How long can you go back to doing exercise after a gastric sleeve procedure? I do swimming, walking & martial arts class.

You should consult with your surgeon but in our practice we usually tell laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy patients they should do a lot of walking initially after surgery and then can start cardio exercises but you should not do any exercise or weight lifting until about 4 weeks after surgery to decrease the chance of developing a hernia in your wound.

Depending on the patient, low-impact cardio can be started in the first post-operative week. High intensity exercises such as weight lifting and swimming can be started 2-3 weeks post-op. As for martial arts which qualify as an energy demanding sport, after the first month post-op, it can be started, always listening to your body and consulting with the medical team that is in charge of your follow up.

Assuming the sleeve was done laparoscopically, I normally tell my patient they can start to do cardio one week after the surgery.  At two weeks, you can start with weight lifting if you desire.  Therefore, at one week post op, you can start swimming and to do martial arts.  you will find that your energy level will not be the same immediately post op.  by the fourth week post op, your energy level should be back to normal.

In general I allow my patients to return to normal activities including light exercise as early as 10 days after surgery. I want them to avoid heavy lifting for maybe another two or three weeks after that. But in general, you can begin your active routines ten days after surgery. The most important thing is listen to your body, in a certain mood cause your pain, don't push through and potentially risk aggravating or damaging something. If your body seems to say that a specific movement is OK, then green light, you can push ahead.