Extreme walk causing a stroke?

rockon77
rockon77 Posts: 31 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
My best friend's mom is around 350 lbs. She can't walk far distances without needing breaks. Recently, my friend took her mom to an event where they had to walk about 1 mile with many hills. For many, that isn't a big deal. But for the mom, she had to take many, many breaks and was always out of breath. It was the longest and hardest walk she had experienced in years.

A few days later, she was slurring her words and saying weird things. She ended up having a stroke. I do believe her weight and health issues would've eventually caught up to her, but a stroke after this intense walk for her? Do you know if exercise is too extreme for someone that it could cause a stroke?

Thanks for all answers.

Replies

  • thepiratemd
    thepiratemd Posts: 65
    as mentioned, any one who has a risk factor for a stroke, can precipitate an event by an activity such as walking. Maybe she has severe high blood pressure, and walking elevated her BP enough for a hemorrhagic stroke. maybe she has atrial fibrillation, or a blood clot that was able to embolize and cause a thrombotic stroke. we'd need a full past medical history of her to make the call.

    lesson- get frequent check ups so a doctor can warn you and advise you on any potential health problems that will put you at risk for something like this
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    I'm sorry to hear about your friend's mother, I hope she makes a full recovery.

    I think the take away here is to get your blood pressure checked on a regular basis (and don't rely on the machine at the drug store.....) and if you have hypertension to follow your doctor's advice on controlling it whether it's diet, medication exercise or a combination thereof.

    There's a lot of free information at:

    www.heartandstroke.ca

    www.heart.org
  • Mustang_Susie
    Mustang_Susie Posts: 7,045 Member
    as mentioned, any one who has a risk factor for a stroke, can precipitate an event by an activity such as walking. Maybe she has severe high blood pressure, and walking elevated her BP enough for a hemorrhagic stroke. maybe she has atrial fibrillation, or a blood clot that was able to embolize and cause a thrombotic stroke. we'd need a full past medical history of her to make the call.

    lesson- get frequent check ups so a doctor can warn you and advise you on any potential health problems that will put you at risk for something like this

    This

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