can you play sports after open heart surgery

Always best to settle with your doctor(s) on a plan for safely returning to exercise. To shorten recovery time, you need to know what to expect after heart surgery. Pay attention to instructions to watch for swelling, redness, or drainage that might be signs of infection. It’s particularly true for the athlete who is returning to a formal exercise or training program after heart surgery. Now over 7 months later I can barely do 5 MPH for 30 minutes. Even with a blocked artery and floppy mitral valve I could easily run 3-5 miles at a 6 MPH pace. I have been told you can play golf after two months. This is a factor which must be weighed when settling on what types of physical activity are safe. Exercise is important. Even if this possibility is unlikely, a group of fellow exercisers can provide some needed confidence. Thankfully I was in good shape and was able to start walking four miles a day a week after surgery. I have concluded from my experience that my arythmias are not because of running but from adrenal fatigue from running and stress( which is fear ..something we proud competive souls don’t talk about). This is the only way to settle on plans that are right for you. The videos below answer questions other patients have had about using this activity chart. In sports and particularly exercise testing, the rating of perceived exertion(RPE), as measured by the Borg rating of perceived exertion scale (RPE scale, Fig. My best advice is to take things slowly and consult with your doctor(s) frequently. finding a common ground and understanding is usually easy. Below is a guide which shows when you may be able to resume (re-start) many activities after your surgery. For patients with limited heart function with poor probability of full recovery the advice is to continue to exercise, not to abandon physical activity after the rehab program is concluded. I do a lot of cycling so put the size increases down to that as I have had echos before and there was no dilation (because of PACS and PVCS). Sometimes recovery can be slow–particularly at age 68. If patients succeed in maintaining a regular physical activity, many positive effects happen: blood sugar control improves, blood pressure control improves, body weight control improves! Required fields are marked *. A second issue is back pain, which is new since the surgery. At six weeks started back to the gym. The Borg RPE scale is a numerical scale that ranges from 6 to 20, where 6 means “no exertion at all” and 20 means “maximal exertion.” There is a revised version more specifically looking at breathlessness. In general, people with heart conditions should avoid sudden and intense outbursts. I am very discouraged. Open heart surgery is a major operation that requires a hospital stay of a week or more. If you have had recent heart surgery, you should be visiting your surgeon within 3 months to ensure that all the wounds are undergoing the normal healing process. • Use a hand-held shower head can help you reach places on your body more easily. After six weeks of recovery and three months of cardiac rehab, I started a couch-to-5K program but limiting my heart rate as recommended by my Cardiologist and rehab people. It cannot be immediately after the operation, the post-aggression syndrome hits everyone. I’m a 72 year old physician 1 week out from an aortic valve repair for a bicuspid valve with a mini-sternotomy approach. In the end, I put my thoughts into a simple benefit-risk equation, in order to encourage appropriate consideration of all of the key variables (medical advice, family responsibility, risk averseness lever, etc.). I’m a marathon and ultra marathon runner. Instead, the prescription must be individualized. Great article. The “plumbing” can be fixed with operation so that blood flow is restored past all (or most) of the blockages in the coronary arteries. While I cannot a priori guarantee that they can go one at the same intensity, I obviously not exclude it, on the contrary, if it is compatible with their disease and surgery I certainly encourage it. I had 4 month ago quad bypass surgery , i feel stronger than ever, but in the first 4 weeks be careful, walk but dont over do it. An individual and differentiated approach is crucial, this is my strong recommendation! Running begins at 4 months post-op. My question is what harm can I come to if I want to do more exercise than has been recommended. All the best, one of the CABG people, I am 51 and I am getting an artificial heart valve in Jan. A good diet can help you control your weight, which is important in maintaining good cardiovascular health. A special group of patients are those seriously active in sports. Athletes should be vigilant about these general warning signs and report them to their doctor(s). I saw my cardiologist twice a year before the incident due to a blocked artery 10 years ago. Then the conditions of the heart muscle and the probabilities of recovery (if heart function has suffered) are evaluated. Among them diseases which induce hypertrophy of the heart muscle (such as aortic valve stenosis), leaking heart valves (if graded more than mild) and known aneurysms of the aorta. This is good advice for any athlete, but particularly good advice for athletes who have had heart surgery. I guess you can play as soon as your body says its OK, but for me, I don't think its happening for a while. I wondering if did is normal for this period in my recovery, and I can expect it to improve, or is the shortness of breath possible due to my heart EF level? A number of people in the aortic aneurysm community, who had open heart surgery for valve repair during ascending aortic aneurysm correction, have written to me for advice. Stefanos Demertzis - Credits: Ander Group SA, Response of the heart and of the whole cardiovascular system to the operation, Presence of any residual or other disease with particular relevance to intense sport, Attitude of the patient and his/her family. This is obviously more than true after cardiac surgery. Cardiac rehab continues with an outpatient phase, where patients can enroll in a monitored exercise program, often in a group setting, with several sessions per week. I was feeling great, doing the swimming again, and was focusing on time and distance — not competitive, but better than vast majority of people in my age group — age 68. In still others, an emergency operation may be needed for some sort of acute problem (eg, aortic dissection). Here’s a quick story about Dennis. Each athlete’s situation will be different, Whatever the approach to returning to activity, pay attention to getting healed up, as a first priority, Consider your “new,” current heart situation as you make plans about the safety of exercise, Rely on your support network as you return to physical activity, Assemble a medical “team” to help as you return to physical activity, Make a list and be vigilant about warning signs that are specific to your circumstance. Two weeks ago I was diagnosed with an ascending aortic aneurysm and leaky aortic valve and a tear in the aorta. This is obviously more than true after cardiac surgery. Read more. One of my blog readers, for example (a personal trainer/aerobics instructor) wrote to me: “I did cardiac rehab for about four weeks but then checked myself out. In yet another example, sometimes an athlete will need operation for repair of an aortic aneurysm. The tissues are sewn together or new materials (eg, heart valves) are sewn into the heart. This is such a fantastic resource, Larry! So I’m back to “normal” for the third time, trying to work back up to running, and feeling OK. These are just 3 examples. With a normal or near-normal heart function and no aneurysm involved, it is possible (if desired) to re-engage in sports at a Borg scale level of 11-12 and slowly progress to 13-14. It takes time to get healed up after CABG surgery and a heart rate cap may be a reasonable strategy. Only you will be able to describe your goals and ambitions and ask for feedback about the advisability and safety issues. I hope this post helps any of those who may be going through a similar experience. At many heart surgery programs, the inpatient phase of cardiac rehab begins within the first couple days after operation, with both educational and exercise components. Am exactly the same as you mate … quad bypass at 57. Recovery after Open-Heart Surgery. I am on 25mg Metropol. Some will be recreational athletes, some will be exercisers, and some will be competitive athletes. I am not a cardiologist (and did not stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night), but my understanding is that the cardiopulmonary stress test I underwent just a month ago would also have revealed, at least indirectly, whether there were any blockages of the coronary arteries. Deeper, the breast bone (sternum) is like any other broken bone. Continuous dialog with your team is essential. Others need operation for acquired conditions that take many years to develop (eg, coronary artery disease, aortic aneurysm). As one example, sometimes an athlete will need operation to correct an atrial septal defect (ASD), an inherited condition. Most often, a portion of the enlarged aorta is “repaired” by replacing the blood vessel with a synthetic, fabric substitute. Of blood that flows through the report again I saw my cardiologist that I don ’ t as again. 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