Post-Hernia Surgery Rehabilitation Exercises

The day after you have had your surgery, you will be given access to the below rehabilitation exercise videos and handout to help aid your recovery.

Hernia pants can be worn during the exercises if they are causing you discomfort.

Please see the below guidance for following the exercise videos and handout.

Work through one video each day, moving through them as you feel able to.

• Use video 1 only from day 2 post surgery to day 7 post surgery, no matter how easy it seems. It is not a race. Take your time, you should feel comfortable enough to complete them.

• From Day 7 post surgery, please progress through the videos one at a time till you reach a plateau where it feels a slight challenge but comfortable. Then progress through the videos as you feel able.

• If the exercises feels too simple, move on to the next video the next day. Make sure it feels comfortable before moving to the next video.

• If the next video causes pain or too much discomfort, go back to the previous video the next day (repeat this cycle as you feel able).

• Stop if the pain is too much, but expect to feel the area that has been operated on.

Please go at your own pace.

• If you were feeling a bit frail or immobile pre-hernia, then progress through the films at a slower pace.

• Don’t worry if you cannot do all of the exercises, but doing the videos you feel able to (with a little pushing of yourself) will improve your strength and balance.

• Remember these have been put together to ensure all our customers have a challenge and are helped in restoring some core strength as protection against recurrence, to maximise long term post operative comfort and maintain health scores as high as possible for each individual.

• Some may never get to video 5, others may get there in days. We are all individual and these are designed to help you find the recovery path that is bespoke to your needs.

Perform the exercises for 4-6 weeks.

• Even if you get to the last one within a week, the strengthening will continue to be helpful.

• These exercises can be used along with other exercise you would like to undertake. They do not need to replace other activities such as running, swimming cycling etc.

• But remember: no gym lifting of weights until after 6-8 weeks, and then as comfort allows.

Using your hernia pants, especially at the start of the program will provide additional support to the muscles, especially in the first 2-4 weeks.

• Remember, after the operation you will have no natural strength in the repair for 2 weeks. The pants will provide support to the weakened muscle.

• By 4 weeks it is 50% strong and by 6-8 weeks, 80%.

• The wound area then continues to remodel for 12+ months after this, during which time your activities will influence how the scar remodels – in particular, lines of tension caused by stretching and exercise.