exercise, pre-op........?

[lelc2002@yahoo]

Hi, yesterday morning I decided to try using my low impact aerobics cd. I did about 20 min and felt pretty good. By early evening I did not feel good! My right rib area felt wierd, hump area hurt on my left side. I thk I'll stick to walking. Any exercise suggestions????

[HGD24]

lelc ~
I would suggest anything you can do to help strengthen your lower back and especially your abs. You'll use your abs a lot during recovery. I used the treadmill and bike prior to surgery and for PT post-op, was kept on the bike and added eliptical along with some weights. You can hold your abs tight while riding a bike or eliptical to help strengthen them...kind of a 2 for 1 deal

If you have not worked out in a while (even just a few weeks) things are going to hurt. Give it a day of rest and try again....start with slow simple movements and then go from there.

[KUBUs]

Your ABS will be vital after surgery for every single ask. ABS basically stabilizes your body, and will prevent unwaranteed jerky movment that might injure your spine.

Try Isometric exercises for your abs-tense your abs and hold the tension for 5 seconds and repeat. As one of the previous posters said, you can combine that exercise while doing any daily task.

[SpineWhine]

I was told by my surgeon to NOT do back strengthening exercises exercises pre-op. (As muscles would be moving, and harder to cut through.)

He did recommend strengthening legs - and I strongly concur. My quads and glutes were critical in my getting around, with all the standing and sitting, and lack of bending, your legs will pick up with the slack. Squats and lunges are hard, but effective!

[lelc2002@yahoo]

thks all,
I am just sticking to walking & some squats... ain't doing nothing above legs or I'll end up hurting myself...Thk god my legs are real strong so I'll do good!

[Pips]

Hi Lynne

I swim a lot and my surgeon said this was really good before surgery for general fitness. Lots of people seem to swear by walking- but my walking is quite poor so its not really an option for me. He also thinks that anything you can do to increase your flexibilty is good too as your muscles will move to their new position easier (hopefully!). I had a couple of rolfing sessions (myofacial release) which helped in giving me a bit more stretchiness. I also do some basic Pilates (for core strength).

I have been doing this for 6-9 months and hope it will give me a better recovery time. I'll find out soon!

[Heathmoose]

excercise before surgery

I recommend swimming or walking before surgery. Pilates is really helpful for the abs, but I would not start it so soon before your surgery and it should really be done with supervision. I had been doing pilates for about 4 years before my surgery. Still, some simple abdominal excercises could be good. Good luck!
Heather