Document Type : Research Paper I Open Access I Released under CC BY-NC 4.0 license
Authors
1 Department of sports psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz,
2 Department of Sport Physiology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran
3 Cardiologist, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
Abstract
Introduction: Mitral valve prolapse is the most common valvular heart disorder and is associated with haemodynamic changes and various clinical and functional symptoms. This study aimed to examine the effects of aerobic and breathing exercises on selected symptoms and echocardiographic parameters in women with mitral valve prolapse.
Methods: In this randomized clinical trial, 30 young women with mild to moderate mitral regurgitation were assigned to an intervention (n = 15) or control group (n = 15). The intervention group completed 12 weeks of aerobic and breathing exercises, three times per week for 45–70 minutes at 20–30 bpm above resting heart rate (RPE 11–14). Dyspnea during activities of daily living, sleep quality, anxiety, and echocardiographic parameters were assessed pre- and post-intervention.
Results: At baseline, poor sleep quality was present in 77% of the intervention group and 62% of the control group, and high anxiety levels were reported in 54% and 7%, respectively. After 12 weeks, the intervention group demonstrated significant improvements in sleep quality (p = 0.001), anxiety (p = 0.001), and dyspnoea (p = 0.01), compared with the control group. Additionally, 13.33% of participants in the intervention group showed a meaningful reduction in mitral regurgitation (p = 0.025) and left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (1.23 mm; p = 0.014).
Conclusion: These findings suggest that aerobic and breathing exercises appear to be effective, low-cost, non-pharmacological strategies for improving symptoms and certain cardiac parameters in women with mitral valve prolapse.
Keywords
- Breathing Exercises
- Resting echocardiography
- Mitral Valve Prolapse
- Shortness of Breath
- Sleep Quality
Main Subjects
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