Weight lifting with bicuspid aortic valve

[Validus]

I just happened across this article and thought it may be of interest to some members of this forum. This seems to be good news for people who, like myself, have been told that weight lifting should be drastically reduced or eliminated, but want to maintain decent muscle mass.

http://www.cbass.com/LightWeights.htm

 

[Paleowoman]

My cardiologist is happy for me to continue weight lifting even though we're talking surgery within the next year or two. As long as I don't feel dizzy or faint he said it's fine for my heart. The technique I use is Super Slow or Slow Burn - lifting weights at approx 10 sec lift and 10 sec lower, 3 or 4 reps to failure and only 1 set per exercise - the whole of the routine takes only about 20 minutes and is only once or twice a week. I follow Fred Hahn's protocol as in his book 'The Slow Burn' and Dr Doug McGuff as in 'Body by Science'. I'm sure it's a lot safer than the faster lifts with heavier weights. I do lift very heavy weights sometimes, eg Leg Press today I lifted 151 kilos or 333 pounds which might not be so much for a man but for a woman of 58 it's a lot I think !
Anne

 

[pekster11]

after surgery,when the healing process is complete, will I be able to lift weights, such as 5Kilo dumb bell weights ?

Or will the cardiologist advise against this ?

 

[RobThatsMe]

Hi,

Just thought I would add my thoughts, as I have been through it.

While it is true that your heart may be ok to lift, that does not mean that the plumbing is OK.
The real risk is in dissecting the aorta, or that an aneurysm develops. These are the silent killers.

I dissected from the aortic valve all the way down the aorta, and then on to my left knee cap area.
I was in "perfect" health prior to that and lifted 5 days a week for well over 15 years.
Ask some of the nurses that work the Heart Units, and the ER Heart units about the number of incidents involving weight lifters.

My vascular surgeon told me that leg presses and squats place to most pressure on the circulatory system, and to avoid these especially. He says that I can still work out, light weights with high reps, not to exceed 50 lbs. Another doctor told me simply.. work out, and don't overdo it. You know when you do.

I know that you may feel lke you can handle it all, but if your valve area also weakens the aorta, then dissections can occur.
80% of the people that this happens to never make it to the hospital. of those that do, 50% survive the surgery.
They told my wife that I had a 3 to 6% chance of making it, and advised her to say her good-by to me.

Anyway, just my two cents on it, obviously personal, but the point it is ... it does happen.
Exercise with care.
Longevity of Life is more important than looking exceptionally fit for the moment.

Rob

 

[Paleowoman]

Hi Rob,

Do you think this means that if the aorta is normal, no risk of dissection, that weight lifting would be okay ? My cardiologist definitely said weight lifting was okay for me - mind you, it has crossed my mind that he thinks I do girlie stuff. Longevity of Life is the most important thing but for me there's the other concern of osteoporotic fractures - that's the reason I do weight lifting, to increase my bone density. I also take medication to increase bone density, true, but with osteoporosis it's much more than a pill fixing it. I just read on a different thread a really scary thing for me, the author was responding to a question about pain in the back and neck following surgery, he wrote "The muscular pain in neck, shoulders and back is due to positioning during surgery. They twist the patients into unnatural positions in order to give the surgeon the best possible access/angles." Twisting the patient is just the kind of thing which might lead to osteoporotic vertebral fractures in someone with low bone density - I don't want to wake up from surgery disabled as I've read of happening to some people with osteoporosis So I'm doing everything I can to increase bone density, hence weight lifting....and leg presses. It's worrying

Anne

 

[RobThatsMe]

Hi Anne,

IMHO, weight lifting within reasonable limits is ok. You can still build and tone.
I used to use heavy weights, my dissection occurred the day after doing my legs, squats and leg presses.
That being said, I still manage to stay in good shape now after 2 open heart surgeries. I run and also use light weights.
I just don't keep up'ing my weights after I get to what I feel is a reasonable, safe weight to lift.

I personally would not get back into heavy weights that cause you to strain excessively while lifting.
I would favor body toning over body building, but that's just me after what I have been through.
There are those that can go on lifting with a heart condition, and be fine I am sure.

Always discuss with your doctor, and if you desire to lift heavy with a heart condition, always ask them about the risks of dissections and aneuryms. These are too often overlooked by doctors.

Rob

 

[Paleowoman]

Thanks Rob - I'll check again with my cardiologist !

Anne

 

[JeffM]

It's the pressure on your left ventricle and aortic valve that is the problem for those who don't have an aneurysm. I don't think I spelled that right. So, the more you strain, especially if you hold your breath while doing it, the more pressure you place on your valve and left ventricle. These components are already degrading slowly and your left ventricle is getting increased pressure either from blood leaking back into it (regurgitation) or from pushing against a decreasing valve opening (stenosis). If you lift heavier weights, or do anything that increases that internal pressure, you're accelerating the deterioration of the valve and of the tissue that makes up the walls of your left ventricle. Heavy leg lifts most certainly fall into this category. You can build super strong quads and glutes with almost no weights by doing variations on lunges. You can increase your weights, if you must, after you receive your new valve and your heart remodels to the point at which your left ventricle as well as other parts are within the normal range. I'm not a doctor, but I do lift weights as part of my overall lifetime of athletics. There's logic in what I'm saying. Be smart. Be careful. Live long!

 

[Duff Man]

re the study, i've noticed the same thing. light weight and more reps is just as good or better

 

[epstns]

I'm not back to the gym yet (only 10 weeks since surgery) but prior to my aortic valve replacement (stenosis, no involvement of the aorta) my cardio said that as long as I kept the weight to around 40 lbs., I could do all the reps I wanted. This worked well for me, until the last year or so prior to surgery, when we felt it best to forego weights until after the valve could be replaced. Now that I am about to begin rehab, I will see what they recommend and, if necessary, consult again with my cardio.

While I was regularly doing the light weight/high rep routines, it worked well for me.

 

[Paleowoman]

The problem for me is that light weight/high rep routines do not lead to an increase in bone density, they might lead to bigger muscles but not to stronger bones: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8822346 "Exercise effects on bone mass in postmenopausal women are site-specific and load-dependent." I'm only doing weight lifting to increase bone density.

Anne PS - I've written to my cardiologist asking him specifically about heavy weight lifting.

 

[Paleowoman]

I heard from my cardiologist today regarding me doing strenuous weightlifting. He said that as far as he is aware there is no indication that exercise causes accelerated changes in the deterioration of the heart valves, but he did say it can certainly cause the heart muscle to hypertrophy "which is one of the complications of severe aortic stenosis".

I guess that means that while I have "moderate" stenosis (51 mm/Hg) that it's okay. My next echo is in August so I will clarify that then, but I think I will lower the weight on the leg press and perhaps do the reps faster as that is less strenuous than 'super slow'.

Anne