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Exercises Following Hernia Surgery

Hernia repair is a painful operation followed by a fairly lengthy recovery period of up to six months. While your immediate urge might be to begin exercising again as soon as possible in order to compensate for strength lost during the surgery, do not be so hasty. Overexertion prior to complete healing is a major cause of relapse, a clearly undesirable course of action. If you, or someone you know, has recently undergone surgery for a hernia, here are some exercises that can keep you fit without sending you back to the doctor.

  1. General Precautions

    • The first and most important rule for exercising following hernia surgery is known as the "grunt" rule. If you are straining so hard during an exercise that you feel the urge to grunt, you are training too hard and stand to reinjure yourself. When the body is grunting, you are subconsciously increasing tension on the abdominal wall. Thus, keep intensity to a reasonable level until you are fully recovered, minimizing the possibility of further incidents.

    Injury-Proof Yourself

    • Strengthening the muscles of the rectus abdominis can help to defend against the threat of future hernias. To target this muscle group, get in a typical "sit-up" position--lying on your back with knees bent around 90 degrees. Instead of performing a full sit-up, merely lift your torso off the floor until your shoulder blades raise slightly off the ground. Return slowly to the starting position, and repeat for three sets of 10 to 15.

    Consider Light Cardio

    • Abstaining from resistance training until your body is fully recovered is the smartest thing to do. Thus, focus your efforts around moderate cardio Performing low-intensity (brisk walking) on an empty stomach first thing in the morning is a great way to lose fat while retaining lean mass Go for 30 to 45 minute walks three to four times a week for optimal results.

    Be Cautious With Resistance Training

    • If you must get in the gym and lift some weights, be very cautious. At first, avoid compound lifts that place undue stress from heavy loading on the abs. Thus, stay away from heavy squats, dead lifts, and max effort bench pressing for the new few months. Instead, stick to mostly isolation, dumbbell, and bodyweight movements such as: dumbbell overhead and bench pressing, lat pull-downs, curls, bodyweight dips, pushups, dumbbell rows, and leg or knee raises.

    Considerations

    • Perform your resistance work for lighter, higher-rep sets. Stick to set/rep schemes like 3x8, 3x10, 3x12, and 2x15 to improve your chances of staying in compliance with the "grunt rule." Preventing relapse is merely an exercise in stacking the deck to your advantage to minimize the possibility of risk. If you keep to this advice, strengthening your rectus abdominis, sticking to mainly cardio, and lifting light, you will likely recover in due time without further injury.

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