C. S. Mott Children's Hospital

University of Michigan Health System

Exercise Tests

The exercise test is the only test in which you have to do more work than the techs do. First, they put 12 electrodes on you, just like you get when you have an EKG done. This is so they can see how fast your heart is going and what kind of rhythms it is in.

You also breathe through what looks like a snorkel so they can measure how much air you breathe when you exercise. Then, once you're connected to all those machines they expect you to . . . RUN ON A TREADMILL!

Actually, you start out walking slowly for one minute. Then they increase the speed of the treadmill and slant it up a little so it feels like walking up a hill. They make it faster and higher every three minutes and you run until you are either too tired to keep going or you get symptoms like chest pain, dizziness or feeling sick to your stomach.

Sometimes, the tech will stop the test if they notice anything unusual about your heart rate, rhythm, blood pressure or breathing. Then there is a 30-second cool down time in which they slow the treadmill down and lower it so it's level with the floor again. You stay in the exercise lab for about 10 minutes after you're done to make sure everything returns to normal.