The recovery weeks: a carton of milk is enough

The recovery period lasts about 6–8 weeks after surgery. During this time you must be cautious when lifting, and the limit comes in a memorable form: a carton of milk is enough.

How much, how often

• Do the breathing exercise every day. It matters for your body system to function at its best.
• Do the lying down exercises daily for the first 3–4 weeks.
• Get up and move around as often as possible.
• Start with 5 to 7 repetitions of each exercise and gradually increase to 20–25 as you get stronger.
• Once the recovery period is over, increase the length of your walks — and exercise at least twice a week.

Lying down

This one comes with a precondition: only when you are in control of the pelvic area and can hold the abdomen and lower back steady. Lie with your knees bent, press them together, and move them from side to side without lifting your back or bottom from the mattress. Exhale as you move your knees across; inhale between movements. Be in control of the movement.

Sitting

Sit with your back straight, on a chair or an exercise ball. Use your breathing: lift your arms above your head while exhaling, lower them while inhaling. On a ball you have to keep the abdominal and back muscles constantly activated to keep your balance — which is exactly why one is recommended.

Then the same swing as day one, in two positions. Sitting: lean slightly forward with your back straight, swing your arms in turn up and down, back and forth, exhaling when the arms are up or forward, keeping your abdomen pulled in towards the spine. Standing: feet a hip width apart, tighten your pelvic floor and abdomen, lower your shoulders, slightly bend your legs, lean forward with a straight back, and swing your arms back and forth. Repeat each 5 times to start with, steadily increasing.

Why a ball keeps coming up

The exercise ball keeps coming up for a specific reason rather than a general one: when you use it, you have to keep the abdominal and back muscles constantly activated simply to keep your balance. The instability does the work. That is why one is recommended for this stage — not because the exercises are different, but because the same exercises ask more of the corset.

What else is happening in these weeks

There is a useful parallel timeline for anyone measuring their progress against something. In the first few weeks after major surgery you will find you tire quickly after seemingly trivial tasks. By roughly six weeks you should be 90% recovered — and may still feel more tired than normal. Feeling completely back to normal takes 3 to 6 months.

Which reframes the lifting limit. A carton of milk is not a comment on your strength; it is a limit set by joins that are still healing, over a period of six to eight weeks. One part of it extends much further: lifting heavy objects should not be attempted for three months after surgery.