Does Heart Health Affect How Fast You Recover After Injury?

Regular exercise and good cardiovascular health may speed up healing after injury by as much as 25%, a study from Ohio State University, published in the Journal of Gerontology, reveals. Older adults who exercised just three days a week healed from their skin wounds ten days faster than those who stayed sedentary (29 days vs. 39 on average). The researchers think that as exercise increases cortisol production, a stress hormone, this may be a pathway for faster repair. It’s the cardiovascular system that ultimately makes this pathway possible, as it carries all the hormones, oxygen, and nutrients to the injured muscles and tissues that need them most. Blood flow and VO2 max are both vital in this healing process, and when clients and clinicians understand just how cardiovascular fitness influences them both, it becomes easier to work towards a faster, smoother recovery. 

The role of blood flow in recovery 

Cardiovascular fitness helps recovery as it promotes good blood flow to injured muscles, and delivers oxygen and nutrients where they’re needed for longer than you might think. Research backs this up: blood volume in the largest quad muscle more than doubled during a cycling session, and remained about 80% higher than normal levels even fifteen minutes afterwards, a new study in the European Journal of Applied Physiology found. For someone recovering from an injury, that sustained blood flow is what the body needs to fully heal damaged tissue. How well this process works depends a lot on how fit you were prior to the injury. 

Healthy blood vessels, faster healing

On top of that, people with better cardiovascular health generally have more flexible and responsive blood vessels, which means more blood can more easily reach injured muscle tissue. This helps the body repair faster during rehab. In the same study, the smallest blood vessels were also able to dilate the most after moderate-intensity exercise, but didn’t improve at all from high-intensity exercise. The researchers think this is because of oxidative stress: high-intensity workouts produce excess free radicals which dampen nitric oxide production, and this is the chemical that tells blood vessels to widen and increases circulation. So, exercise that’s not too strenuous helps your body deliver blood where it’s needed the most. But the blood vessels can actually become less responsive if you push too hard, which is less than ideal when trying to heal. 

Overall quicker healing relies on healthy arteries where blood can flow freely. But, in some cases, the blood vessels can become so narrow, or even blocked, that treatment is needed to widen them and restore circulation. Coronary angioplasty is a common procedure that has a success rate of over 95%. Minimally invasive, angioplasty uses a small tube to widen the arteries, and patients often return home the same day. For most people though, as long as they have good cardiovascular health, their arteries will stay healthy with no need for intervention. 

VO2 max predicts recovery speed

So can you actually measure your cardiovascular fitness? Yes, and it’s called VO2 max, which is basically a measure of how much oxygen your body uses during exercise. It’s also a strong indicator of how well your muscles will bounce back after injury. The fitter you are, the higher your VO2 max, and the more oxygen your body can send to the injured muscle to help it heal. More oxygen also helps your body clear waste products from the blood, and that’s exactly what a recent review in the British Journal of Anaesthesia found. Fitter patients with higher VO2 maxes specifically had less waste in the blood after injury and were able to get rid of it faster. The body has an easier time healing when there’s less toxic waste products in the blood. But, in less fit patients, with a VO2 max under 15, more waste had built up, and the risk of complications was almost 30% higher as a result. A high VO2 max is one of the best ways you can get your body ready to heal if injury strikes. 

Good cardiovascular fitness can help you recover after injury. So, keep your heart strong and VO2 max high, and you can up the odds of a faster, smoother return to health.  

Written by bessie@problogoutreach.com