Cardiac Rehabilitation Program
A coordinated program built on physiotherapy's four-phase clinical foundation — adding heart-healthy nutrition, long-term fitness support, psychological recovery, and complementary acupuncture.
What Is the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program?
Built on the same four clinical phases as our physiotherapy-led cardiac rehab — with four more disciplines layered on top.
Recovery after a cardiac event is rarely just physical. Diet has among the strongest evidence of any single intervention for preventing a second cardiac event. Psychological distress affects roughly a third to a half of survivors. Long-term fitness habits determine whether gains made in supervised sessions actually last. This program adds a dietitian, fitness trainer, recreational & rehabilitation therapist, and acupuncturist around your physiotherapy care — coordinating on one plan.
New to cardiac rehab at RCP Health? Our Cardiac Rehabilitation Physiotherapy page covers the full physiotherapy approach — conditions treated, exercise techniques, and safety protocols — in detail. This program builds on that with the other four disciplines.
Five Specialists, Working From One Plan
Each discipline plays a distinct role. Here's how each one helps — side by side.
Physiotherapist
Leads the four-phase, medically-guided exercise program.
- HR-monitored aerobic and resistance exercise
- Respiratory physiotherapy
- Continuous cardiovascular monitoring
- Coordination with your cardiologist
- See our full Cardiac Rehabilitation Physiotherapy page for the complete approach
Registered Dietitian
Works from some of the strongest dietary evidence in medicine.
- Mediterranean- and DASH-style eating patterns
- Sodium, cholesterol, and blood pressure management
- Weight management to reduce cardiac strain
- Practical, sustainable meal planning — not a restrictive crash diet
Fitness Trainer
Builds the habit that outlasts your formal program.
- Bridging clinical exercise to independent fitness
- Sustainable activity habits for long-term heart health
- Progressive conditioning beyond the maintenance phase
- Building confidence in exertion after a cardiac event
Recreational & Rehabilitation Therapist
Addresses the anxiety and adjustment a cardiac event brings.
- Support for fear of exertion ("cardiac anxiety")
- Structured return to social activities and hobbies
- Confidence-building through graded activity
- Coordinating support for depression or anxiety symptoms
Acupuncturist
Supports recovery alongside your medical treatment.
- Stress and anxiety reduction
- Sleep quality support
- Sternotomy or incision-site discomfort
- Complementary pain management
The Same Four Phases, Full Team
Your program follows the established Acute → Subacute → Active Recovery → Maintenance structure — now with all five disciplines contributing at each stage.
Your physiotherapist leads gentle mobilization and monitoring. Your dietitian begins heart-healthy eating education, and your recreational therapist starts early emotional check-ins.
Safe early mobilization established. Initial nutrition guidance in place.
Supervised exercise intensifies under physiotherapy. Nutrition plan is refined, fitness trainer begins light involvement, and psychological support continues as needed.
Progressive aerobic tolerance. Sustainable nutrition habits forming — reviewed every 2–3 weeks.
Fitness trainer takes a larger role in conditioning, recreational therapist supports return to social and occupational activities, acupuncture available for stress or discomfort.
Return to daily activities and work where appropriate. Reduced anxiety around exertion — reviewed every 2–3 weeks.
The fitness trainer and dietitian lead a sustainable, independent long-term routine, with periodic reassessment across the whole team.
Durable long-term exercise and nutrition habits. Sustained psychological wellbeing.
Food & Nutrition After a Cardiac Event
Diet is among the most rigorously studied interventions in cardiac secondary prevention. Our dietitian works from the strongest available evidence.
Mediterranean-Style Eating
The CORDIOPREV trial found a 27% reduction in major cardiac events with a Mediterranean diet in patients with established heart disease — directly relevant to cardiac rehab.
Sodium & Blood Pressure
Sodium reduction remains one of the most direct levers for blood pressure control, a core modifiable cardiac risk factor.
DASH-Style Patterns
Alongside the Mediterranean diet, DASH has the strongest evidence base of any dietary pattern for cardiovascular outcomes.
Weight Management
Supporting a healthy weight to reduce strain on the heart and improve exercise tolerance during recovery.
Cholesterol-Conscious Choices
Practical guidance on dietary fats that works alongside — not instead of — any cholesterol medication you're prescribed.
Real-World, Sustainable Plans
Built around your actual routine and preferences, not a rigid template you'll abandon in a month.
Psychological Recovery After a Cardiac Event
A 2025 American Heart Association scientific statement found that an estimated 33–50% of heart attack survivors experience some form of psychological distress — depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress — and that this can affect physical recovery and long-term heart health.
The encouraging finding: structured cardiac rehabilitation that addresses this directly has been shown to meaningfully reduce depression and anxiety symptoms by the end of the program. Our recreational & rehabilitation therapist works specifically on this — fear of exertion, return to social life, and confidence rebuilding.
How We Measure Your Progress
Standard cardiac rehabilitation outcome measures, used across the physical and psychological domains.
Six-Minute Walk Test
A standard, widely-used measure of functional exercise capacity in cardiac rehabilitation.
Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion
Used to set and monitor safe exercise intensity throughout your program, referenced by your physiotherapist at every session.
Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale
A validated screening tool used to track anxiety and depression symptoms — the same tool shown in research to demonstrate real improvement over the course of cardiac rehab.
Target Heart Rate Zones
Individualized zones derived from your cardiac assessment, used across every discipline that involves activity.
Cardiac Rehab at Home
For patients unable to travel post-discharge or post-surgery, RCP Health brings the program to your home, following the same clinical protocols and monitoring used in-clinic.
Home visits cover Oakville, Burlington, and Mississauga. Many insurance plans cover at-home physiotherapy — our team verifies your coverage before the first visit.
Learn About At-Home Physio →Direct Billing & Insurance Coverage
Each discipline in the program is billed under its respective coverage category — physiotherapy, dietitian, acupuncture.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to Get to RCP Health
Suite 304, 700 Dorval Drive, Oakville, ON L6K 3V3 — Free parking on site.
- Head south on Third Line from the hospital
- Turn right onto Dundas St W heading west
- Continue to Dorval Dr — RCP Health is on the left at 700 Dorval Dr, Suite 304
- Exit onto Fairview St heading east
- Merge onto QEW East toward Oakville
- Take Dorval Dr exit — RCP Health is nearby at Suite 304, 700 Dorval Dr
- Head south on Erin Mills Pkwy to QEW
- Take QEW West toward Hamilton / Oakville
- Exit at Dorval Dr — RCP Health is at Suite 304, 700 Dorval Dr
Your Heart. Your Whole Recovery.
RCP Health's multidisciplinary cardiac rehabilitation program in Oakville supports the full picture — movement, nutrition, long-term fitness, and psychological recovery.