“Is it safe to go swimming 4 weeks after a heart attack?”
My grandfather is 73 years old and had a heart attack 4 weeks ago. He feels better and wants to go swimming now. Is it safe?
5 Answers
If he is healing well without any evidence of infection. He needs to let the anterior incision heal as well as the sternum before he puts pressure on it.
Swimming is the ultimate exercise because you move all your body muscles and it is low impact. Absolutely, your grandma can swim.
Please check with your cardiologist to make sure that all necessary tests, EKG, blood tests are within normal limits.
He should see his cardiologist before starting an exercise program of any kind, including swimming.
The easy answer is, it depends, on the type of heart attack, how he was treated, and if by swimming you mean just going into the water for a few minutes or swimming in the ocean or lake for significantly longer. Usually, I recommend a stress test and starting cardiac rehab before resuming physical activity or work, but many people will start a walking program at an easy pace on flat surface. I would recommend checking with his doctors before starting and go slow with any activity.
Dr. Callahan
Dr. Callahan
