The path to receiving the life-restoring therapy of organ transplantation is often long and winding, but worth the wait. Organ donors endure vigorous physical evaluations to decrease the risk of organ rejection in recipients. Organ recipients undergo long and challenging waiting periods while possible donors are tested, rejected or assigned. Implementing a pre-operative exercise regimen during this time can prepare your body for restoration and increase your chances of a speedy recovery.
Transplant Boot Camp
Transplant recipients who begin exercising approximately three weeks after their operation experience improved cardiopulmonary function, quality of life and relief from medication side effects, according to the Stanford School of Medicine. In light of this advice, patients who received lung transplants at Stanford Hospital have formed an exercise support group called "transplant boot camp." The group gathers weekly for sprints around the track, medicine ball tosses, jump rope and other routines.
Pre- & Post-Operative Exercise
Regular exercise before receiving a life organ increases the odds for healthy transplantation by strengthening muscles, bones and body systems. Exercise strengthens the respiratory muscles and increases the capacity of your lungs to oxygenate and expel toxins effectively. Exercise can also reduce risks of post-operative infection and pneumonia, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Sedentary Lifestyle Risks
A 2005 article published in the "American Journal of Kidney Diseases" lists cardiovascular disease as the primary cause of death in kidney-transplant recipients. A sedentary lifestyle before and after surgery is one of the main factors behind this statistic. Exercise has been found to reduce risks of cardiovascular disease while increasing longevity, cardiorespiratory fitness, muscle strength and physical functioning. The negative effects of immunosuppressive therapy and dialysis can also be counteracted with long-term exercise.
Heart Transplant & Resistance Exercises
Losses in trabecular bone minerals -- minerals in the spine and joints -- is a post-operative reality for many heart-transplant recipients. These losses are generally a response to immunity-boosting but bone-depleting steroid treatments. Regular, generalized resistance exercises and those that focus on the lumbar spine have been found to escalate bone growth and restore bone mineral density to pre-transplantation levels, according to a 1998 study published in "Journal of the American College of Cardiology."
References
- Stanford School of Medicine; Organ recipients stay fit; bond after exercise 'boot camp'; John Sanford; April, 2011
- University of Maryland Medical Center; UMMC Patient the First in U.S. to Use New, Smaller Artificial Lung System While Waiting for Lung Transplant; Jul, 2009
- "American Journal of Kidney Diseases"; Elisa Gordon et al; February, 2005
- "Journal of the American College of Cardiology"; Randy Braithe PhD et al; August 1998
