Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm abnormality diagnosed by physicians. A multi modal treatment plan, including medications, procedures, and exercise, is often indicated to help control the progression of the arrhythmia and improve an individual’s quality of life. Patients cleared by their physician to begin or continue an exercise program often report significant health benefits associated with their cardiac rehabilitation. A recent review of the medical literature reports on the benefits of exercise for this condition.
Buckley and colleagues published the results of their Cochrane systematic review and meta analysis on the effects of exercise on patients with atrial fibrillation (Br J Sp Med. 2025). Authors included 20 randomized controlled trials of over 2000 participants undergoing exercise treatments for atrial fibrillation. These studies had an average follow up time of just under a year.
Authors reported significant differences in exercise prescription for program length in months, frequency of sessions per week, aerobic mode of training, and intensity of each session. They broke the intensity of the RCTs into three categories including light (n=6), moderate (11), and vigorous (3). They found exercise improved aerobic exercise capacity, quality of life, and reduced atrial fibrillation recurrence and symptom severity. Importantly, authors did not find a significant association between these exercise sessions and adverse events.
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