Many patients seeking rhinoplasty are very aware of their appearance. Very commonly they ask, “When can I go back to working out?”
If you fall into the 49.6% of Americans that do exercise daily it is very fundamental for you to read on.
So you’re at the gym. Do you make a beeline for the treadmill? The weight and resistance machines? The ellipticals? Ab Crunchers? Cyclers? Stairmaster? Or how about if you’re me and bypass all of those and go for the gym mats to stretch and practice yoga? All of these, no matter how insignificant you may think any activities may be, have a crucial impact on the healing process of your nose.
In general, most patients are able to return to activity after one week. Patients can exert 25% effort the first week, 50% effort the second, 75% the third week, and can resume 100% of activity by the fourth week.
Now I’m not saying after one week you’re able to hop right in that kickboxing ring and turn into Mohammad Ali, but you can start off by doing agile workouts such as aerobics. This would include exercises that won’t raise your heart rate like walking and even doing tasks such as mowing the lawn, doing laundry, and shopping according to the Oregon Health and Science University. Starting off slow will prevent things such as nose bleeding, swelling, and throbbing. Weightlifting is the number one cause of post-op nose bleeding! Patients should avoid lifting objects, even small children, over ten pounds and limiting vigorous sexual activity in this initial phase.
By the second week, you can leisurely work your way into carrying on with your normal workout activities, but still abstaining from contact sports and aggressive exercises like heavy weight lifting. Activities such as light treadmilling and stationary biking would be ideal, but try your best not to put excessive bouncing on your nose. After all, we don’t want your nose falling off now!
Finally, by the third week if you feel confident enough in your healing process to begin lifting light weights you can go ahead and generate those muscles once again. Contact sports and heavy weight lifting are still to be abstained from for a minimum of 6 months, depending on the type of procedure you have had.
Everybody’s road to recovery is different. Some patients might have a more speedy restoration, while others have a more gradual restoration. Either way it is absolutely vital that you do not exert yourself beyond what your body can handle. If you experience swollenness, bruising, numbness, or any sort of pain you should refrain from physical activity and perhaps even contact your doctor.