Metal Mouth Message Board

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#1 Post by **doddares** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 2:28 am

Hi to all,

I was just wondering when cana man start lifting weights again ? Its been 3 months since my bimaxillary osteotomy (upper, lower jaw) and im not sure if its ok for me to lift weights. Im still sesame my pants in case my face will break off ! Im tired of being puny like when i was a teenager.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

#2 Post by **Daveyboy** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 4:29 am

Hi there,

You should be fine especially after 3 months. Just start with lighter weights and slowly work your way back to what you were lifting before.

I'm 5 weeks post op and did some light weights this week. I did come away feeling like my face was a bit more swollen as I guess it's not a good idea to be "straining" at any point, but at 12 weeks you should be good to go!

Dave

#3 Post by **clairet707** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 10:32 am

Obviously not a man but Ive been going back to the gym and doing weights, running and classes etc since 4 weeks (Im now almost 3 months) and had the same op as you

#4 Post by **Delag** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 2:03 pm

Just a funny side note here. I am 10 days post op SARPE (much less surgery than you) and the OS keeps telling me I can't go to the gym for another couple of weeks. I went to see my ortho today, who happens to go to the same gym as me, and he asked me why I haven't been going to workout.

Gotta love this stuff!

#5 Post by **JayC** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 1:24 am

i waited till about 4 weeks post op to even thinka bout working out. i did some weights and as mentioned above i felt some sensations in my cheeks. it wasnt bad as in pain or discomfort. i concentrated on not clenchign at all as well but you def notice it for sure. i decided to take another week off and at abotu 6 weeks post op it was a lot more comfortable. i felt tingly sensations as well but not as noticeable as ealier. now im almost 2 months and the last workout i had was friday where i pushed myself 100% in terms of intensity. it felt really good to be back workng out at that high intensity (not only with the amoutn of weights but also the pace). one of the things that got me mentallly and psychologically was losing my muscle mass and strength.

at 3 months yhou should be more than ready to go. generally they say at about 6 weeks is intial jaw healing and at 3 months your full body has recovered from teh surgery.

at 6 weeks my surgeon actually cleared me for contact sports even though i waited another 2 weeks to actually start playing hockey again (with facial protection until the 3 month mark)

#6 Post by **JayC** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 1:27 am

doddares wrote:Hi to all,

I was just wondering when cana man start lifting weights again ? Its been 3 months since my bimaxillary osteotomy (upper, lower jaw) and im not sure if its ok for me to lift weights. Im still sesame my pants in case my face will break off ! Im tired of being puny like when i was a teenager.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

im kinda in the same boat as you. but lift light then heavier and heavier until you are comfortable. i was afraid if i strained too much i would crack something lol. im still kinda hesitant resting my chin on my hand when i am sitting cuz of the uncertainty. but as you go through life and start doing every da things again, you will start to forget you ever had jaw surgery. the working out milestone has passed for me. next is hockey. im so appreciative that i can eat any foods now at this point. although i still stay away from hard candy ice and nuts

#7 Post by **Brandyleigh35** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 1:10 pm

For what it is worth, my doctor said I could go back to cardio and aerobics after 2 weeks if I felt up to it. He said no weight lifting for 6 months. It is the clenching of the jaw muscles that can cause issues. I have to admit I did wait that long because I was scared of doing some damage. I started at about 4 months though doing stuff that did not involve me clenching my teeth, and I would focus really hard and keep my mouth open during lifting activities. So.....it really is up to you, my doctor said that by 3 months you have basic healing, but that it really takes until 6 months for things to truly be solid. Also another concern was if someone was to accidently run into me, or I was to some how drop the weights.

I have another friend who is a Marine and had lower jaw surgery only. His doctor told him the same, 6 months until he could lift again. So, think this is probably a good number to gauge things at.

Brandy

#8 Post by **JayC** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 9:29 pm

wow 6 mths is a long time. even if my doc told me 6 mths i would be very hesitant to wait that long. i guess some are more stringent than others. from what i read online by 3-4 months yout bones are about 80% healed. and yea it could take up to 6 mths for 100% healing of the bone.

take things easy with the lifting and go from there. you will def notice things if its too early or to lighten up the load. go for 15-20 rep range rather than the 8-10 rep range most guys tend to do. with the higher rep range you can still make your muscles fatigue to failure but without the intensity in which will increase the likelihood of you clenching.

my theory is, for what its worth, is that if you are comfortable with eating almost all foods you should be ok with lifting moderate weights. i mean imagine the constant stress you put on your jaws when you chew something as basic as steak. if you are at the point in your recovery where chewing such foods doesnt bother you, i think you are at the stage where you dont have to be too cautious. but dont go out and play tackle football

#9 Post by **JayC** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 9:30 pm

oh yea , and another thign. i only had my lower jaw done not both.. so the total healing time probably is less for me because tehre is less overall damage the body has to fix

#10 Post by **doddares** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 5:55 am

thanks for all the info

#11 Post by **Arvensis** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 6:38 am

Doddares-

Please go with what your doctor or Brandyleigh recommends - JayC neglected to mention that he tried to play hockey the first week after op

#12 Post by **JayC** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 11:45 am

hahah i did but i look back and i realize how ignorant i was to the whole situation. but i think 6 weeks-2 mths is more than enough time for healing for a healthy young adult. again just go as your body tells you. 6mths is an incredibly long time to go without exercise esp if you are used to being physical active. and if you are regularly phsyical active and helthy your body can recoup a lot faster. i just saw my surgeon last thurs and got another xray done and he was surprised at how fast things have fealed

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