How long after pneumothorax can i exercise

All these activities will only put pressure on your lungs when they are in their worst condition. Lung damage is a serious issue and if left untreated the person might die. Exercising should be stopped until and unless you receive proper treatment for this condition.

Once you receive the proper treatment from your medical team it is then you can think about exercising. You need to take a rest for about a few months before you feel and breathe normally again. If you still face some kind of trouble breathing then you should immediately contact your medical team again and let them know about it as soon as possible. Depending on your condition it will decide how long will you have to take a rest. It can be a minor or significant injury.

The trauma can damage chest structures and cause air to leak into the pleural space. Quick treatment of pneumothorax due to chest trauma is critical as it can lead to fatal complications like cardiac arrest , respiratory failure , shock , and death. Tension pneumothorax is not a classification of pneumothorax but a term that reflects the severity of pneumothorax.

You may experience it if you have:. The risk factors are different for a traumatic and spontaneous pneumothorax. The options will depend on:. If you have tension pneumothorax or pneumothorax due to an injury, this is a life-threatening emergency. If pneumothorax results from a small injury, it may heal without treatment within a few days. Check with a doctor before flying or diving after pneumothorax. Using oxygen can also help speed up the rate at which the lungs reabsorb air from the cavity.

If the damage is significant or symptoms are severe, a surgeon may need to remove the air or carry out surgery. Needle aspiration and chest tube insertion are two procedures designed to remove excess air from the pleural space in the chest. These can be done at the bedside without requiring general anesthesia. In needle aspiration, the doctor inserts a needle into the cavity and extracts the air using a syringe.

For a chest tube insertion, the doctor will insert a hollowed tube between your ribs. This allows air to drain and the lung to reinflate.

The tube may remain in place for 2 to 5 days or longer. During a thoracotomy, your surgeon will create an incision in the pleural space to help them see the problem. During a thoracoscopy, also known as video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery VATS , the doctor inserts a tiny camera through the chest wall to examine the lung.

If you are not taking a prescription pain medicine, ask your doctor if you can take an over-the-counter medicine. If your doctor prescribed antibiotics, take them as directed. Do not stop taking them just because you feel better. You need to take the full course of antibiotics. If you have a bandage over your chest tube, or the place where the chest tube was inserted, keep it clean and dry. Follow your doctor's instructions on bandage care.

If you go home with a tube in place, follow the doctor's directions. Do not adjust the tube in any way. This could break the seal or cause other problems. Keep the tube dry. Avoid any movements that require your muscles, especially your chest muscles, to strain. Such movements include laughing hard, bearing down to have a bowel movement, and heavy lifting.

Try not to cough. Do not fly in an airplane until your doctor tells you it is okay. Avoid any situations where there is increased air pressure. Do not smoke or allow others to smoke around you. If you need help quitting, talk to your doctor about stop-smoking programs and medicines. These can increase your chances of quitting for good. Generally, the rule is if you feel unwell with symptoms below the neck, knock the training on the head until you're better. I'd just really check with a doctor you were sorted first.

In reply to JForonda: I'm quite surprised the drain wasn't left in until your lung was re-inflated fully but I'm no doctor.

I had loads of chest x-rays over those 2 years a worrying amount in fact and they were mainly to check the lung was back up. When your lung is back to normal you'll kind of feel your way back in to exercising, you'll just know what's good and bad.

I was mountain biking in them days and kind of knew how much to do. I'd get yourself a follow up check and voice your worries, get your lung capacity checked etc and see if it has re-inflated fully. Good luck. In reply to JForonda: With only partial resolution you should have follow up. Chase this up if not the case.

Via GP if necessary but ideally directly with the consultant who looked after your care. JForonda 25 Sep In reply to Steve Perry: The chest drain stopped bubbling early on so it was ineffective.

I'll go visit the gp for more advice and a follow up xray. Thanks everyone for the support, Jamie. Are you reporting the attached photos?