Guidelines in the Management of the Exercising Patient

The current widespread interest in jogging and the frequency of ischemic heart disease in the American male population have prompted many physicians to request specific guidelines in the management of patients who wish to begin an exercise program. This communication provides such guidelines in the following areas: The type and the importance of the initial medical examination; physical fitness testing, its value and its risks; contraindications and abnormal responses to exercise; and restrictions to be placed upon the older exercising patient. With this information, physicians can better advise their patients about the hazards associated with exercise as well as the use of exercise as a therapeutic tool.