any day. Hopefully i have many replacements and continue to be active.

moderation

by Tracey_E - 2014-05-26 11:05:35

Everything in moderation. It's important to be active and stay in shape. Overdoing it will have consequences, that doesn't make exercise bad. I'd rather be the athlete who runs a small chance of dealing with electrical issues than the overweight couch potato who has a high risk of stoke/heart attack/diabetes/etc. Luck, genetics and diet play a part, too, so there are no guarantees. All we can do is use common sense and take care of ourselves as best we can. To me, that means regular exercise.

exercising

by Enrique - 2014-05-26 12:05:23

I wasn't a marathon runner but I wasn't an occasional jogger either. I would run 10k 2-3 times a week, and other days I would go to a gym.
I still run and I enjoy it (I am 65). I think that some day my joints will prevent me from running, not my heart.

I don't regret having done all that running, even if it was a factor in that I ended needing a pacemaker.There may have been other causes. I exercised without medical supervision, as I was young and healthy and I didn't think I needed it. Maybe I could have done some things differently, but I will never know.

My PM works very well. I am fit and I feel great.

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