Evaluation of abdominal exercises after stoma surgery: a descriptive study

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Surgical Recovery
• Physiotherapy

Background:

• Post-stoma surgery, patients often experience reduced abdominal muscle function.
• Rehabilitating abdominal muscles is crucial for recovery and quality of life after ostomy.
• There is a need to identify safe and effective abdominal exercises for this population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of abdominal exercises in patients following colostomy or ileostomy.
• To measure abdominal muscle activity, pain, discomfort, and difficulty during exercises.
• To determine optimal timing for initiating abdominal exercises post-stoma formation.

Main Methods:

• Patients were grouped by time post-surgery: Early (0-2 weeks), Intermediate (2-6 weeks), and Late (6-12 weeks).
• Participants performed 10-11 abdominal coordination and strengthening exercises.
• Electromyography measured muscle activity; pain, discomfort, and difficulty were self-reported.

Main Results:

• Abdominal muscle activity was observed in some participants in the Early group.
• High muscle activity was recorded in most participants across several exercises in the Intermediate and Late groups.
• Exercises were generally feasible, with low reported pain, discomfort, and difficulty.

Conclusions:

• Feasible abdominal exercises that activate core muscles were identified for different stages post-stoma surgery.
• These findings provide guidance for exercise selection in clinical rehabilitation programs.
• Abdominal exercises show potential for improving recovery from two weeks onwards after stoma formation.