Had a septoplasty, rhinoplasty and bilateral turbinate reduction 2 weeks ago, when is exercising okay?

Question

I am two weeks post op and going a little mad at not being able to work out any. I'm healing quite nicely with no facial swelling and hardly any nasal swelling. Is it okay to do light cardio and light weightlifting at this point? (nothing over 20 pounds). Or what exercises are allowed at this stage? When can I safely resume my full exercise routine? I worked really hard to get fit before my surgery and now I feel like I'm losing it all!

Amit Bhrany, MD · Answer

The primary risks of strenuous exercise after nasal surgery including bleeding, prolonged swelling, and displacement of any grafts especially if you perform any contact sports. Your surgeon would be your best advocate especially since he or she can examine your nose, but light cardiovascular exercise can be considered at 2 weeks post-operatively, and I usually do not recommend any significant strenuous activity until 4 weeks after surgery. I can certainly understand your frustration, but the goal is to avoid any frustration from not healing optimally from your nasal surgery. Before resuming your full exercise routine, I would contact your surgeon since he or she would best be able to assess your healing in the context of what was done to the nose during your surgical procedure.

Ritchie Younger, MD · Answer

Assuming you had elegant  surgery performed by a board certified Facial Plastic surgeon with boundless experience in rhinoplasty surgery-we recommend resumption of activity as such:  low impact aerobics at 2 weeks, high impact aerobics at three weeks-weight lifting and body contact sports at four weeks-live your exercise dream with veiled enthusiasm as overindulgent post surgical exercise will prolong your swelling and set you up for potential bleeding issues....oh don't you love my job-best of luck with your new nose !!

William Portuese, MD · Answer

In our practice, we allow patients to start back to their normal routine of exercise two weeks after the surgical procedure. It's important not to get bumped in the nose for at least a month. For more information, please see the link and the video below

Michael M. Omidi, MD, FACS · Answer

At two weeks you may feel a lot of pressure on your nose and cause nose bleeds.  Every doctor has their own routine and much of it is dependent on the amount of work done.  We usually recommend no strenuous workout for at least 4-6 weeks and an examination.  The examination supersedes the recommended time period. An in-person exam with a board-certified plastic surgeon is the best way to assess your needs and provide true medical advice.

Talon Maningas, DO · Answer

Great question! You may receive multiple different answers depending on my colleagues training and previous experience. However, I tell my patients that at 1 week daily activities (work, eating out, grocery shopping, etc ) are ok. At 2 weeks I feel it is ok to resume LIGHT cardio and ease into LIGT weight lifting. I typically ask them to wait until 4 weeks to resume to full activity with no restrictions. REMEMBER: even at 4 weeks though you are still a long way from being healed so a shot to the nose can negatively impact your final result. 
In the end, I feel that it is ok to resume light activity at 2 weeks but don't be in too big of a hurry. You may feel like your loosing your gains but you'll be really upset if you negatively impact your result. Meeting your long term goals for your nose are worth any short term inconveniences - be patient and be careful! Make sure to check in with your surgeon as he/she may have different activity restrictions depending on your specific surgery and post-operative course.
Good Luck!
Dr. M

Had a septoplasty, rhinoplasty and bilateral turbinate reduction 2 weeks ago, when is exercising okay?

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