Every person recovers differently and there is no strict rule on how long it will take you to return to work and your usual activities after surgery.
How quickly you will return will also depend on what type of surgery you had, what is your job and how your body heals.
Although there is no strict timescale of recovery after surgery, most patients would be able to:
- Get off the bed the day of their surgery or next day
- Do light work and usual daily activities within 1-2 weeks
- Be able to do most activities and minimal lifting within a month
- Do heavy labour duties and intensive work within 4-6 weeks
There is no reason why you should not return to work earlier if you feel fit and are confident to do so. You should always remember that some time off to recover after an operation is essential but too much of it can stand if the way of you getting back to normal.
Driving
Before resuming driving after an operation you need to be able to sit comfortably in the driving position, be able to control your car and feel safe to do an emergency break. You should also be free from the sedative effect of pain medication. This is usually the case 1 week after discharge from hospital. Your insurance company needs to be informed about your operation. Some insurers will not cover you for a number of weeks after surgery so it’s important to check with them prior to resuming driving.
You can test your fitness to drive before driving your car. You can do this in a safe place without starting the engine. Sit in the driving position and put some pressure on the pedals. If you feel pain straight away, it is not safe to drive. If you feel sore afterwards, it’s probably best to wait for a few more days. If you can put enough pressure on the pedals without any symptoms, you are in a good position to start thinking about driving again.
Sports
Most sports and in particular intensive workouts and straining of the abdominal muscles should be avoided for a minimum of 4 weeks after surgery. The below list is indicative and by no means binding. Please ask your doctor for tailored advice depending on your personal needs and the type of surgery you had.
- Walking can resume as soon as you get home and in fact you should try to get off the bed as soon as possible and go out for short walks soon after your surgery
- Light jogging/swimming and activities that do not require straining or stretching of the abdomen could start after week 4.
- Golf, tennis and gym (no weight lifting) and all activities requiring some degree of stretch/strain can start after week 6.
- Cycling can resume around that time too (week 6) but cyclists should select the terrain they are cycling as uneven terrain such as hills will inevitably strain the abdominal muscles.
- Intense sport and competitive training should start after week 6 and for sports such as football and rugby it should be ideally more (10 weeks)