Volleyball and Sternum risk

[Rob n]

Hi. I would love to go back to playing volleyball. Just social. Medical team very unsure and worried about damage to sternum if ball hits. Also concern over collisions as I'm on blood thinners. Has anyone played vb after valve replacement. If so did you have any special protective padding. And are you on thinners. Thanks. Rob

 

[pellicle]

Hi Rob

Hi. I would love to go back to playing volleyball. Just social. Medical team very unsure and worried about damage to sternum if ball hits.

there is no special magic on the sternum. Just like any other bone fracture if its healed its as strong as it was before. The usual rule of thumb is 8 weeks, if your sugeon or cardiologist have inspected you and said its healed (there are occasions when bones don't knit) and to them its not "mobile" then you're good to go.

Also concern over collisions as I'm on blood thinners. Has anyone played vb after valve replacement. If so did you have any special protective padding. And are you on thinners. Thanks. Rob

I understand when you start on warfarin that there is that worry but its based on the same worry that kids have of there being monsters under their beds. These monsters can seem quite real to them. We have athletes of all types here and noone uses cotton wool padding. If you were in soccer I'd say don't head the ball if you can avoid it (bad news anyway) and I may say avoid punchups that may happen in the game, but volleyball? In serious games you may get a bit more bruising on the forearms, but I don't think it'd be much.



PS: I in particular loathe the term Blood Thinners ... its wrong in every way you look at it. Anticoagulation Therapy does not alter viscosity or the concentrations of anything in the blood except coagulation co factors. To me its a derogatory term (mainly used by people not on it) which perpetuates a negative connotation ... like calling black people niggers or gay people fags and saying "oh, but I had no bad intentions"

its not far away from my reaction to when people say "oh, you've got a weak heart" because I've had an AVR

 

[tom in MO]

I was told that I could do most things except heavy lifting at 8 weeks. Heavy lifting had to wait until 6 months. But if it hurts and doesn't go away in a day or two, you maybe should wait a little longer.

You are a good 3 months out from your operation. Volleyball in a social setting should be fine.

It's not really a blood thinner, but an anti coagulant (stops your blood from clotting as quickly). Your anti-coagulant should not restrict you at all, unless you are in the habit of aggressive moves where you could whack your head severely. But that's not social volleyball : )

Head trauma that can lead to a clot is what should be avoided. Anything else is just a normal bump, scrape or bruise. Those normal scrapes will take longer to stop bleeding (bruises will be bigger too). If your INR is 2, it takes two times as long to clot (i.e. stop bleeding) if your INR is 3, then three times as long, etc.

Have fun, play ball!

 

[epstns]

I'll agree with pellicle and tom. The only other point I would raise is to be aware that you may be more prone to bruising from injuries, or even from extreme body motion. In other words, you may bruise from abrupt and extreme exertion because of anticoagulation therapy. Those of us not using ACT also bruise from these sorts of "injuries" but not as visibly. Where we may have a reddish spot for a few hours, you may have a Technicolor bruise for days, or even longer. These are generally not dangerous, just scary.

I'd go for it. VB was fun, when I was younger. . .

Just try to refrain from playing "animal ball."

 

[jhc1]

my personal experience-4 months post-op I was struck by a car while riding my bicycle…road rash and three broken ribs, but the sternum held! Once your physician releases you for unlimited activity, they mean unlimited activity. I can't comment on warfarin, as I got a porky pig….good luck!

Joe

 

[yotphix]

On warfarin, I've played volleyball, run, biked, skied, waterskiied, jet skied, motorcycled, (on and off road), played soccer, skated, sailed, and worked with machinery that bumps bangs and cuts me daily. I've travelled, worked and played in something like 20 countries on three continents. Now I work in Special Effects and get knocked, sliced, abraded, hung, and the other day, shot three times in the chest. (It was fake, as a camera test, but it was explosives, and I sure felt it.)
After nearly 6 years with my valve, with warfarin, and with a knitted sternum, I can say it hasn't slowed me down much. You needn't let it slow you either! Just try not to get hit in the head too hard. (Which is good advice for anyone.)

 

[pellicle]

...Now I work in Special Effects and get knocked, sliced, abraded, hung, and the other day, shot three times in the chest. (It was fake, as a camera test, but it was explosives, and I sure felt it.)

massive case of "job envy" here ... (just so's you know)

 

[cldlhd]

For about a month I didn't feel any "clicking" in my sternum but last Thursday at 60 days post surgery it felt like there was movement at the very bottom of my sternum. It's been doing it pretty regularly since when I move certain ways but there's no pain. I had an x-ray in mid March and I assume all looked well because no red flags were raised. My plan was to ignore it but since I'm back to work in 3 weeks my wife wants me to have it looked at. I figure the "cure" is going to be to take it easy .I'm assuming it's not anything like cracked bone beause that would likely hurt a bit. I was just wondering how common this is and any shared experiences would be helpful, thanks