Hello all,
For anyone who doesn't know, a Hiatus Hernia (or Hiatal Hernia) is a condition where part of your stomach pops up through your diaphragm into your chest cavity. Normally your throat passes through a hole in your diaphragm and your stomach is below that. Th portion of your throat that passes through your diaphragm has the muscles (the Hiatus) that close your throat, stopping stomach contents and acid from coming back up. When you get this hernia, it usually also means that the Hiatus is going to work less well and you're going to get acid in your throat and think you have heart burn real often. After a while that simple heart burn can turn into chest pains that mimmick a heart attack, difficulty swallowing, a raw throat, and a bunch of other very unpleasant things. They say 25% of people over 50 have this condition, though most are so mild that the sufferers just think they are prone to heart burn.
Anyway, since the root cause is an organ passing through the diaphragm where it should not be, and since a lot of favourite lifts - like deadlifts especially - put a lot of strain on the diaphragm, I was wondering if anyone knew of any quality information on the effect/safety/etc. of lifting for peole with Hiatus Hernia. I found one article here on this website, but it makes only a cursory reference to it. I have been searching the web with no luck, and few family doctors understand weight lifting very well.
Thanks.
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Thread: Hiatus Hernia & lifting?
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05-13-2005, 11:31 AM #1
Hiatus Hernia & lifting?
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05-13-2005, 12:22 PM #2
Some research has been done:
Go to www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
then search for "hiatal hernia and weight lifting"; if an abstract sounds interesting, on the right side click on 'related articles'.
You can also try The Physician and Sports Medicine Online
www.physsportsmed.com
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05-13-2005, 01:01 PM #3
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I can relate to this. I was born with a Hiatal Hernia, which causes a kink in my eso****us, which in turn causes the valve to my stomach to stay open. In turn, I have chronic Gastroeso****eal reflux disease (GERD), also known to most as really kick-ass bad flaming chest-clinching hearburn. I used to have heartburn 24-7. Once I had a endoscopy done and found what the problem was, the doctor prescribed Prilosec. That was years ago, when it was new and available only in prescription. Now I get it over the counter. One a day, works like a charm.
Funny thing is, my doctor said all activity would be OK (including heavy lifting). I've read a thousand times that people shouldn't be weightlifting with this condition, but my doctor said it was OK, and it doesn't bother me. In fact, I just recently had a physical with a different doctor (former amatuer hockey player and weightlifter, so he says) and he also said weightlifting would be fine. Once in a great while, I may get a twinge of heartburn after heavy squats, but I think that's really normal (I've never puked - still waiting for that day ). I've been lifting on and off all my life, and consistently for two years (I know, newby here), but I've had NOTHING but good things come to me from heavy lifting.
I must say that I'm no doctor, and I really don't want to give out bad advice. This is just my experience. Don't just take my word alone on it, please! I hope that in my golden years this doesn't come back to bite me, but I personally don't think it will. I've never felt better in my life, honestly."Do or do not - there is no try"
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05-13-2005, 02:39 PM #4
Like Dondude, I can sort of relate. I don't have a hiatal hernia, but I do have GERD. I'm on Nexium for it, once a day. Works like magic. I go a couple days without it and it feels like I drank napalm, so I know exactly what you are fighting when it comes to that. My hat's off to ya.
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Bite into the apple of discord and let it nourish away your complacency.
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05-13-2005, 02:58 PM #5
- Join Date: Jan 2005
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Man I can relate to all of this. I was diagnosed 2 weeks ago with a hiatal hernia. I've had GERD for years and have been scoped many times, but finally went to a Dr. that told me about the hernia. My biggest problem is my eso****us developed an ulcer in it. It has healed, but left scar tissue that has now closed off my throat. Talk about making eating difficult! Anyway, I'm on Prevacid right now. I was on Aciphex, but for some reason that stopped working for me. I have to constantly watch that I don't eat too much at once, which is a good thing anyway. And like some of you, I also get indigestion from time to time after really intense lifting. Even though I take my meds before heading to the gym, I still get it.
But I deal with it as best as I can. I have a followup on 2 June to see what else they can do. I also got a call today as a matter of fact, telling me the biopsy was benign (GARD can result in eso****eal cancer, especially from ulcers).
I guess the take away from all this is just keep lifting. My Dr. said there was no reason to quit. There is so many things at there that can get us, I have simply quit worrying about them. If my time is up, it is up and there is nothing I can do to prevent it....but that is just my opinion.The Socialist Party candidate for President of the US, Norman Thomas, said this in a 1944 speech: "The American people will never knowingly adopt socialism. But, under the name of "liberalism," they will adopt every fragment of the socialist program, until one day America will be a socialist nation, without knowing how it happened."
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05-14-2005, 12:36 PM #6
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05-16-2005, 07:32 AM #7
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