I've had open heart surgery recently. During this operation, they cut the sternum open and sew it back together. It takes some time to heal. Some doctors/physiotherapists say 6 weeks, some 8, some 12, some say as much as a year.
Anyways, I am looking forward to lifting heavy weights again. When can I start lifting again without worrying about my sternum cracking open? Any exercices I should be careful with?
Right now it has been almost 6 weeks.
Thanks
the thought of my sternum cracking open is absolutely terrifying
[quote]hit the gym wrote:
I’ve had open heart surgery recently. During this operation, they cut the sternum open and sew it back together. It takes some time to heal. Some doctors/physiotherapists say 6 weeks, some 8, some 12, some say as much as a year.
Anyways, I am looking forward to lifting heavy weights again. When can I start lifting again without worrying about my sternum cracking open? Any exercices I should be careful with?
Right now it has been almost 6 weeks.
Thanks[/quote]
If I was you, i’d be itching to train, so i’d go with the 6 weeks suggestion. BUT i would start with very light weights and make sure that if i felt anything ‘odd’ at all i’d be out of there in an instant and wait another week at least.
[quote]Goodfellow wrote:
If I was you, i’d be itching to train, so i’d go with the 6 weeks suggestion. BUT i would start with very light weights and make sure that if i felt anything ‘odd’ at all i’d be out of there in an instant and wait another week at least.[/quote]
Yes I am itching to train. Good suggestion, that’s what I will do.
I got hurt a number of times, none from exercise. Each time I would restart with high rep seated calf raises, and stair walking. Fortunatly I have a client who I visit 3 times a week on a sixth floor. I started stairs with taking the elevator to the 5th floor and walking up one flight of stairs. When that went well I’d get off at the fourth floor, etc. The stair walking worked the lungs, chest and sternum area only as much as I wanted, within my limits.
I’d start with lower-body machines and work your way up. Whatever you do, hold off on dips for the time being.
For some reason I’m thinking the Charles Poliquin had some kind of heart or chest surgery back in the MM2K era before T-Nation. You might see if you can contact him through T-Nation. If I was him, I sure he would have a lot of helpful information.
Fred
OK I started lifting again. I will be joining a new gym soon.
Some exercises I have no problem, like lower body, biceps, triceps. Obviously I am not as strong as before but don’t feel too much strain on my sternum.
However other exercises are hard on the sternum, for example DB Presses, push-ups and I don’t even want to try Pull-ups and Dips.
Anyways, should I just skip weight lifting altogether? Or just do the exercises that don’t require the sternum at all, even if this means I won’t grow proportionate? Or in other words, should I just train around it, like sports pros do when they have an injury?
It would just be weird to me to be curling 40lbs dumbbells and not be able to press 10lbs dumbbells.
Anyways, for now I am using light dumbbells and doing cardio everyday.