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Cardiac Rehabilitation Program

 

Cardiac Rehab

our Cardiac rehabilitation Program for people who have experienced cardiac events or procedures, and those at risk for cardiovascular disease. 


 

What is the cardiac rehab & risk reduction program?

A specially-designed 10-week fitness program tailored to cardiac patients. This exercise-based program helps participants form habits to improve their cardiovascular fitness with movement such as walking, cycling, rowing, jogging, and resistance training, and also addresses mobility and stability. This program can help you develop a framework to make a difference in your quality of life, physical wellness, and healthy lifestyle. Participants are closely supervised and guided by an expert in Cardiac Rehab, a specially trained Physiotherapist who will tailor a cardiac rehabilitation program to your needs.

Long term benefits can include:

  • Improved strength

  • Weight management

  • Decreased risk of coronary artery disease & other heart conditions

  • Developing better tools to manage stress

  • Implementing or reinforcing heart-healthy habits, such as exercise & diet

  • Learning to cope with heart disease

  • Reduction in harmful habits, such as smoking

Don’t worry if you haven’t exercised in a while, or if you’ve never exercised before. Our physiotherapist, Iwona Gradowska, will ensure your program moves at a safe and comfortable pace.


 

Who can benefit from this program:

  • People who have experienced a cardiac event (heart attack, heart failure, peripheral artery disease, chest pain/angina, cardiomyopathy, some congenital heart diseases)

  • People who have had a cardiac procedure (coronary artery bypass surgery, angioplasty & stents, heart valve repair or replacement)

  • People at risk for developing coronary artery disease or another metabolic disease

You must be referred by your physician or specialist. If you have not been referred, please see below for the referral form and information letter to take to your physician to fill out. You are welcome to give us a call to find out more information!


 

What to expect:

This program begins with a one-on-one visit with our specially trainer physiotherapist to discuss your goals for the program and assess your individual needs, including your physical abilities, medical limitations, and any other conditions you may have. Together, we will look at tour risk factors for complications, particularly during exercise. After this visit, you can join the group classes for either a 10-week program. You can choose to attend either once a week, or twice a week. There is also a 4 week sampler program, if you are unsure of participating in a group class.

Throughout the group classes, you can expect:

  • Monitoring of your blood pressure and heart rate

  • Safe & fun exercises for cardiovascular fitness and resistance training

  • Muscle-strengthening exercises, such as lifting weights

  • Mobility, flexibility, and stability exercises

  • Warm up & cool down

  • Ongoing evaluation to track your progress over time

One of the most valuable benefits of cardiac rehabilitation is often an improvement in your overall quality of life. If you stick with your cardiac rehab program, you may end up feeling better than before you had a heart condition or had heart surgery.



Investment:

If you have insurance coverage for physiotherapy, then you may be able to use your insurance to cover the costs of this program. We are able to direct bill for your initial appointment and will provide you with a receipt for each class to submit for reimbursement by your insurance provider. Please reach out to our front staff to find out more!

Pre-Program Assessment Visit (50-min): $140 *(required prior to starting any cardiac rehab program)

10-week program (2 sessions/week): $700 ($35/1-hour session)

10-week program (1 session/week): $350 ($35/1-hour session)

Other options:

4 weeks (2x/week): $280.00

DAYS & TIMES:

Mondays - 9:00AM or 10:10AM

Wednesdays - 2:00PM or 3:10PM



 

Our CARDIAC REHAB PHYSIOTHERAPIST:

Cassie Nobbs, BScPT

Cassie practiced physiotherapy in Edmonton for 11 years before moving to The Columbia River Gorge in the spring of 2006 in pursuit of windsurfing. She worked as a Physical Therapist at Tim Foley Physical Therapy in Hood River Oregon from 2006 to July of 2017. Her time in the Columbia River Gorge allowed her to hone her skills in working with athletes of various levels from recreational to professional, from snow sports to water sports, kiting to cycling. She has studied extensively in the areas of biomechanics, sports injuries, running mechanics, and bike fitting, and she is an advanced orthopedic manual/manipulative therapist. Her clients have ranged in age from 8 years old to 102 years young.

Cassie started triathlon racing in 1995. Prior to this she was a runner and mountain biker. She has completed many sprint and Olympic distance triathlons, more than a dozen half Ironman finishes and 4 Ironman finishes, 3 at Ironman Canada including a division win in 2007. More recently her competitive focus has been on cycling, including road racing, cyclocross and endurance mountain biking. She finished 53rd overall at TransPortugal 2013, a 9-day, greater than 700 mile off-road race. She has a side company working as a triathlon/running/cycling coach.

Cassie has more than 25 yrs of experience as a physiotherapist, athlete, and coach. In early 2023, she competed in the World Championships in Cross Triathlon where she placed 15th in her age group. 


Education & Training:

Cassie graduated with distinction from the Physiotherapy Program at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada in 1995.


Cassie has advanced education and special interest in the following areas:

  • Rehab and return to high-level sport

  • Running biomechanics and rehab

  • Cycling biomechanics and rehab

  • Manual and Manipulative Therapy

  • Visceral Manipulation

  • Medical Acupuncture

  • Trigger Point Dry Needling (IMS)