This is one of our frequently asked questions about hemorrhoids. Should you exercise if you suffer from piles?
The short answer is: Yes! The longer answer is: You need to choose your exercise depending on your symptoms.
In this article I am going to relate some of my personal experiences with exercise and piles.
First, let’s talk about the science of hemorrhoids. You have veins supplied by arteries all over your body. Regular exercise helps the transmission of oxygen and nurtrients to these veins. You are getting the blood pumping when you exercise!
By exercising you are helping the areas around your backside to be healthier. This has to be good for piles right?
So if exercise is good for hemorrhoids then we should do as much of any kind of exercise as much as possible?
No, this isn’t necessarily true. In my experience (and bear in mind this may be different for you) it is better to focus on exercises that don’t force you to strain too hard. This means that exercise such as swimming, cycling or even just walking are all great for keeping hemorrhoids at bay.
So that means no weights at the gym?
I’m only speaking from my own experience here but it doesn’t necessarily mean no weight training. After an examination by my doctor (prior to a colonoscopy) I was advised that my piles were fairly prominant. He asked me about my lifestyle and I informed him that I live a generally healthy life (with a reasonable diet) and that I love weight training. This last bit raised some eyebrows. I was advised against lifting heavy weights as they may aggravate the piles more.
This was a problem. I love weight training. And as I mentioned, the extra blood flow does have some benefits. So I thought I would seek out the advice of a trainer at my local gym. After discussing the situation with him, we realised that we needed to eliminate the exercises that were putting the most strain on my body. Namely: Squat presses and other leg exercises. (Note: A squat press is one of the fundamental leg exercises of weight training where you put the bar on your shoulders and literally squat down).
But if we stopped weight-based leg exercises what do we replace it with? (I like a full body workout). The answer for me: kettlebells. Kettlebell exercises still allow me to exercise my legs but because it consists of more endurance-based exercise it doesn’t cause the strain that aggravates the hemorrhoids. Better still they provide a perfect combination of cardiovascular, strength and flexibility. All good for hemorrhoids!
Revisiting the doctor
Prior to my colonoscopy, I went back to see the doctor. And I am glad I did because he confirmed that the new exercises really did help. Of the piles that he had spotted, one had shrunk considerably. The others were much smaller!
If you want to find information about Kettlebell training you can go try these sites:
Other general advice about exercise and piles
The most important thing to remember is that, even if you don’t feel like it, you must try to remain active. I don’t mean that you should be hitting the gym every day or running marathons. But you should try to walk, run, cycle or do something because it will help.
And you probably don’t want to hear this but you should also try to take walks even during an attack of hemorrhoids. Even though staying still seems like the best thing to do. It isn’t. Getting that blood flowing will help you to heal more quickly!
