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Lifting after surgery? I'm confused

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Posted 1/13/2013 9:59 PM (GMT -7)
Hi all,

I have been reading this board fir a bit and see a reoccurring question being asked about post surgery maintenance. People are saying they were told to do no lifting.

My question is, how does you stomach relate to lifting weights? I can see within the first year to keep to light weights after the initial first few months of proper healing, but stay of weights?

I'm no body builder, but I do like to keep fit. Is this tip a life long thing, or eventually do the patients fully recover?

Thanks,

Chris
Posted 1/14/2013 8:07 AM (GMT -7)
Here's link re weights

https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=45&m=2478305
Posted 1/14/2013 7:00 PM (GMT -7)
Hi Chris,

I agree that what I've heard about lifting weights and just plain lifting in everyday life after Nissen is extremely confusing.  I've heard people speak of surgeons who tell their patients that they can go back to doing ANYTHING they did post Nissen (obviously after initial healing of the hernia).  I've heard people speak of surgeons who tell them that they should never again lift very heavy things. 

It seems to me that how much weight you can lift post-Nissen depends upon what kind of core strength you have prior to the surgery.  Do I know this for a fact?  Absolutely not. 

I can tell you that I've read about a member here who blew out his wrap lifting a heavy couch.  I also read (fairly recently) about a person who blew out his wrap leaning over the trunk of his car and lifting out a bike.  He didn't think it was the bike itself that caused the problem, but rather the position he was in when he was lifting it.

I am no weight lifter, and I definitely do not have good core strength, so I think that is my problem...but I was reaching over in a similar way, and picked up a tote filled with books, when I got a sharp pain in the wrap area.  This happened another time when I was carrying books (I'm a retired teacher, and I tutor, so I'm always dragging children's books all over the house) up the stairs.  I'm trying to convince myself to stop doing that before it's too late!  Everything got feeling good again after a week or so.

To me it seems as if positioning and strength are two things that would determine how much weight you can lift without risking your wrap.  Do I really know? Absolutely not.

Still, I always cringe when I hear a surgeon tell their patients they can weight lift without restrictions post-Nissen.  They should know, don't you think?  I'm sure they don't want to get a reputation for failed Nissen surgeries!

I doubt I've clarified things at all.  It's the best I can do.

Good luck with your search for answers!

Denise

GERD/Heartburn Moderator
Nissen Fundoplication 2/09
Allergy/Asthma

"Whatever you fight, you strengthen, and what you resist, persists.”

“Worry pretends to be necessary but serves no useful purpose”

“Accept - then act. Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it.”
Eckhart Tolle
Posted 1/14/2013 9:39 PM (GMT -7)
FWIW, I asked my ENT, when discussing Nissen, if I could be physically active and lift weights etc (I am a fairly athletic younger man), and he said no problem.

The surgeon who will be doing my Nissen, just said no restrictions after 6 weeks.

I would also like to assume that the doctors I spoke with are providing the best information they can based on their experience. I'd like to assume that means they have provided surgeries to active people and have not learned of any association between lifting and failure. It certainly would be something they should know about.

Then there is that phenomenon we are so familiar with here, the fact that the people we hear from most are people who have experienced problems. There are countless many more people out there who have Nissen and we never hear from, and the assumption is that most of them are managing fine and never need to come to a place like this for advice. But as fellow patients, we don't know. The doctors, however, SHOULD know what happens to cases after surgery, and those doctors, at least in my case, say lifting is no problem. Again, I'm assuming they are basing it off people who do fine with the surgery who most other patients never hear from again.

That's about all I can go on at this point. Oddly enough relating to what Denise said about that other member, I lift a folding bike out of my trunk 5 days a week for work, so I'm definitely going to have some experience with that after 6 weeks. If I have to make some adjustments to my workouts, I am very willing to do that in order to have relief from reflux. As for lifting heavy stuff as a person (especially a single man living alone), I'm definitely going to have to do that eventually, I'll just play it by feel.
Posted 1/14/2013 9:53 PM (GMT -7)
Hi drtinsac,

All good points.  I'm always reminding people that those who post on these forums are outliers and that it can present a skewed perspective on what to expect.  Surgeons have nothing to gain from providing inaccurate information, and since there's life (better life) after a Nissen, it is important to be able to resume doing the things you enjoy. 

I'd listen to your surgeon and go off and enjoy your life! 

Happy day!

Denise

GERD/Heartburn Moderator
Nissen Fundoplication 2/09
Allergy/Asthma

"Whatever you fight, you strengthen, and what you resist, persists.”

“Worry pretends to be necessary but serves no useful purpose”

“Accept - then act. Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it.”
Eckhart Tolle
Posted 1/15/2013 1:03 AM (GMT -7)
Im in the same boat, very keen weight lifter and am hoping to have nissen but very mixed info.

I think doing heavy singles or triples is too risky, but am hoping training in the 10+ rep range will be ok
Posted 1/16/2013 6:21 PM (GMT -7)
Dude I was told by my surgeon that I'd be able to go back to lifting heavy weights and vigorous exercise when we use weights and do exercise it's our muscles which Stabilize for example the abdominal muscles not the stomach my doc said just don't lift anything heavy for four weeks at least but once your fully recovered you can do what you did before and I intend to I'm a personal trainer and I love the gym I can't see how lifting weights would effect an internal organ unless you were trying to lift well above what you could handle and were using some ridiculous form in which case u need to take your ass out the gym lol I just hope I can get back to eating fairly quick people on here seem to say they're taking up to a year to recover seems a bit excessive my doc said six weeks everything should be normal I'm hoping I'm fine working 3 months max I got a life to live
Posted 1/21/2013 2:38 PM (GMT -7)
My doctor told me to wait 2.5 months post surgery to go back to heavy lifting. The reason is any violent movement (and that's what weight lifting is, violent) could cause the sutures to come undone. He also noted that with certain exercises (military/shoulder press) your wrap could come into your chest cavity which would be a big no-no.

I waited the 2.5 months and I had no problems when I started lifting. Of course, I couldn't bench/lift what I normally did, but I got there eventually.
Posted 1/21/2013 3:39 PM (GMT -7)
Thats good to hear man I've really missed the gym I'll probably leave it a good ten weeks before I go back and see how I go. How did you find doing ab exercises and things like squads which put pressure on your stomach did they feel ok ?
Posted 1/21/2013 8:22 PM (GMT -7)
Thought everything went fine. Just take it easy when you get back and slowly work yourself back into it.
Posted 2/25/2015 9:00 PM (GMT -7)
This particular thread is a great read. I think when I go back for my surgical follow up appointment at 4 weeks, I'm going to ask some really specific questions about this. My understanding has always been that our internal organs are not tightly anchored to specific muscles in our abdomens, so I'm having a hard time imagining how the mechanical force from weightlifting could be directed to my oesophagus in such a way that it would bust the wrap. The phrase "busted my wrap" crops up a lot on fundo pages, but I'd love to know how this works physiologically, si that it can be avoided.
Posted 2/26/2015 7:04 AM (GMT -7)
hi Wozza,

From my understanding, the danger is reherniation of the diaphragm. When this happens there is nothing to hold the wrap in place, so it fails.

Discussing this with your surgeon is the perfect choice.

Happy healing!
Denise
GERD/Heartburn Moderator
Nissen Fundoplication 2/09
Allergy/Asthma

"Whatever you fight, you strengthen, and what you resist, persists.”

“Worry pretends to be necessary but serves no useful purpose”

“Accept - then act. Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it.”
Eckhart Tolle
Posted 3/12/2015 12:27 PM (GMT -7)
Exactly, Denise. The risk is not in the stitches breaking, but in the hernia "slipping" back up into the esophagus. That's what my GI doctor told me. By the way, I waited a full year before slowly starting to lift weights again, and my nissen is totally fine. I lift weights. Not currently but I have been for years since the surgery.

Also, remember to breathe properly. Breathe out when you lift. If you're getting a vein throbbing in your forehead, you're most likely lifting incorrectly. Breathe out when you exert effort.
Posted 6/4/2015 2:38 PM (GMT -7)
Anyone else lifting weights after their Nissen fundoplication?
Posted 12/26/2016 4:43 PM (GMT -7)
I was a guy, that i was told i could lift weights after 3 months, so i did.

Around six months post surgery i did dips and it seems like my wrap has slipped. I did the exercise called dips, and i could hear something say pop.

I was able to lift six months and i did heavy weight (For me). I did the compound exercises

Squad, Deadlift, Pull ups, Dips Chin-ups, Bench press, Incline Bench, T-Bar, Barbell rows, the plank, and military press.

I will not recommend doing dips, because it puts a lot of pressure on the lower chest and upper abdoment area. Perhaps i would not recommend deadlifts either or heavy deadlift, even though i do not recall it giving me problems.

My "maybe" redo surgeon told me, that heavy intense lifting can make the wrap come undone. He said i should be fine with ordinary fitness training.

David, do you think that breathing properly throughout the reps will put less stress on the wrap area? Because, that could be important, when you exercise.

I love weight lifting and im a skinny 55 kg boy, that would love to gain some weight and muscle mass?

Perhaps, one should remember to improve core strength? So you can handle more stress without putting too much pressure on the wrap area?
Posted 1/3/2017 4:58 PM (GMT -7)
Anyone?

Would be really helpful
Posted 1/19/2017 3:51 PM (GMT -7)
I just had my surgery 5 weeks ago. I'm not in bad shape and I do have some core strength. I was told not to become a professional weightlifter. At 4 weeks he said I could do light weights.

Going forward he prefered I stick to machines rather than free weights to remove the pressure on the diaphragm.

he said in 2 more weeks I can go back to playing volleyball because my stomach muscles should be healed.

The last warning was don't do Situps for a very long long time. Do other core exercises. Again, for me he was concerned about the Diaphragm.

My plan is to play sports. Lift 10lb weights or use machines. Go back to playing volleyball when I feel I can. No real free weights.
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