When were you able to run

steve

by stevebne - 2022-10-16 21:20:54

Hi

I am a triathlete and was keen to get going after my PM insertion a few months ago. I started walking on the treadmill after 5 days, slow jog on the treadmill week 2 and back on the road at week 3. At 6 weeks, back to my usual run / cycle training but no swimming...

It's about 3 months now and my next race is in 10 days! So for me, very gentle at first and slowly increasing intensity as the PM operation healed plus some tweaking of the PM settings.

Two weeks

by Mad Hatter - 2022-10-16 23:11:03

Two weeks to the day after mine was installed 8/16/22. Uncomfortable at first so took it very easy but don't notice it at all now.  Ran 6 miles yesterday and doing a 10k in two weeks.  

It depends

by AgentX86 - 2022-10-16 23:49:09

There is too much variation between us to give a reasonable answer.  It depends on how you heal, the reason you have a PM, and underlying health.  Assuming that you were running just before you received your PM, it shouldn't be all that long.  The answer really has to come from your EP, though.

Only one person knows how you feel................

by IAN MC - 2022-10-17 09:11:50

.........  and it's not your doctor !

I was a keen marathon runner and the milestones I remember after my first PM implant were :-

- the first gentle jog with my running club friends at 2 weeks

-  the sheer joy at being able to gradually increase the distance and pace over subsequent weeks

- settings adjustments whle running on a treadmill at the PM clinic at 6 weeks. At that session I had Rate Response switched on. The effect on my running comfort was like winning the lottery but we are all different !

Best of luck ... I suggest you listen to your body and if you are feeling up for it , give it a gentle go now , and see how you feel.

Pacemakers are usually a way of quickly restoring normality  to your life.

Ian

returning to exercise

by Tracey_E - 2022-10-17 09:22:46

You can return when your doctor says it's ok. We are all different. That said, I was out walking the day I got out of the hospital. Running took a few weeks because the impact didn't feel good those first weeks as things were healing.

When I had my last replacement, I was told not to get sweaty or swim for 4 weeks. It wasn't about healing so much as infection risk. 

Return to running

by Mtn Grl - 2022-10-17 14:02:11

Thanks for posting the question and to everyone who's answered. It's good to hear the range of experiences. It's all quite individual.

I'm on day five post-surgery. I went for an easy walk after returning home from the hospital. Day before yesterday--day three--I walked two miles, then did two miles at the local track of jog the straights/walk the curves. When I say jog, it was a shuffle barely faster than a walk. No one would refer to it as a run! I was sore, but it wasn't too bad. Yesterday that same exercise was a no-go as jogging didn't feel good around the incision site, though walking was fine. Today I feel fine again. I suspect jogging--and eventually running--will be a day-by-day decision based on how I feel.

That being said, I was running right up until surgery (I did a marathon ten days prior) and my EP gave me clearance to walk or run whenever I wanted based on feel, but said not to push it. If I'm sore, slow down or stop. I'm following that advice.  He's more concerned about me doing anything with weights or lifting my left elbow above parallel than he is with jogging.

Running

by Kidfitz - 2022-10-17 20:45:39

Thank you all. I have gone on walks since day 3, my longest walk was 6 miles this last Sat. As I said I will talk to the Dr. tomorrow. I do feel like I could run now. 6-8 months ago I was running as much as 12-14 miles without any walking breaks but the couple of month prior to receiving my pacemaker I found I could not go more than 3 and many times not more than 1+ without  walking. I am looking forward to the day I can get a long run in without much walking.

Running

by Kidfitz - 2022-10-18 20:27:49

So I went to the Dr. today and the first thing he asks me is how is the running going. I guess I could have been running. I plan on a short run this evening. Thanks all.

How'd it go?

by Mtn Grl - 2022-10-19 19:32:27

How did it feel to run? Have any soreness at the incision site or odd feeling from the device itself?

I did three miles yesterday at an easy pace and felt okay. I can definitely feel the pacemaker, but it isn't too bad. I found myself focusing on form to keep my upper body quieter and my footstrike softer. The EP assured me that I won't hurt anything by running. I keep that in mind and tell myself that the odd feeling simply takes getting used to.

running again

by Kidfitz - 2022-10-19 22:54:08

Congrats on getting out there and running. It went well for me I ran 4 plus miles. I had no soreness at the incision site while I ran but I felt a bit sore last night and today. I did not feel the pacemaker while I ran. Thanks.