Cardiac Sports

Due to a lack of staff, cardiac sports cannot currently take place (as of February 2022)

40 Years of Cardiac Sports Therapy in Chemnitz

In September 1975, the then district cardiologist and head of the district dispensary for cardiovascular diseases, Mr. OMR Dr. med. habil. Günter Voigt as medical spiritus rector and the sports pedagogue at the then TH Karl-Marx-Stadt, Mr. Dipl.-Sportlehrer Ekkehard Bleidistel, as sports therapist, founded the first cardiac sports group in Chemnitz, one of the first in the territory of the former GDR.

The group, which was supervised by the doctors Dr. med. D. Haas and later Dr. med. J. Glös and led by Mr. Bleidistel, found its home in the sports complex of the Technical University. A completely new field of activity without any special experience lay before those responsible.

Access to relevant specialist literature was almost non-existent. As a result, findings from sports medicine and training theory were modified and applied in exercise and training therapy. Movement (gymnastics, walking, running), dosed like a medication, was intended to support the recovery and restoration process of heart attack patients. And this also included psychological and educational aspects. Development progressed well. The comprehensive care of patients in the district dispensary and the competence of Dr. med. Voigt laid the foundation for this. The farsightedness of this doctor's decision was evident. Even health resorts became aware of what was going on in Chemnitz's cardiac sports therapy, and patients became emissaries of the program. The overall concept was constantly improved. This was also due to the expansion of the team by the psychologist Dr. R. Goldnau. The scientific support of the sports therapy by Mr. Bleidistel also led to a profitable collaboration with the then main sports medicine consultancy in Chemnitz. Special ergometry tests, lactate controls, etc. provided further insights into the optimization of the therapy concept. In this context, there was also a cooperation with the research department of the then very renowned German University of Physical Culture in Leipzig regarding questions about the psychological components of the internal stresses of certain sports programs. In 1986, Dr. Knut Prügner took over the medical supervision of the cardiac sports group. Working in a team and cooperating with competent medical institutions enabled good development for the benefit of the patients, who always participated with great joy, commitment and commendable regularity. The results and experiences were passed on to doctors, therapists and trainers in appropriate training courses.

The period of political change was also a tense phase for cardiac sports. Structures changed, new organizational paths had to be sought and followed. What had grown in fifteen years was also strong enough to ensure continued existence. Dr. med. K. Prügner also remained loyal to cardiac sports during this difficult time (including the establishment of his private branch). Valuable support was provided in particular by the Saxon Disabled and Injured Sports Association; the committed work of its then Secretary General R. Wendrich was a great help. The health insurance companies also provided constructive support on key issues. The cardiac sports group was integrated into the Health Sports and Sports Therapy Department of the Chemnitz University Sports Association, where it received excellent support and was able to use the sports area as a result of the USG's coordination with the Chemnitz University of Technology. Both deserve great thanks for this. These framework conditions enable good quality work.

Although the element of movement is at the heart of cardiac sports - the fact that movement triggers incomparably diverse positive effects is the key orientation - elements such as stress management and relaxation as well as nutrition and the supply of vital substances have been integrated for decades. In addition, there has long been a focus on the holistic nature of cardiac therapy and the health promotion of participants. The unity of body, mind and soul as well as the strengthening of health as a whole are given the necessary attention in discussions and recommendations. The supervising specialist in general medicine and naturopathy, Dr. med. Prügner, has played a major role in this. The fact that he has also been supervising the cardiac sports group for 29 years has had a very positive effect on the stability and continuity of the concept. A lot of the information and new findings that the sports therapist and health advisor Ekkehard Bleidistel passes on to the cardiac sports group are always based on medical competence. Scientific support, such as the inclusion of new findings in medicine and naturopathy, is an important feature of the work of doctors and therapists, which is then also expressed in the appropriate information and education of the participants.

The increase in psychophysical performance and the improvement in quality of life are notable results. The consistently high participation rate, the active participation and the participants' enjoyment of cardiac sports indicate that something like familiarity and a feeling of well-being, perhaps even a sense of security, has developed. "We have all got used to each other in the best sense of the word." Sports therapist Ekkehard Bleidistel, who has led and managed the group from day one to today for over four decades, has played a major role in this. "I saw this activity as the fulfillment of part of my professional philosophy, and I am happy to be able to give something to people even now in retirement. It was a long time, but also a fulfilling job. I look at my "cardiac athletes" and their exemplary behavior with great respect and appreciation."

A very valuable part of the concept is the follow-up group. Patients whose doctor's prescription or health insurance endorsement has ended are taken on board in the follow-up group, can continue to exercise without a doctor with well-trained instructors - in recent years young graduates of sports science courses such as Magisters K. Steuer and J. Mihm - and can continue to use the medication, exercise and social contacts. And some have been doing this for several decades.

All those mentioned in this text deserve thanks and recognition. They have played a part in the successful path of the USG Chemnitz eV cardiac sports group. "But since it is always about the people affected, it is to be hoped that primary prevention as a task for society as a whole will be given even more attention, that cardiac sports will be retained as rehabilitation and secondary prevention and that new findings will be integrated from a holistic medical perspective and successful new paths will be taken. For example, it is to be hoped that medicine will soon turn back to the substance strophanthin, which was used very successfully in the past. Simply ignoring the results and recommendations of doctors and scientists in this regard is not justifiable. All available options should be used for the well-being and health of people. No financial aspects, vanity or prejudice should stand in the way of this. This is our shared responsibility in respect for life." With this wish, Mr Bleidistel - and probably all members of both cardiac sports groups - hopes for more good years for cardiac sports and effective health promotion.