What is a Treadmill Stress Test?

To help determine if you have a heart disease, a doctor often opts of a stress test. The doctor along with a trained professional nurse conducts the stress test. The stress test helps the doctor to understand how much pressure can your heart manage, when does the abnormal beating of the heart begins and if the blood flow to the heart is being slowed down or blocked. There are multiple kinds of stress tests. Under the category of exercise stress test comes the following:

• Electrocardiogram
• Treadmill stress test
• A Graded exercise test
• Stress EKG.

A treadmill stress test determines the working nature of your heart when it is made to go under pressure. With the help of treadmill stress test the doctor can determine if you are suffering from any kind of heart disease or there is any kind of blockage in your heart. The whole of the treadmill stress test goes on for an hour under the supervision of your doctor and a specialised technician. Ten clear spots on your chest will be taken and will the patched connecting those patches to the EKG machine.

The readings of your heart when at rest will be noted. Then you have to start walking on the treadmill. Slowly the difficulty will increase as the speed of the treadmill will be made to increase. You will feel your heart racing faster and you will start to sweat. Until your legs start to pain, the treadmill stress test will go on. Throughout this time the readings will be observed by the technician and if anything abnormal is discovered the treadmill stress test will be stopped. The readings will continue as you start to walk back slowly until your heart reaches the rest position again.

• You should immediately stop having other heart drugs on the day of your treadmill stress test. If you have queries about the medicines, ask your physician. Do not discontinue any medicine without checking with your physician first.
• You must not eat or drink anything other than water within 4 hours before the treadmill stress test begins.
• Do not consume caffeine for 12 hours before the treadmill stress test begins.
• If you are already on any kind of heart medicine, it is suggested that you do not take it unless your doctor says otherwise. Medication to treat your chest discomfort during the day of the test should be prescribed by the doctor if needed. Avoid medicines under the groups of Isosorbic Dinitrate (Dilatrate SR and Isordil), Isosorbic mononitrate (Imdur, Monoket and ISMO) or Nitroglycerine (Nitrostat, Nitro-Bid and Depnit). At the same time, do not discontinue any drug that you might be taking for your heart without first consulting with the doctor.
• You are a regular user of any inhaler; you must carry it with you during the treadmill stress test.

• This treadmill stress test helps you to determine that the symptoms that you might be facing like chest pain, breathlessness, palpitations or shortness of breath is arising due to some heart problem or not.
• Treadmill stress test checks the fact that if enough blood is reaching your heart when the heart becomes more active.
• Treadmill stress test will confirm the effect of the heart medicines that you might be taking. The improvement is there will be noticed through this test.
• The treadmill stress test helps the doctor to see if you have a coronary heart ailment or not and I you need further testing done.
• The treadmill stress test helps to identify any kind of abnormal heart rhythms.
• You can come if know if all the heart valves are in proper working condition or not through this test.
• This test also develops a safe exercise programme for you.

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• Why do We Feel Strange after Getting off a Treadmill?
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