Ask the doctor: Can I exercise even though my valves are leaking a little bit?
Ask the doctor
The aortic valve, in contrast, doesn't normally leak — not even a little. It acts like a door between the heart and the main artery of the body (the aorta). Nature probably sculpted this valve to close early, before blood can rush back toward the heart, as a way to direct blood into the coronary arteries. These arteries, which nourish the heart muscle, originate just beyond the aortic valve. If the valve closes early, more blood pressure is available to fill the needy coronary arteries.
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