working out after Pacemaker

working out involving arms

by FG - 2023-05-23 21:00:12

My doctor said NO swimming or overhead lifting for 8 weeks.

Now many on here said that seemed like a long time. But that is what my doctor said. I am very active and I guess he wanted to be sure. I am now 9 weeks out and all seems good, as far as I can tell...!

Weight Training

by Penguin - 2023-05-24 05:19:17

The probable reason for differing opinions is that 'weight training' is a descriptor that covers different types of fitness activity and also because medical circumstances vary. 

 Some of the non-overhead light weight bearing exercises are likely to be permissible and may be a good place to start to keep your muscles active whilst you wait for your implant site to heal and for the PM to bed in.  If it's overhead heavy weight lifting that you want to recommence you might like to explain what you want to lift and how you want to train to your doctor. 

Wound strength

by Selwyn - 2023-05-24 13:58:28

If I may impart as much factual information as is available:

Sabiston :-Wound strength increases rapidly within 1 to 6 weeks and then appears to plateau up to 1 year after the injury .When compared with unwounded skin, tensile strength is only 30% in the scar. An increase in breaking strength occurs after approximately 21 days, mostly as a result of cross-linking.The rate of collagen synthesis declines after 4 weeks and eventually balances the rate of collagen destruction by collagenase (MMP-1). At this point the wound enters a phase of collagen maturation.

Taylor:-The tensile strength of the young scar is only about 10% that of normal skin. Scar strength increases to about 30–50% of normal skin by 4 weeks and to 80% after several months.

Robbins:-We now turn to the questions of how long it takes for a skin wound to achieve its maximal strength, and which substances contribute to this strength. When sutures are removed, usually at the end of the first week, wound strength is approximately 10% of the strength of unwounded skin, but it increases rapidly over the next 4 weeks. This rate of increase then slows at approximately the third month after the original incision and then reaches a plateau at about 70 to 80% of the tensile strength of unwounded skin, which may persist for life.

Schwartz:-Wound strength and mechanical integrity in the fresh wound are determined by both the quantity and quality of the newly deposited collagen. The deposition of matrix at the wound site follows a characteristic pattern: Fibronectin and collagen type III constitute the early matrix scaffolding, glycosaminoglycans and proteoglycans represent the next significant matrix components, and collagen type I is the final matrix. By several weeks post injury the amount of collagen in the wound reaches a plateau, but the tensile strength continues to increase for several more months.20 Fibril formation and fibril cross-linking result in decreased collagen solubility, increased strength, and increased resistance to enzymatic degradation of the collagen matrix. Scar remodeling continues for many (6 to 12) months postinjury, gradually resulting in a mature, avascular, and acellular scar. The mechanical strength of the scar never achieves that of the uninjured tissue.

So where does this put you?

I think a middle of the road approach is after 6 weeks a little tension on the scar is appropriate. If you want to go crazy and put a lot more tension on the scar then 12 weeks is better. Your doctor saying 8 weeks is not far off middle of the road thinking on the cautious side. As Penguin says, a lot depends on how much stress you want to put on the scar.