Heavy Bag Muay Thai Workouts

I had a pacemaker installed this week and I am wondering if I will be able to train Muay Thai with a heavy bag after the required healing period of 3 months.  I usually workout for ten, two minute rounds, with one minute rest between where I punch, elbow, kick, and knee a 150lb bag. My concerns are as follows:

1) I hit the bag hard - Is there a potential of knocking a lead off my heart? Should I reduce punching power to the bag? Just tap it?

2) The arm motions - punching - are repetitive - Do I risk rapidly wearing out a lead to my heart? Should I limit the bags workouts to twice a week?

3) The elbow strikes are in a horizontal and vertical plane. - Do I risk smashing the pacemaker or lead against a first rib or clavicle?

I try to use good technique by putting as much of my body mass behind each strike rather than only limb movements.  Overall, the movements are explosive with impact.  I wear bag gloves, shin, and knee guards.  It would be a big disapointment if I had to give these bag workouts up; I know I will never be able to spar again.

 


6 Comments

Boxing

by Alyson - 2018-03-13 08:53:46

Hi Dlaw.  I do kickboxing on a bag for fitness, not personal contact.  I had an ICD fitted on 18th January following a cardiac arrest so it wasn't planned or something I wasn't prepared for. WhenI got to CCU my kickboxing instructor was the head nurse which was nice. The doctors knew what my daily workouts entailed. 

When I was dicharged I was told not to lift my arm above my shoulder for 2 weeks and get back to doing what I could as soon as I felt able.  I usuallly work out 6 days a week.  Recovery was good. I was back in the gym on a treadmill 4 days after.  I left returning to kickboxing for the required 2 weeks. I did 2 1 hr classes no problem, and it was good to be back.  On the 3rd class we did step through backfists, again no problem at the time.  Later when I got home I thought my iwatch was going crazy as this alarm went off.  It did it twice again during the day. It was only on the 4th time of it happening and me not wearing the watch that I realized it we me that was going off!  

I rang the hospital and ended up going in the next morning.  When my surgeon arrived his greeting words were 'you've been doing backfists haven't you'!  Turns out that I had pulled my lead out and had to have surgery again that day.

On discharge this time they specifically wrote on my notes not to kickbox for a month.  That month is actually up today.  I'm missing it like crazy but I know my recovery has not been anywhere near as good this time, so I'll go back when I'm ready.

So from my limited experience and what I have been told I'd say you should be able to get back to it normally in time.  Just don't do what I did and do too much too early.  Hope your recovery goes well.

healing

by Tracey_E - 2018-03-13 11:24:15

I was told hold back raising the arm or lifting heavy for 4-6 weeks, some are told as much as 3 months. After that time, the leads are not going to come out and the device will not be damaged. As we heal, scar tissue builds up around it to cushion it.

Ease back into it when you're cleared to exercise again. If something doesn't feel right, back off and try it again in a week. Sometimes when we first get active again it pulls on the scar tissue, ice helps. 

Repetitive motion is only an issue if you are doing it excessively. I've heard of one or two members have problems with leads from repetitive motion from regular workouts but the vast majority of us do what we want without issue. 

 

Another story of different recovery specs

by High Voltage - 2018-03-14 00:53:51

For me I was told no lifting of the arm over shoulder height for 3 weeks.No lifting of anything over 10 lbs for 3 weeks .No restrictions and n jogging or walking in that time if you feel up to it.The nurses said after 3 weeks all restrictions are off but I am still afraid to do any kind of weight training even light

That sucks your lead came out.Seems like answers for working out are all over the board so it’s hard to gauge what you can do and when

 

 

6 weeks, 3 months, etc etc etc

by The real Patch - 2018-03-14 12:50:34

As indicated responses are based on different experiences as to what to do to reduce/prevent the possibility of early withdrawl. First and foremost it is important to note that lead displacement is rare, in fact less than 5% of implants. Funny how we worry about and focus on something that's so rare.

I've had 3 devices and 3 sets of leads. In that mix the second set a lead changed zip codes and I know with 100% confidence it had nothing to do with anything but bad luck. It happened 10 days after implant during an interrogation. My 3rd set that have been in place for 3 years now I didn't bother with any of the previous instructions to wait 6 weeks or whatever and just got on with life. I've read studies that say it truly boild down to luck and patient activity has little or nothing to do with it. In fact the implication and data point to poor insertion by the EP as more likely the cause. Still here's my point. Follow your doctors instructions but don't get paranoid about it. Just do your part and the vast majority of time there'll be no problems. Raising your arm above your head inadvertently isn't going to cause a problem.

punching bag

by softball35 - 2018-03-15 22:01:53


I workout on the heavy bag four times a week in the spring, summer and fall.  I just punch it like  a standard boxer.  No elbows etc.  Just use common sense.  The worst thing you can do is to do nothing.  You might have to modify your workouts.  I am 63 years old and do 90 second rounds now.

Thanks for the comments

by DLaw - 2018-03-25 07:00:45

Thanks to everyone who responded to my post.  Based on your answers, I put together an exercise plan that will let me heal completely and get back to smacking the heavy bag around.

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Do feel free to contact the manufacturer of your device. I have found them to be quite helpful when I have had questions and concerns.