Hi guys, I’ve recently been diagnosed with having a small to medium hiatus hernia with signs of esophageal erosion. Ive been given very little management guidance fron the consultant and surgical team so hoping to get some guidance on how to best resistance train while mitigating risk of increased symptoms and/or physical damage. Ive done a brief literature review and most of it looks at effect on acid reflux rather than any longitudinal evidence of hernia progression. I’m very keen to keep training but unsure how far to go in terms avoiding any sort intraabdominal pressure and if any and all compounds, direct core training etc are off the table. Would really appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance
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I’m happy for this to be answered as a paid 1-1 consult with one of the guys, I just don’t know how to go about that or if its even an option.
I don’t know if you’d get a response faster posting in the medical channel.
Consultation: Online Medical Consultation with Barbell Medicine | Barbell Medicine
I’d be interested in hearing J&A’s thoughts on your questions/situation.
I also have a hiatal hernia, diagnosed about 17 years ago, with GERD/reflux. I’ve been on PPIs since, with H2 blocker (pepcid) added in recent years.
Caveat: I am NOT a doctor, not giving advice, just sharing my experience.
I have been lifting for 4+ years now, working virtually with a personal trainer once a week and once a week on my own (first couple years trainer was a DPT also). My weights are heavy for me but probably not all that heavy objectively. I do all the compound lifts. I do not wear a belt. I don’t do the classic abdominal bracing as I think it would give me problems. I inhale on the easy part (for example, the going down part of a squat) then take a breath and hold it and then forcefully exhale when giving the most effort (for example, I exhale on the up part of the squat). I don’t do crunches or things that have me curl like that but I am okay with regular sit-ups, planks, bird dogs. I usually feel discomfort and a bit of pressure if I do something the hernia doesn’t like such as crunches, so I can quickly stop the movement. If I don’t notice or keep doing it for some reason, I’ll notice reflux after the workout.
I hope you get useful info from the docs here. Sorry your medical team hasn’t been more helpful.