How to lower Blood Pressure without medication ?

Introduction: 

Looking at 270 Studies With 15827 participants between 1990 and 2023,researchers discovered that the Most Significant Change in Blood Pressure readings came from those engaging in Isometric Exercises.

What is Normal Blood Pressure ?

The normal blood pressure range for most adults is typically around 120/80 mmHg . However, what’s considered optimal may vary depending on factors such as age, gender, and underlying health conditions. It’s important to check your blood pressure regularly and discuss with your physical therapist and  what range is best for you. If your blood pressure consistently falls outside the recommended range, you may need to take steps to manage it through lifestyle changes or medication.

Americans affected by Hypertension

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly half of adults in the United States have hypertension, which is defined as a systolic blood pressure greater than 130 mmHg or a diastolic blood pressure greater than 80 mmHg or are taking medication for hypertension. This amounts to 119.9 million men and women.

In 2021, hypertension was a primary or contributing cause of 691,095 deaths in the United States.

However, only 1 in 4 adults with hypertension have their hypertension under control. This amounts to 27.0 million men and women.

WHAT IS ISOMETRIC EXERCISES ?

Isometric Exercise involve Poses that held the body static, engaging muscles but neither lengthening nor Contracting them. They look deceptively easy and are often associated with Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation from Injury, but they are challenging moves that build Strength and Endurance. Just you think of wall sits, calf raises, Planks, low squats, all held for a certain period of time.

And now, it seems they might also be the most effective moves for Lowering Blood Pressure. 

After all the Research and hard work it came to a conclusion that those engaged in Isometric Exercise regime for two or more weeks had the Biggest Improvement in blood pressure readings, with an average of 8.24/4mm Hg, as opposed to other workouts including cardio/aerobic activities(4.50/2.5mmHg).

The Data Covered Systolic Blood Pressure, which measures the Arterial pressure when the heart beats, the diastolic blood pressure, which assesses arterial pressure between beats.

When they looked at systolic blood pressure ( most associated with health risks such as Stroke and Heart Attack) 98% of participants showed improvements after there isometric regimens, ahead of combined cardio and weights training(76%), dynamic resistance training(46%), aerobic exercise training(40%) and high intensity interval training (HIIT) (39%).

Further analysis revealed that wall sits were most effective for reducing Systolic blood pressure. while running fared best for improving diastolic blood pressure, overall isometric came out ahead.

While the researchers admit the data analysis of this many wide ranging studies has limitations, it does shine a light on an area of physical activity that has the potential for significant health benefits.

what's more, the low impact, targeted nature of isometric exercise makes this form of activity more widely accessible across age and physical capability. It's also cost and space effective, most often using bodyweight and gravity, and has a low risk of injury.

Related article- How do you know when you need physical therapy?

These finding provides a comprehensive data driven framework to support the development of new exercise guideline recommendations for the prevention and treatment of arterial Hypertension,'' the study noted.

conclusion:

Being a Physical therapist my motto is to help people feel better, move better and perform better. I want to help you learn to do the same.