A sternotomy takes around 8 weeks to heal.
Also if you're doing any cardiac rehab after the heart surgery then you'll also need to limit how much you move your upper body while the sternum heals.
And during your medium sternotomy recovery you should not lift more than 10 lbs.
The sternotomy is a type of medical procedure that allows your doctor to reach your heart or nearby organs and blood vessels.
First the doctor makes a cut (incision) in the skin over your breastbone (sternum).
Then the doctor cuts through your sternum.
When your surgery was finished, the doctor reconnected your sternum.
Although the median sternotomy is predominantly associated with cardiac surgery, it is a useful incision for a number of other operations.
The incision also allows access to both pleural spaces, making it useful for some thoracic operations, retrosternal goiter access and esophagectomy.
In general, patients should keep the upper arms close to the body for 6-8 weeks.
People with BMI≥35 should wear a supportive vest to protect the sternum for 6-8 weeks.
People should be taught to hug a pillow over the surgical incision when coughing and sneezing for 6–8 weeks.