Shoulder and chest exercises

My chest muscles are very weak so its difficult for me to breathe or even stay straight so i need to do some exercises. I have the pacemaker for 4 months and i'm wondering if somebody has experience with this and knows if i can stretch my arm above my head, pull weight or do any exercise on machines.Now i only workout my legs.(my next pacemaker check is in may so i will have doctors info then)

5 Comments

coincidence

by Tracey_E - 2014-02-06 09:02:17

Your leads are well grown into place by now. Lifting a laptop on the same side as the pm would have been ok the first week. I was told no weight over 10lbs. When you haven't been moving much, you are going to get twinges and pains as you get your mobility back.

The cool thing about cardiac rehab is they monitor everything you do and there is medical staff handy so you are well supervised as you test the waters.

move!

by Tracey_E - 2014-02-06 09:02:25

Yes, you can move now! The arm above the head restriction was only for the first 4-6 weeks. Hopefully your shoulder is not frozen. If you are weak enough that it's hard to breath, you might want to ask about cardiac rehab or physical therapy. There are exercises a therapist can give you to expand the ribcage and build strength from your back and shoulders. You can do whatever exercises you want, the pm will be fine.

Start moving

by Theknotguy - 2014-02-06 09:02:45

Caiiika: Like sunshine said, you've got to start moving. Most of us are moving within the first two weeks, albeit minimal movement at first.

If no medical issue, you'll want to see what exercise programs your insurance will approve. Or, if no insurance, can you find an exercise instructor who will help you with upper body exercise. It will take some time - as much as a year depending upon how active you were before the PM implant.

You are past the 4-6 week time period so it's safe to stretch your arm above your head. Problem is, with so much inactivity everything will be stiff. So you'll have to take it slow until everything loosens up.

In the meantime, you can start walking. I started out at 500 feet and kept increasing until I was up over a mile. You'll want to walk a measured distance for a couple of days. If it feels like you can do more, increase the distance. Keep increasing the distance as you feel better.

I also started carrying weights as I was walking. First a one pound weight, then three pounds, then five. That helps to strengthen all of your muscles.

Any exercise is better than none. So even if you don't feel like you're gaining anything, really you are. The advantage of a structured program with a trainer (whether it's an exercise trainer or a cardiac rehab nurse) is that your exercise will be measured and you will be able to see your progress.

There is a lot of world to see and a lot of life to live. Hope you are able to get moving and start feeling better.

Theknotguy

right hand lifting

by caiiika - 2014-02-06 09:02:55

i'm asking this,because when i was lifting my laptop with right hand (opposite side of pacemaker) i felt a stubbing little pain in heart where wire is, maybe it was coincidence

cardiac rehab

by caiiika - 2014-02-06 10:02:50

unfortunately where i live we don't have such facilities

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