hi
i am 6 months post quad CABG and in a good place fitness wise.
i want to do some more core exercises so was thinking of the plank which I did pre-op. Question, when just lying on my front on a hard carpeted floor I can still feel pain in the centre of my chest which I understand is normal.
jumping in to a plank seems a large step from that! I know that theoretically I can do anything now but I was wondering what peoples experience of doing this have been?
thanks,
Hi. I'm afraid to say that at post 2 and half years CABG I still have chest pain. I was doing planks at 6 months post op as I was doing quite a bit of yoga to strengthen up my core along with heavy punchbag training. I had no issues with both but you could always run it past your gp beforehand just to be sure.
All the best.
Thanks for that. Good to know someone else was doing that, I did a 60 mile bike ride on Friday so the fitness isn't a concern. It's just that pressure on the chest and getting started on it!!
I'm 5 months post CABG , my chest nows feels absolutely fine , I put this down to swimming as once I started swimming it started to go...I can lie in bed whatever position I want to!, I can twist , turn no issues, I can bend down , push, pull ...I'm so pleased as was quite concerned
Hi yes I can do all those things as well with no pain, a plank puts a lot of weightto through your chest so I was just checking on peoples experience.
Sounds like you are doing great ☺️
Why is planking important ?? I think I know what it is lol
To strengthen my core stomach muscles, helps with the cycling, improves balance etc
To improve core strength at this time do the plank against a wall or get a large sitting ball and bounce on it. It will strengthen the core without pressure on chest. Hope this helps
Dear CyclingTime
I found weighted legs lifts with a wrapped up towel held to my chest { like in hospital } good to regain my core and help lose the carb bump that I had seemed to produce out of nowhere.
So flat on my back on the floor { towel in small of back } weight across shins { found small grow-bag good with a loose weight on top, lift until your bum screams out to stop { talking bum whatever next ! } hold and repeat, all the time arms across chest with a tight rolled towel underneath.
I hate doing them but I used to use pull-ups and roll outs to keep this annoying part of my storage smaller, but after the bypass and the CRT-d fitted, those exercises can’t be done.
I also still use a lot of old school dynamics/ isometric { modified to fit my present state of health} in fact I’m doing “ good toes bad toes “ as I type !
Hope any of the above waffle helps
Take care.
Sounds good thanks for the advice
Check with your doctor.I was told not to do any isometric exercises for 1 year after my bypass,and planks are isometric.Good luck
Sounds like that might be a place to start. Thanks
I was doing planks six months after CABG, also press ups, chin ups, and bench presses.
I haven't had any problems and my exercise regime was given the green light from both my GP and cardiologist.
Good luck!
Cheers, nice to see it's going so well for you. Start small I think rather than a 3 minute one!!
Be careful. they tell you you can do anything BUT what they do not tell you is that it is possible to break the wires holding your sternum together while it bonds. I had a triple and that is what happened to me and a hernia pushed through; it took a long time to find a surgeon capable of redoing my chest. I ended up with a 20mm gap between the 2 halves of my sternum that a good surgeon pulled together and used Johnson and Johnson zip fixes (like cable ties and stronger than wire) to hold it together. Do no overdo stretching your chest. Rare but it happens and when it does the NHS run a mile. It took me 3 years to find a good surgeon.
That does sound pretty horrendous, glad your sorted now
It's only 9 weeks for me but I'd think the plank would be a no no. But good to hear your fitness is returning so why don't you work on that more. Try swimming but get professional advice first and don't land back in hospital.
I would give swimming a bash but it's a 25 miles round trip for me to a swimming pool. Which takes to long and these days is expensive with the fuel costs
Thanks everyone I know what I should do now, appreciate all the input
That's a distance to get to a swimming pool. Can you tell me how long it was before you started cycling again as I'm a cyclist and miss my bike. I've been on my turbo training bike a few times at home but not long and keeping it at low gear. I'm guessing your a cyclist as your Nik name is cyclingtime?
Good idea to check with your physio, however I am 12 months post and for past 6 months do plank, other core and stretching together with 3 mile walk (growwithjo). I still have tenderness and some occasional pain which may stay for a long time, but I just ignore it as the benefits are so great and the occasional twinge reminds me I am lucky to be alive. For past 3 years I have had a mainly plant based diet and every day eat 2 or 3 portions of brussel sprouts or broccoli together with a good porridge that includes plenty of berries and raw Cocoa-there is some science behind this quirkiness, have a good day be a plank! 😂 Ron
I'm on the Porridge and berries Ron but..... Brussels and Broccoli every day? I don't think I have been that bad a person to punish myself that much 😂
You might be surprised they are very tasty, by chewing thoroughly they give your system a good continuous supply of nitric oxide that opens up and keeps flexible the arterial vessels. I got used to it, have a good day 😎
Three months on from a Quadruple by pass I saw my consultant yesterday and was asking about stretching above my head, putting things in the loft, wearing a rucksack etc.
From my conversation with him I think you would be very unwise to carry out this extreme exercise in case you damage your sternum as Horac details below.
Of course you are six months on, plus we are all different and age will be a consideration, but at the very least you surely need to get the green light from your GP but as their knowledge of heart matters can be limited would suggest it needs to be referred to your cardiologist.
They are pretty inconsistent in their advice, at 3 months my consultant said "yes crack on with anything, just expect some initial pain as you do new things"
Mine was quite horrified even at the idea of gentle cycling and stressed the dangers of breaking the sternum. When I asked if I could start using hiking poles again he was against that and as for wearing a rucksack, that was fine but with no more than a couple of sandwiches and a drink.
You are further down the road at 6 months than me and are likely younger but no one on here is medically qualified to definitively say if doing a plank is ok in your circumstances.
I had the same advice, essentially wait three months then just take it easy as you get back into things. It does seem advice seems to really vary regarding your sternum.
I was checked and signed off at 3 months. My surgeon said that my sternum had mended well and that I should have no problems if I started gently (rucksack no more than 5kg and put on carefully) and then built it up. I now carry up to 15kg up Munros, significantly more up smaller hills. As they say, "your body will let you know". Thankfully mine rarely has. 😀
I would check with surgeon/GP, but 6 months post surgery I would think would be fine. I suspect you will get pains, but that is something positive mind, exercise, etc, help improve. I would also graduate myself to full plank from off the knees, and experimentally extend the time involved slowly with a work plan. I've only had angioplasty for heart events, but I've had two distal bicep tendon surgeries from climbing injuries (tendon reattached to forearm bone) and after 12 weeks was given OK by orthopeadic surgeon to go for it subject to a sensible build up. Like most things.... listen to your body, go slowly, and build up to a point where you don't go backwards. 😃
Hi CT. I don't know about CABGs, but I have an ICD and my cardiac physio said "absolutely NO PLANKING!" as the device won't recognise it as exercise, and may shock me if my heart rate goes too high!
Now that's a good reason not to do it!
I asked my consultant about HR at my three months point as during rehab they limit it quite low. He said no limits other than my physical fitness and to crack on. Easier for him to say than me to execute! I used to push 163 during hard exercise but now I am limiting myself to around 140-145 almost subconsciously!
Well done and so pleased you are progressing so well. CABG is such a great procedure and had so many live before the more recent angioplasty and stenting. Is your chest scar completely healed and totally painless. Was the graft taken from the leg veins of the leg or from the internal mammary artery? Often the graft areas become problematic than the chest scar.
Hi there. Bio oil is doing a good job reducing all my scarring. Chest wise it is about 98% painfree just the odd time really
They took from my leg and my arm so I had double bubble there unfortunately. Some small pain still on my arm near my wrist very occasionally leg is fine pretty much but a bit numb in certain places still
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