Preface

Strenuous exercise should be avoided after an operation. An exercise program should be individualized for each person in order to reduce any post-op complications.

Goal

Post-op exercise is to prevent potential harms caused by other exercises which often interfere wound healing and increase painful feeling.

What is progressive exercise?

Within 24 hours after an operation, you can start with bedridden exercises like deep breathing, coughing, turning your body over, exercising your limbs, and contracting your abdomen and buttock. These exercises would improve circulation and prevent any muscle atrophy, often common with bedridden patients. 24 to 48 hours after the operation, you can try to get out of the bed to prevent any post-op complications and decrease fragile long-term bedridden.

Post-operation exercises

1. Joint movement: is to either actively or passively move any of your joints; however, if you have undergone any operation involving joint or soft tissues, exercise only when pain is endurable.
2. Muscle power: slowly increase your muscle training from lifting light to heavier weights; strengthen your muscle power only when it does not affect wound healing.
3. Deep massage: gently massage skin tissues around the wound and gradually increase forces; once the wound is healed, deep massage is then applicable on the wound scar. When you massage, do not slide your fingers instead parallel along the scar.
4. With upper limb operations, finger grasping exercises can improve circulation and decrease any swelling. With lower limb operations, foot exercises (moving the ankle joints up and down) have the same effect as upper limb exercises. In either upper or lower limb operations, the limbs need to be lifted above the level of the heart to improve returning circulation (by using a pillow).

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Things to be aware of

1. Personalize your exercise: never over work-out and proceed to exercise within your own limitation.
2. Step-wise progression: Never over-exercise to the point of painfulness. It sometimes causes negative emotion like fear and hate for exercise.
3. Do not tear your wounds: one principle rule for post-op exercise is to avoid tearing and wound hemorrhage.
4. After exercising, use an ice-pack wrapped in towel and place it on the wound for 15 minutes to relief any pain and swelling.
5. Never apply heat packs when there is still redness, swelling, and pain.