Are abdominal exercises OK for persons with an Indiana pouch?

Are abdominal exercises OK for persons with an Indiana pouch?

            Getting back to an exercise routine as soon as your surgeon gives you clearance is important. Regular physical activity will improve your mood, give you more energy and boost your immune system. Everyone should exercise almost every day and it should include both aerobic (walking, jogging, swimming, cycling) and resistance type (weights, machines) exercise, preferably on alternate days.

            Almost any ordinary exercise routine will contribute to strengthening your abdominal muscles and sit-ups aren’t necessary. Even walking will help to strengthen your “core” muscles, including your back and abdomen.

            Anyone starting an exercise routine after a long layoff needs to have a physician’s clearance. Bladder cancer patients are usually older than 50, the age at which silent problems such as hypertension and type 2 diabetes become more common.

            Unless you are well-versed in exercise physiology it is prudent to have a session or two with a fitness center trainer or a physical therapist in order to know how to exercise safely. Age is certainly not a barrier to exercise but as we get older our range of motion is sometimes limited, joints are not as well cushioned and tendons are more fragile. It’s important to start slowly. There’s no need to hurry.

            Specifically, abdominal exercises are not harmful once you have been exercising regularly for a couple of months. Strengthening your abdominal muscles will not harm the stoma.

            Occasionally persons develop an incisional hernia – a defect in the abdominal wall at the surgical incision. In overweight persons with a weak abdominal wall that is a genuine risk.