Weightlifting: Before and After Heart Valve Surgery with Dr. William Brinkman

The more we come to understand the importance of building and maintaining muscle as we age, the more people take up a regular weightlifting routine to stay strong and healthy. However, those who are either living with heart valve disease or who’ve already had a surgical repair or replacement may wonder if they need to avoid strenuous activity like weightlifting for fear it will cause further problems with their heart.

We received a patient question on this topic from Shannon, who asked, “Is lifting rather mid to heavy weights putting too much strain on my valve or heart and doing damage? I’ve never received a straight or definitive answer to that question. What are your thoughts?”

Adam Pick, founder of HeartValveSurgery.com, met with Dr. Bill Brinkman to answer Shannon’s question. Dr. Brinkman is a leading aortic valve surgeon and Director of the Thoracic Aortic Clinic at Baylor, Scott & White The Heart Hospital-Plano in Plano, Texas. He’s performed over 3,500 cardiac surgeries, of which 2,500 involved heart valve procedures.

Video available online at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqVrbwi9oDQ

Facts About Weightlifting Before and After Heart Valve Surgery

Here are the key insights shared by Dr. Brinkman:

• The answer depends on what’s happening with the heart. “That’s an interesting and complex question,” said Dr. Brinkman. “First off, if Shannon has a normal heart and valves, with no aortic aneurysm, I think weightlifting is a good part of an exercise routine.”

• Advice after a valve repair. “Now, if you’ve had an aortic valve repair or a Ross Procedure, for example, we often tell people to take it easy on heavy lifting in the early months to a year after the procedure.” Dr. Brinkman explained that straining while lifting heavy weights can increase blood pressure, sometimes to above 200, which might be too much for the freshly repaired valve leaflets.

• Advice for aneurysm patients. “We tell people with an aneurysm to refrain from heavy lifting because the wall tension is related to the diameter of the tube. Again, people want to avoid having the systolic blood pressure get too high with an aneurysm because it increases the risk of dissection,” said Dr. Brinkman.

Thanks Dr. Brinkman and Baylor, Scott & White!

On behalf of all the patients in our community, thank you, Dr. Bill Brinkman, for everything you and your team are doing at Baylor, Scott & White The Heart Hospital- Plano in Plano, Texas.

Related links:

• See Dr. William Brinkman’s Interactive Surgeon Profile with 80+ Patient Reviews

• Ask Dr. Brinkman: The Different Approaches for Treating Bicuspid Aortic Valves

• Surgeon Insights: Treating Bicuspid Aortic Valves and Aortic Aneurysms with Dr. William Brinkman

Keep on tickin,
Adam

P.S. For the deaf and hard-of-hearing members of our patient community, we have provided a written transcript of our interview with Dr. Brinkman below.