Heavy weight lifting and stenosis

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J

jimbo

Active member
Joined
Feb 6, 2007
Messages
38
Location
valencia, california
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
 
The lifting itself would not increase the stenosis, although it would contribute to ventricular hypertrophy (heart enlargement) in someone who has it.

However, stenosis does greatly increase the danger of lifting heavy weights. Your heart can choke on the backpressure, and you can die on the spot.

There is some evidence that many snow-shoveling deaths are related to aortic stenosis, and the AHA (American Heart Association) recommends that exercise stress testing not be done on patients with symptomatic aortic stenosis, because it is deemed excessively dangerous for the patient.

Best wishes,
 
Thanks for the information. The doctor told me to stop the weight lifting but my mind says other things. I'll probably be going in the next couple months for the surgery so I thought I should keep my body in shape. Now I know what the doctors mean. This whole thing is new to me. I have been active my whole life, now I've got to slow down for a little bit. I'm learning from all of you.
 
As a 59-year-old patient with aortic stenosis and a "probable" bicuspid valve, I will tell you that my cardio gave me the same instructions that Bob H just passed along. He said that it was best to limit the weight I lift to 40-50 lbs but that I could do as many reps as I want. I wasn't lifting the massive iron that you've been toting, but I was bench pressing my own weight in sets. For the past couple of years, I've had to limit the weights and continue to focus on cardio-vascular conditioning, jogging my usual 4 miles/day.

Be careful out there -- at least until your doc gets everything fixed and clears you for more.
 
BAV patients have a larger aorta than the normal population due to a known association between BAV and aortic medial degeneration, and as a result, sometimes develop ascending aortic aneurysms. Weight lifting, as well as lifestyle choices such as smoking, increase risks of developing aortic aneursyms in BAV patients. The following excerpt is taken from an article by
John A. Elefteriades, MD, FACC, Section of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Yale University.

It is well known that serious weight lifters, at peaksof exertion, can elevate systolic arterial pressure to300 mm Hg. This type of instantaneous hypertension is, of course, not prudent for aneurysm patients. We recommend continuing any and all aerobic activities,including running, swimming and bicycling. Regarding weight lifting, we recommend one half the body weight as a limit.
Click to expand...
 
I am finding va.come very, very interesting althouge y'all use a lot of abbreviations, words and numbers that I'm not very familar with. This phrase "aortic stenosis" rang a bell since that was my diagnosis. Before my surgery, I too was very active and (as I remember) had few outward symptons. I had known for years that I had a "heart murmur" but when the U of KY docs told me I had a "one in four chance of dropping dead without warning" did it get my attention. I have remained as active after the surgery as I was before the surgery. I only use a little better judgement now. I started "lifting" at the YMCA about 5 years ago, I lift about 28000 lbs per week on the strength machines. I probably could do more but my spine, not my heart, doesn't like it.

When I "post", it is from MY EXPERIENCE ONLY. I truly believe that if I hadn't had the surgery before I had problems, I wouldn't be here today.
 
backpacking?

backpacking?

Thanks all for all the advise. This site is great. It answers many of the unknown questions that a "future valve recipient" like myself might wonder about. Since many people encourage walking on this site, what about backpacking? Are there any backpackers out there who are on cumadin?
 
jimbo, I backpack in the Sierra Nevada mountains and have no problems climbing with a pack on my back. Coumadin is a non-issue as far as climbing...don't fall on my head.

dick0236, BAV is an acronym for bicuspid aortic valve disease which is more than just a valve disease...see

www.bicuspidfoundation.com

for more info.
 
backpacking

backpacking

thanks Mr.P

I too love to backpack the Sierras. After the surgery Ii plan to hike the John Muir trail, all 212 miles of it! After that, Were going to cross country ski Yosemite, then... I guesss I'm getting ahead of myself. I First got to get this valve fixed. Thanks Again.
 
Oh My God!!

Oh My God!!

I am so happy I read this. I have / had BAV now have St Jude and have Stenosis. I livt VERY heavy and regular. I will reevaluate starting today
 
Hello all,

I'm new here, 22, just got replacement surgery on Thursday after having congenital aortic stenosis. I went with the mechanical replacement valve. Well after surgery, the doctor told me that I would have to limit my weight lifting significantly. This was a big problem, since I am a typical stubborn kid and I'm a powerlifter and aim to get the big three (squat, bench, deadlift) as high as possible. Strength training is what I live for and I'm not willing to give it up.

My question is, since I lifted fine with the stenosis (I had surgery pre-emptively and was asymptomatic), how big of a danger am I putting myself in? Are we talking about dropping dead on the spot or my heart slowly deteriorating?
 
MV, Welcome, (My son is 20) Can I suggest you start a new thread? you might get more replies that way instead of using a 2 year old thread
 
It doesn't matter how old the thread is. As soon as someone posts a new note it rises to the top again.

As far as heavy wts, it's more than just a matter of waiting for the chest bones to heal. That itself will take a long time, months or even years to return to full strength. The tensing of all the chest and back muscles causes huge pressure increases in the thoracic cavity. So the old lifters mantra of start low and go slow has to be your guide.

Go over to here:
http://www.cardiacathletes.org.uk/forums/index.php
and you'll find other people who can tell you all you need to know.
 
Lynlw said:
MV, Welcome, (My son is 20) Can I suggest you start a new thread? you might get more replies that way instead of using a 2 year old thread
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply. I just don't know how it is on this messageboard. Others that I'm on prefer if you just bump on older thread rather than start a new one on a similar subject.
SumoRunner said:
It doesn't matter how old the thread is. As soon as someone posts a new note it rises to the top again.

As far as heavy wts, it's more than just a matter of waiting for the chest bones to heal. That itself will take a long time, months or even years to return to full strength. The tensing of all the chest and back muscles causes huge pressure increases in the thoracic cavity. So the old lifters mantra of start low and go slow has to be your guide.

Go over to here:
http://www.cardiacathletes.org.uk/forums/index.php
and you'll find other people who can tell you all you need to know.
Click to expand...
Thanks a lot for the link; I'll check it out.
 
I'm no cardiologist but I'd bet you were doing damage when you were powerlifting even without symptoms. I had the same attitude as you for years because I felt fine. Finally, I opened my eyes and paid attention to what every single cardiologist told me: "stay off the heavy weights". So I read as much as I could about it. It increases, dramatically, the pressure in your heart. Think of a water pump in your car. Now think of a weak or repaired component in that system responding to dramatically increased pressure. Whatever issue you have will be made worse. You're working against it instead of helping it. Don't take my word for it...but ask every expert you know. If they tell you power lifting is neutral or good for you heart, go for it. Until they do though, maybe start thinking about what's more important: competing with the guys to power lift the most weight for what, another 5 years, or living a nice long life and finding another athletic outlet that perhaps develops your respiratory and circulatory system in a way that helps your heart work better. I'm just sayin' bro.
 
It's just hard for me to accept that something that I love is damaging
 
Dude, this is just something you just can't fudge on or you risk sudden cardiac death. I'm 25 with an aortic aneurysm and I can tell you that although it's hard to stomach, I've modified the way I lift everything. I work smarter, not harder by using a hand truck. I'm also selling my olympic weight bench and dumbbells over 35 pounds. And, god forbid, I now ask for help when something's heavier than say 40 or 50 pounds. It helps to have a wife that will kick my ass if I lift something heavy though.

Someone here made a post about lifting in high rep amounts with ridiculously low weight and still bulking up. You might want to try that.. cause it works. I know you think it can't, but it does.
 
I'm just trying to understand what can happen and how. Is the problem from the pressure going to affect the valve itself or how it is anchored in?
 
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