No matter which type of surgery you undergo, your body is put under a considerable amount of stress and needs time to heal. However, most people are eager to get back to their normal lifestyle, which includes physical exercise. If you’re wondering how to find a balance between what you want to do and what your body is able to do after some common types of surgery, here is some advice on the topic.
A Cesarean delivery
This is a serious abdominal surgery, and as such, it will take its toll on you, at least for a while. Generally, you should allow your body to heal at least six weeks after the surgery. However, you can start doing Kegels as soon as you feel strong enough since you’ll need to strengthen your pelvic floor after your C-section. After you’ve mastered your Kegels, you can move on to tummy exercises and moderate toning exercises. You can start with short walks and move on to longer walks and then to cycling or swimming, but be sure to get your GP’s opinion on the intensity of the exercise. Give yourself about four to six months before doing any core muscle exercises and about nine months before doing aerobic exercises or jogging.
Open Heart Surgery
Although each case is different, it will generally take about six to eight weeks to recover from an open heart surgery. During that time it’s essential that you do some low-level exercise, like walking, to get back on your feet as soon as possible. You can lift your hands over your head when doing chores, but you shouldn’t lift anything heavy. When climbing stairs, rest when you lose your breath, and don’t do any aerobic exercises or perform any sexual activities until your doctor tells you it’s OK.
Plastic Surgery
There are several types of plastic surgery, from breast enhancement to procedures carried out by a top deep plane facelift surgeon, and all of them require a certain healing time. For example, with breast surgery and a tummy tuck, the initial recovery period will last about four weeks, during which you should avoid any difficult cardio exercises or lifting anything heavyweights. If you had breast surgery, you can start with some moderate lower-body exercises during the first four weeks, which include walking, cycling or squats, but avoid any exercises that involve bouncing or putting stress on your pecs. After that, you can begin with stretching exercises and move on to your standard workout routine after eight weeks. With a tummy tuck, wait eight weeks before doing any sit-ups or crunches, and if you feel any discomfort, give it another two weeks before trying again. If you had liposuction, you shouldn’t do any cardio for at least two weeks, to keep your blood pressure and heart rate low. Start walking or cycling moderately at the beginning of the third week, and you can only start running or lifting weights after four weeks or so. If this is too long for you, nowadays, you can get minimally invasive liposuction in Perth that ensures less discomfort and shorter recovery period.
A Hysterectomy
This is another major surgery, one in which a part of your body is removed, so you should ease back into your exercise regime slowly and carefully. You should start with a simple activity, like walking, as soon as you’re able to, and then progress to stretching, pelvic floor exercises and then certain lower back and abdominal exercises, like sit-ups. Avoid lifting any weights or anything else heavier than 2kg until you’ve fully recovered. The same goes for abdominal exercises, which will also have to wait for you to completely recover, which could take four to six weeks. Before starting any exercise program, talk to your GP, and be sure not to push yourself too hard, since it might lead to complications, like internal injury or a strained incision.
If you could only be given one piece of advice about after-surgery exercise, it would be to listen to your body and your doctor. They are the ones who will tell you what you’re capable of. Also, take it easy on yourself and introduce new exercises to your regime gradually for the best results.
