Ask the doctor: Can I exercise even though my valves are leaking a little bit?
Ask the doctor
Can I exercise even though my valves are leaking a little bit?
Q. At 78 years old, I am in pretty good shape. A couple of years ago, an echocardiogram showed a small leak in my mitral valve. A year later, a follow-up test showed some leakage in my tricuspid valve. The valves aren't causing me any problems right now, but how will I know if they need to be repaired? I like to exercise, but don't want to make these valve problems worse. Is it okay for me to walk on a treadmill at a speed of 3 to 4 miles an hour or lift light weights?
A. For three of the four cardiac valves — the mitral, tricuspid, and pulmonic valves — a little bit of leakage is completely normal. In fact, for the mitral and tricuspid valves, the backflow of blood occurs well before the valve closes. Modern echocardiography equipment is so sensitive that virtually everyone's echocardiogram shows some leakage of the mitral and tricuspid valves, provided the images are technically reasonable. So, if your doctor tells you that you have a little mitral and tricuspid valve regurgitation, but you don't need to worry about it, don't let it interfere with your exercise program.
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