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The hernia myth
I still occasionally come across some info pages where it is said that 2 weeks after the operation you go back to full contact sports activities….is this in a parallel universe or there are some magic combinations out there? The mystical magical mesh of Gandalf?
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7 Replies
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@drbrown i have not yet had any surgery other than an umbilical one 16 years ago without mesh (if I recall right)..I will see a surgeon tomorrow but the only mesh I would consider is an absorbable one…but preferably not…
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@alephy
Dear Alephy.
Consult with your surgeon about when and how to exercise.
He or she will best know about how strong your repair was.
Regards.
Bill Brown MD -
After a pure tissue repair, the patient has about 70% of the final wound strength at 3 three weeks and about 90% of the final wound strength at 6 weeks.
I allow my patients to start walking and light weights as soon as the operative pain subsides. Aerobic exercises at three weeks. And to start pushing themselves at 6 weeks.
Age, smoking, obesity, diabetes, etc will slow recovery.
Regards.
Bill Brown MD -
It’s mainly true and it’s a big selling point for mesh repairs. Many people can go back to full activities, but many of them might just feel terrible or uncomfortable while doing the activities, and/or after. But the hernia is gone.
The focus has shifted from the complete well-being of the patient to the narrow focus of fixing the defect alone. Then letting the next doctors worry about the pain, with “pain management”. It’s trending more toward specialized assembly line manufacturing principles than medicine.
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What about alcohol?
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I know this will depend on individual factors, but what about mesh repair for inguinal hernia? I had mine done about 6 weeks ago, have been exercising within my pain tolerance but am terrified that I’m going to tear the mesh and have my hernia recur. I heard 6 weeks is around the time you can start exercising at full strength again, but I wanted to see if there was a point at which it is pretty much completely safe/difficult to cause any long-lasting damage as a result of exercise.
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From what I have read I would have assumed a quicker move to full exercising with a mesh i.e. after 4 weeks?
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