February is Heart Health Month in Canada, a timely reminder that cardiovascular health plays a far bigger role in injury claims than is often assumed.

While cardiovascular conditions are sometimes treated as “background” or pre-existing factors, they can meaningfully influence injury recovery, functional capacity, treatment tolerance, and return-to-work planning. In some cases, they may even be unmasked or exacerbated by injury-related stress.

For clinicians, insurers, employers, and legal professionals, understanding how to appropriately assess cardiovascular conditions within injury claims is essential to making sound, defensible decisions.

Why cardiovascular health matters in injury-related assessments

Cardiovascular conditions rarely exist in isolation. Hypertension, arrhythmias, coronary artery disease, or post-cardiac events can directly affect:

• Physical endurance and stamina
• Pain perception and fatigue
• Ability to participate in rehabilitation
• Cognitive focus and stress tolerance
• Safety in physically or cognitively demanding roles

In injury claims, these factors often intersect with musculoskeletal injuries, chronic pain, psychological stress, or prolonged inactivity - all of which can place additional strain on the cardiovascular system.

A thorough assessment helps clarify whether cardiovascular symptoms are contributing to delayed recovery, limiting functional progress, or requiring additional accommodations.

Distinguishing pre-existing conditions from injury-related impact

One of the most common challenges in cardiovascular-related claims is differentiating between pre-existing conditions and injury-related aggravation.

A nuanced assessment considers:

• Baseline cardiovascular health prior to injury
• Stability of the condition over time
• Medication changes or compliance issues
• Physiological stress responses following injury
• Deconditioning due to reduced activity or prolonged absence from work

Rather than viewing cardiovascular history as a disqualifying factor, multidisciplinary assessments help determine how these conditions interact with the injury now - and what that means for functional capacity moving forward.

The role of multidisciplinary expertise

Cardiovascular considerations benefit greatly from a multidisciplinary assessment approach, particularly in complex or prolonged claims.

• Physicians assess cardiovascular status, risk factors, medication effects, and overall medical stability.
• Specialists such as cardiologists may provide targeted insight when symptoms, testing, or work demands raise safety concerns.
• Psychological assessors evaluate stress, anxiety, and autonomic responses that may exacerbate cardiovascular symptoms.
• Functional assessors translate medical findings into real-world implications for work capacity and daily activities.

This integrated model reduces fragmented opinions and ensures cardiovascular considerations are contextualized - not over- or under-weighted.

Cardiovascular health, stress, and recovery

Injury itself can be a cardiovascular stressor.

Pain, sleep disruption, anxiety, financial strain, and uncertainty around recovery timelines can all elevate sympathetic nervous system activity. For individuals with underlying cardiovascular vulnerability, this stress response may contribute to symptom flare-ups, reduced exercise tolerance, or delayed rehabilitation progress.

Assessments that acknowledge the biopsychosocial nature of recovery are better equipped to identify when cardiovascular symptoms are being influenced by broader claim-related stress - rather than structural disease progression alone.

Functional capacity and safety-sensitive work

Cardiovascular considerations are particularly important in safety-sensitive or physically demanding roles, including:

• Driving and transportation roles
• Emergency response or frontline work
• Jobs requiring sustained exertion or vigilance
• Shift work or high-stress environments

In these contexts, assessments must balance recovery progression with safety, ensuring recommendations are realistic, proportionate, and grounded in medical evidence.

Clear guidance helps avoid both unnecessary restriction and premature return to duties that may increase risk.

Moving beyond diagnosis toward informed planning

Heart Health Month serves as a reminder that cardiovascular health isn’t just about diagnoses - it’s about how the heart supports function, resilience, and recovery.

In injury claims, well-designed assessments don’t simply document cardiovascular conditions. They clarify how those conditions interact with injury, influence recovery trajectories, and inform practical, sustainable planning.

When cardiovascular health is assessed thoughtfully and collaboratively, outcomes improve - for claimants navigating recovery, and for the systems supporting them.