When Can I Resume My Usual Activities, Including Exercise, After Being Diagnosed With Atrial Fibrillation?

— -- Question: When can I resume my usual activities, including exercise, after being diagnosed with atrial fibrillation?

Answer :The diagnosis of atrial fibrillation should not restrict a patient's activities, except for the fact, or unless the attrial fibrillation is making that patient feel poorly. Many patients are diagnosed with atrial fibrillation on a routine physical examination, they have no symptoms, they've been exercising, and certainly they can continue exercising, there's no restriction on the amount of exercise that they do. Exercise does not trigger or cause atrial fibrillation.

If however you're a patient who develops atrial fibrillation and you feel extremely poorly in the atrial fibrillation, perhaps because you have a rapid heart rate as a result, then you're likely won't want to exercise and obviously would make sense to try to treat the atrial fibrillation, either by slowing it down or getting rid of it before resuming exercise.

I think I would sum it up by saying that atrial fibrillation is not a counter-indication to exercise. Someone should always try to be active and exercise, and your exercise should be symptom limited -- meaning if you feel well exercise, we encourage you to do that regardless of whether you have atrial fibrillation or not. If you feel poorly, you obviously shouldn't be pushing yourself in that situation.