Heavy weight lifting and stenosis

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from what I understand the potential is there for both because of extraordinarily high intra-aortic pressure from valsalva maneuvers. If you do a search for Arnold Schwarzenegger you'll see quite a few people mention his valve failure as a didactic on weight lifting.

Ultimately it's something you should seriously make an appointment with your surgeon about. Maybe he/she is comfortable with you lifting, or maybe he can give you guidelines...
 
If you do a search for Arnold Schwarzenegger you'll see quite a few people mention his valve failure as a didactic on weight lifting.
Did Arnold have a mechanical valve or was it a Ross procedure? I have a post-op with my surgeon on Monday; I'll be sure to ask plenty of questions
 
Arnold may have had issues with steroids in the years before his valve problem showed up, which can also damage heart valves.

He wound up having the surgery twice in quick succession, due (I may recall this incorrectly) to starting up again too soon, too hard.

Valve issues at a young age are usually congenital, as you've said yours is. The earlier it needs to be corrected, the more likely it is that there will be other tissue involved as well. That means a greatly increased chance of weakened bonding between the three layers of the arterial wall of your aorta, as that's a frequent, unhappy companion of early-onset, congenital valve disorders. Under pressure, the layers can separate like a cheap garden hose in a sudden freeze.

Ross can tell you what the upshot of sudden aortic dissection is like - for someone who manages to live through it. Most don't.

Find out from your surgeon if there was myxomatous tissue involved in your valve problem. If there was, just be done with the heavy weights. Instead, take up chasing women as a hobby.

Best wishes,
 
Ross can tell you what the upshot of sudden aortic dissection is like - for someone who manages to live through it. Most don't.
Thanks for the reply. So what I would essentially be looking at is near sudden death? I'd basically bleed out internally?
 
Unfortunately, it's not that elegant or quasi-heroic.

It might be sudden. It might be a prolonged, extremely painful emergency room saga, involving emergency repair surgery, with an extended and uncertain recovery. If you lived through the repair surgery, you might well still suffer paralysis or other life-long, debilitating health woes.

I'm not saying this to scare you, which I'm pretty sure it does not. This is just pointing out that the outcomes are not what you really want.

There are other things you can conquer and excell at in life.

Best wishes,
 
I have read up on this a lot and there are different opinions on it. Some feel there is no issue with heavy weights and others feel one should be careful and keep light weights with high reps. It seems to me that the majority side with the latter. To be careful I try and keep my bench press with at least 15 reps. The dumbell, like wiht curls, I will try and keep them above 10 reps. I feel I can go a little heavier on those since it is not as much of a strenous lift.
 
Plainly, it should depend to an extent on individual circumstances. For a person who doesn't indicate any myxomatous tissue problems, who has no indications at all of aortic enlargement, it would not reasonably seem as critical. My personal bent is that in those circumstances, it's probably not as dangerous as the current wisdom would imply.

But those are probably not be the majority of cases. Most weight lifters are younger, and younger people who are far enough along to have been diagnosed have a greater likelihood of a larger myxomatous involvement and risk.

Unfortunately, fibrous or infiltrated tissue is not always as easily spotted during OHS as it might seem. You can search on the site for a number of postings by people who have had to have follow-up surgeries a few months or a few years later because of aortic dilations or aneurysms, even partial dissections that seem to result from or have been activated by the valve surgery or the changes in pressure and stresses it causes. As the surgeon was right there, it was plainly not obvious at the time he was sewing it. And surgeons don't routinely risk collateral damage by opening up other parts of the heart just to look.

In short, you may not have any way to know if you have an area of tissue in your circulatory system that simply can't stand up to the intense pressures that your skeletal muscles have been trained to bear.

What is that risk worth, in the context of things? There's so much in the world to see and do, and each of us only has time to get to such a small fragment of it, even in the best of circumstances. If less heavy weights that still keep you sculpted and powerful can also give you the chance to see Hawaii, to build your own business (maybe a gym) from scratch, to dance at your granddaughter's wedding...

Best wishes,
 
Well I finally had my post-op yesterday. The doctor was totally fine about me lifting weights; he placed no explicit limitations, but told me that power movements in the 1-5 range (80-100% of 1RM) weren't optimal and that could induce hypertrophy.
 
For curiosity's sake, what would be the repercussions of hypertrophy of the heart? What's the prognosis?
 
Well it depends on WHY it is enlarged, If a ventricle is enlarged because of backed up blood from a bad valve after the repair it should go to normal size or close to it. IF something else is causing the entire heart to be hypertrophic the cause determines everything else and sometimes the heart is just enlarged in athletes but that is considerred healthy hypertrophy, or athletes heart.
I'm assuming you are asking about your heart? if so what did the doc say?
 
Well it depends on WHY it is enlarged, If a ventricle is enlarged because of backed up blood from a bad valve after the repair it should go to normal size or close to it. IF something else is causing the entire heart to be hypertrophic the cause determines everything else and sometimes the heart is just enlarged in athletes but that is considerred healthy hypertrophy, or athletes heart.
I'm assuming you are asking about your heart? if so what did the doc say?
I'm incurring about enlargement via anaerobic exercise with near maximal weights. He said that powerlifting rep ranges (1-5) can enlarge the heart as a whole, but said nothing I could do would damage my mechanical valve, but he didn't go into what can/might happen if I continued with powerlifting. Just looking for some information.
 
two things:
1. you can enlarge the volume of the left ventricle via aerobic exercise.

2. activities such as heavy weight lifting, wrestling, or other activities that involve straining or valsalva type manuevers result in an enlargement of the left ventricle via a thickening of the ventricular wall. There are no "cardio-protective" benefits of this type of ventricular enlargement. Those with pre-existing valve disorders or aortic disorders need to be careful regarding these types of activities.

I have no idea how it effects mechanical valves. That is between you are your doctors.
 
I have no idea how it effects mechanical valves. That is between you are your doctors.
Definitely interesting. I'll have to bring it up the next time I see my cardiologist, as it is something I want to know about
 
Weight training

Weight training

Hello all. This is an excellent forum. I was diagnosed with a bicuspid aortic valve at the age of 43 (2years ago). Right after I got the diagnosis, I climbed Mt. Whitney with no problems. Recently, I have had no cardio stamina and my heart has gone into A-fib a couple times. I have met with two docs and they say it's about time to get the valve replaced. The valve opening is about .08-1.0 cm in diameter. I have been very active since about 18 years old. I used to lift real heavy weights up until recently (over 400 lbs bench). Does anyone know if lifting heavy over a long period of time increases stenosis? Thanks

I have had (2) AVR in 2008; 1st after sepsis from Bacterial Endocarditis and 2nd after 1st failed in July. Ihave been a 3x week speed intensive runner for 25 years and 3x week weight intense lifter for 35 years. The cardiologists suggested lighter weights and higher repetitions(8-12 reps), but gave no other limitations. I am in Atrio Fib and scheduled to get an ablation in 1 month. Returning to Sinus Rhythym may cure some "low energy" , lightheadedness and dizziness. I have listened intently to my body and doctor visits have shown an improvement in ejection faction, since the 2nd surgery(35% to 50%). I don't run anymore, as my first attempt resulted in "passing out", a result most likely a cause of the Atrio Fib. I will reurn to running after I can achieve Sinus Rhythm. For the time being, I walk, use elypticals and treadmills in the gym. I have acquired more muscle mass without running, due to the retained glycogen stores. I weigh 195 versus 180 prior to surgery in March 2008'
I don't know about heavy lifting and Stenosis, but have read about the dangers of a sternum break, if the chest is used to bounce the weight bar for rep completion. Apparently, Arnold had an incident such as this after his AVR surgery and when bench-pressing. I am trying to get a more scientific explanation for the limitations on weight lifting and its effect on the heart organ over time, other then a "safe answer" that many cardiologists are free to give and afraid to address, due to the fear of mal-practice lawsuits.
I intend to "push the bar" to the limit until I pass this earth or die trying, but not without some testamonials from athletes who underwent similar ailments and heart surgery. I think we have to live life on our terms and if we all played safe, we would have more obesity, diabetic, and lifestyle issues in our population. This may not help, but it sure felt good telling the story. I am glad 2008 is behind me!
 
I am trying to get a more scientific explanation for the limitations on weight lifting and its effect on the heart organ over time, other then a "safe answer" that many cardiologists are free to give and afraid to address, due to the fear of mal-practice lawsuits.
I intend to "push the bar" to the limit until I pass this earth or die trying, but not without some testamonials from athletes who underwent similar ailments and heart surgery. I think we have to live life on our terms and if we all played safe, we would have more obesity, diabetic, and lifestyle issues in our population.
Got to agree. I'm a powerlifter and since this is such a lowly populated niche of athletes, I question how many my doctors have treated and if what they are telling me is fact or anecdotal, since the popular stigma is that heavy weights are bad, thus we should stay away from them.
 
Got to agree. I'm a powerlifter and since this is such a lowly populated niche of athletes, I question how many my doctors have treated and if what they are telling me is fact or anecdotal, since the popular stigma is that heavy weights are bad, thus we should stay away from them.

From what I've been told the problem can happen right on the seam where the valve was stitched, if the pressure gets too great when you bear down

ps welcome David
 
From what I've been told the problem can happen right on the seam where the valve was stitched, if the pressure gets too great when you bear down

ps welcome David
Interesting, because I raised that proposed outcome, the doctor shook his head and told me that my own tissue grows over where it was stitched and that the valve issue wasn't the problem, rather the effect on the whole heart
 
What is the general recommendation for weight lifting after a procedure? I have, or had, BAV and have now since a year a reconstructed aorta valve and a graft as well after an emergency aortic dissection and starting rupture (yeah, a *very* close call).

My doctor still recommends me not to do any heavy lifting (or perhaps even worse to scuba dive), but the aneuyrism should now be fixed, shouldn't it?

What's the recommendation others have received post-surgery?

::g
 

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