can you ruin a valve repair by exercising too hard?

[barron6565]

I was just wondering if anyone ever heard of somebody ruining their repair by exercising to vigorously shortly after surgery. I'm 6 weeks out and feel good enough to run but do get quite tired afterwards. Just wondering wife I am starting to feel better and do not want to jeapordize my recovery.

 

[bocco]

Good question Barron. Monday coming up I go back to see the surgon. That will be one day shy of 4 weeks post op. Excercise is a big question on my list. Right now were looking at 4 days of rain which is really going to cut into my walking.

 

[AgilityDog]

Of course you are tired after exercising. Someone hit you with a truck 6 weeks ago!!
Make haste slowly.
I sure hope you can't damage the repair by exercise, 'cause I do 30 minutes on the elliptical x 5 days, dog agility 1 hour x 2 days, and walk about 7+ miles/week on top of that.
But I'm 18 months out from my most recent surgery, AVR and tricuspid repair.

 

[Bill B]

At just 6 weeks, I think you should be doing graduated, monitored exercise. I would HIGHLY recommend cardiac rehab. It is routinely included as part of post-op recovery and is paid for by most insurance. That said, it would be relatively normal to feel tired after running at only 6 weeks after getting hit by the OHS truck. In general full healing to the point where all restrictions on exercise are removed is at about 6 months. You should check with your cardiologist for recommendations. I doubt you are doing any harm, but there is good rationale for monitored cardiac rehab after OHS.

 

[Mom2izzy]

I had a mitral valve repaired 6 weeks ago. At 5 weeks, my surgeon told me I had NO restrictions and rattled off a bunch of strenuous activities that would be OK. Mainly, I heard, you can drive, you can pick up your daughter and you can scuba dive (last one wasn't really applicable, but I think I remember it because it was the last thing on his list). He also told me that after exercising I should be breathing hard and sweating.

I don't know if it makes a difference which valve was worked on and/or whether it was repaired or replaced, but those were my instructions.

 

[sarahsunshine]

I’m not so sure about “no harm done”. What I’ve heard is that for the 3 months prior to OHS, that’s when your heart is remodelling itself with the new valve – in other words, it’s still healing. Of course you feel great, you’ve had problems with an inefficient heart and blood flow, and now that your valve is fixed, all your organs and muscles are getting much better blood flow. In essence, you were probably climbing mountains simply by getting off the couch prior to surgery!

I would recommend joining cardiac rehab, make sure they have experience with valve-replacement clients who can and will push themselves harder than bypass patients. Then, discuss with your physiotherapist to get back on track. Don’t push yourself too hard, but do moderate exercise getting sweaty and out of breath, as if you were gently getting yourself in shape from being a complete couch-potato. I understand wanting to go for a huge run – it’s exciting to be able to do that. But plan it out for a couple months from now and get back to it at a reasonable pace.

As a previous varsity athlete, I can definitely understand wanting to get out and do some exercise after so long! You probably feel 10 years (at least) younger!

 

[Dgreenbee]

Of course you are tired after exercising. Someone hit you with a truck 6 weeks ago!!
Make haste slowly.
I sure hope you can't damage the repair by exercise, 'cause I do 30 minutes on the elliptical x 5 days, dog agility 1 hour x 2 days, and walk about 7+ miles/week on top of that.
But I'm 18 months out from my most recent surgery, AVR and tricuspid repair.

Hey, another Agility person the forum! I had my aortic valve replaced 4 weeks ago. I have been practicing with my dogs twice per week ( with help) and I hope to compete in late May.

 

[barron6565]

I'm 25 so I plan on continuing running and lifting after everything is healed. I called my cardiologist and surgeon and they both said vigorous exercise would not ruin a valve repair or a replacement. I was symptomatic before hand so it will prob take me a little while longer before I'm back to good running speed. I did 40 minute intervals this morning and then I thought I was hot s*** so I tried to go back out and run at the track tonight. I ended up just crashing and burning. Lol. I learned that I can push it a little bit but I can't think I'm already better 6 weeks out. Recovery is a race for distance and not speed so I have to realise that. Thx everyone for the responses.

 

[GordoAVR]

If you feel good enough to begin running, then you need to go to a cardio rehab. The issue is not the possibility of damaging the new valve; but rather developing a irregular heartbeat by exercising too hard too soon.

One of the outcomes of heart surgery is that you heart reacts to being 'handled'. Literally, the organ has a pattern of responses to being picked up and pushed around during surgery. One of the responses is to develop an irregular heartbeat. This consequence is more likely to happen if the heart is unduly stressed too soon after being shocked by the trauma of the surgery. If you get an arrhythmia at this stage of your recovery, you are going to be put on betablockers and you'll kick yourself for being so stupid.

At the rehab, you are monitored w/ an EKG while you begin to workout. I started my rehab at 5 weeks post op. Towards the end of the second week I was beginning to jog... well more like the old man shuffle. By the third week, we knew there were no irregularities in the heart rhythms.

However,we still staged the effort levels using heart beats per minute. The initial limitations were 130 bpm at the first level; then a week later we raised it to 135-140 bpm, until about the fourth week, when I was cleared to push 145 and hold it there. By that time, I was limited by other factors like breathing and muscle tone; but not by the heart valve itself.

Running by yourself, w/o monitoring your heart rhythms, within the first two months is risky. I am at seven months now, and my run/walk is completely different than it was at three months. I fully expect to morph back into running within the twelve months post surgery, but I am very grateful to have begun using cardio rehab and would advise anybody who feels like you, to also begin your recovery in this fashion.

 

[spartangator]

Great to read your enthusiasm, Barron, and another vote here for you to consider cardiac rehab. It was really helpful for me in terms of learning to scale up effort and consider healing at the same time, as Gordo mentions.

 

[Eva]

It is a blessing you are feeling this great. Keep it up! No need to rush anything...your heart went through a lot and it needs time to remodel and heal itself .

PERSONALLY, I would not rush into vigorous exercise neither now nor later!. INSTEAD, I would exercise more regularly and be kind and gentle to my valves and heart! This is just my opinion!

There is great valuable info re your question on the website of American Heart Association: http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/115/17/2358.full

Cardia rehab is a wise choice. My ex-cardio who did not think I needed it! I am glad I did not listen to him. I needed it...I learnt how to increase my exercise intensity and duration without arousing the PVCs which I would not have detected if I exercised on my own at that stage after surgery.

 

[bradvo]

If you don't think rehab is for you and it may be the case , it would be good to go to the first one for orientation. They will tell ya all about heart rates and what to avoid. They did give me a heart rate to stay under.

The goal of rehab was to get you to exercise for a minimum 1/2 hour 5 days a week and teach you heart healthy living. I may be minority here but I felt no need to seek help to exercise, I admit a little healthy eating coaching would not have hurt me....been cheating to much.

 

[RobThatsMe]

Hi,

First, this is a not one size fits all type of question. People have had open heart surgery for various reasons. Due to this, they really should consult with their doctors regarding their exercise program. "What exercises are allowed, For what length of time, Are there any weight lifting restrictions, etc. For example, people who also have an aneurysm or dissection most likely would have some weight lifting restrictions.

I was a gym rat prior to my first open heart surgery. My doctors still advised that I go to rehab for some excercise guidence.
I went more to see if my routine was OK, and if there were any other exercises that I should be doing as part of my wellness efforts.

After going to only two appointments, they said that since I already know the routine, and that since I was accustomed to an exercise program, and the proper use of the equipment, that I could continue on my own. I agree with the others here that have said to go to a few rehab appointments. At the very least it will confirm that you are doing things correctly as you work to getting back to a normal life. Who knows, you may even pickup a few new exercise routines.

jm2cw..

Rob

 

[Richard Gardner]

Hi,
After my aortic valve and upper aorta replacement I only walked for 6 weeks following surgery. After that I returned to vigorous exercise very gradually. A year and a half after surgery I was training for a half-ironman triathlon when I went in for a routine echocardiagram. My cardiologist wasn't pleased with the numbers so he told me he wanted me to exercise at "reasonable levels" but wouldn't be specific about what that meant. (Later figured it meant about an hour a day of cardio). So I ....guess....the valve could be damaged, or maybe worn out early with a lot of aerobic exercise.
Richard

 

[TheGymGuy]

Richard, do you have a tissue or mechanical? Also, may I ask for your age or age range?

 

[barron6565]

Today was my first day or cardiac rehab and I really didn't enjoy it. everyone kept commenting on how young I was and how I shouldn't be there. Everyone was very friendly and I was accepted with open arms but it made me feel kinda crappy about myself. They made me do very light exercises and keep my heart rate low. I understand why they do this but when I'm at the gym i go at a reasonable pace and break a sweat which feels great. I do not discount the benefits of cardiac rehab and how they can helpa person recovering from ohs, but I realised it is just not for me.

 

[RobThatsMe]

Today was my first day or cardiac rehab and I really didn't enjoy it. everyone kept commenting on how young I was and how I shouldn't be there. Everyone was very friendly and I was accepted with open arms but it made me feel kinda crappy about myself. They made me do very light exercises and keep my heart rate low. I understand why they do this but when I'm at the gym i go at a reasonable pace and break a sweat which feels great. I do not discount the benefits of cardiac rehab and how they can helpa person recovering from ohs, but I realised it is just not for me.

Hi barron,

I felt similar when I went too. Most of the folks there at rehab were much older than me. So, as I mentioned in my earlier post, I used the rehab specialist to confirm that the routine I was using was OK, that I was not doing anything that they would not recommend, and also maybe pick up some new exercises to assist with my recovery. After the 2 visits, I went back to the gym using my routine.

Good luck to you, and hope you have a speedy recovery,

Rob

 

[epstns]

Ummm. . . not to be a wet blanket (former gym rat, myself) but read the history on Arnold Schwartzenegger (not sure of spelling). IIRC, he had his valve replaced, then quickly went back to heavy lifting. He ended up having it replaced a second time very soon after the first, due to some sort of damage done due to heavy lifting too soon.

Moral of his story, I guess, is not to push too hard too soon.

I couldn't push too hard too soon -- they wouldn't turn up my pacemaker until they felt I had healed enough!

 

[tprice54]

NO, you will not hurt your valve running and doing cardio exercise. Lifting heavy weights is neither of those. I did not do rehab, and was running 3 miles at 6 weeks. Some people just do not fit the rehab, and, if you have been running for some time, you know what a hard workout is, and you will listen to your body. There is absolutely no research to show cardio workouts hurt your valve.

 

[Bill B]

Barron: Very common initial experience at cardiac rehab. I continued and got the staff to increase the exercise level. Sure, I COULD have probably done it on my own, but I WOULDN'T without the regular schedule and the fact that they expect you to be there. And with the careful monitoring and recording they do, my progress was very clear. Over all, it just worked better than if I had been on my own, but the first couple of weeks were a bit too slow.