Swimming after surgery

[Ready for a change]

About how long after the surgery can you go swimming. My local gym has a indoor pool and ive been dieing to use it for years.

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

That is a question best posed to your surgeon (since he is the one who is most knowledgable about your surgery and post op healing).

However, in general, I allow my patients to get wet in about two weeks or so after surgery -- that's not competitive swimming -- just getting wet.

Would recommend roughly a month after surgery before you do some strenuous swimming.

Dr Jacobs

[DrBermant]

About how long after the surgery can you go swimming. My local gym has a indoor pool and ive been dieing to use it for years.

Swimming involves  4 components: getting wet, staying wet, physical activity especially with the arms, and sun explosure. With my After Surgery Dressings, my patients typically can take a brief shower 24 hours after surgery.  Longer exposure will defeat the dressing leaving the wound exposed to the elements.  Once the dressing is no longer there, healing surface wounds tolerate water exposure to a limited degree, just like a scab on other cuts you have had. Prolonged water exposure too soon tends to weaken surface healing.  Beyond that muscle activity like arm movement with swimming can be an issue with early healing. In bodybuilding no pain no gain. In healing pushing too far can hurt the healing. Tanning is the last element. Scars in their evolution phase when tanned, may remain permanently dark.  An indoor pool for most will solve this last issue.

Actual time for such issues to resolve depend on the problem to be treated, what was done, after surgery care, and many other factors best discussed with your doctor.

Rushing to do something too soon can ruin the result.

Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, MD
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