Are you stressed because your physician suggested a stress test [electrocardiogram (EKG) treadmill test]?

This common test allows your physician to see how the heart performs during exercise and is used to help diagnose coronary artery disease (arterial blockages). In addition to detecting coronary artery disease, your physician may recommend this test to:

• See if chest pain, shortness of breath, or lightheadedness are symptoms of heart disease
• Determine a safe level of exercise for you
• Check the effectiveness of procedures to improve circulation
• Predict your level of risk for heart-related conditions
• Monitor for irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias) during exercise
• Assess the significance of heart valve disease

During a stress test, EKG electrodes monitor your heart and a blood pressure cuff monitors your blood pressure. “You will be asked to walk slowly in place, with the speed and incline increasing to simulate a small hill. With each stage of the test, the speed and incline increase progressively,” says Neal Weintraub. M.D., medical director of UI Heart and Vascular Center.

“Your heart requires more blood flow during exercise to accommodate the increased heart rate and blood pressure. When blood flow to the heart is limited, changes in the electrical activity of the heart are detected,” says Weintraub.

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