Recovery After Laproscopic Appendectomy

Dear Ask The Doctor: On June 29, I had a laproscopic appendectomy. There were no complications, the appendix had not ruptured, and it was diagnosed as acute appendicitis. I was wondering if you could tell me the average time before returning to running, weight-lifting, abdominal work, etc. I already feel great, the swelling has gone down, and the incisions have healed up quite nicely so far. However, I know that the abdominal wall needs to heal, so I'm not sure how long to wait before working out. I've asked both surgeons I worked with as well as various nurses, but all of them give me completely different answers!

Dear Melissa: One of the key benefits of laparoscopic surgery is the shorter recovery time when compared to open surgery. One fo the risk of open surgery is the development of a hernia at the incision site if persons engage in intense physical activity before the abdominal wall has fully healed. This risk is significantly reduced with laparoscopic surgery. It is reasonable that you should be able to resume vigorous exercise about 4 weeks after laparoscopic surgery.