Can You Exercise With Varicocele?

Question:

Question: "What all exercise can be performed in the gym or otherwise if one has grade 3 varicocele? Also, what all activities to avoid at all costs? Is running allowed?"

Answer:

You can only exercise at the gym with varicocele IF you follow specific precautions. Typically, most activity types are "high risk" and can both worsen varicocele, and varicocele symptoms. This includes running, biking, weight lifting, martial arts, basketball, volleyball, sports, etc. So, we need to be smart when it comes to exercising, and follow specific precautions, some of which I'll cover in this blog post. For a complete list of exactly what precautions to follow, and all of the most important lifestyle changes and at home treatments for varicocele, get the Varicocele Healing Guide.

Sports & Activities by Varicocele Risk Level:

​Here is a list of sports, sorted by risk level for testicular damage, scrotal disease and varicocele risk.

• 10 = HIGHEST RISK
• 0 = NO RISK
• -10 = MOST THERAPEUTIC & HEALING

10  Mountain Biking
10  Motor Biking (Highest Risk from Dirt or Mountain Biking)
9  Horseback Riding
9  BDSM Sex
9  Skateboarding
9  Road Cycling
9  Long-Duration and/or Agressive Masturbation
9  Long-Duration Sitting
8 - Martial Arts (E.g., Karate, Boxing, Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, Judo, Wrestling, etc.)
8  Rubey
8  Hokey (Ice and Floor)
8  Weight Lifting, Powerlifting
7  Cricket
7  Soccer (American Football)
7  Skiing & Snowboarding
6  Stength Training
6  Surfing
6  Basket Ball 
5  Volleyball
5  Tennis
4  Running
4  Rowing
4  ​Athletics (Track and Field)
3  Ice Skating
2  Ultimate Frisbee
1  Dancing
1  Golf
1  Jogging
0  Bodyweight Exercises
0  Gymnastics
-2  Healthy Sex 
-3   Walking
-4  Chi Gong
-4  Tai Chi
-5  Some Water Sports/Activities (E.g., Water Polo, Swimming, etc.) 
-6  Calisthenics
-8  Stretching
-8  Meditation
-9  Yoga (Especially Inversions & Restorative Yoga)​
-10  Physical Therapy

1. Postural Imbalance

Postural imbalances typically worsen the nutcracker effect and increase blood pooling because they pressurize and prevent blood from leaving the testicles to go back to the heart. Always work on improving your posture! This means open up your chest, shoulders, and improve both spinal and hip alignment.
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Does improving posture help? Yes. It helps immensely.

2. Hip Flexor Tightness

​​Hip flexor tightness is a result of excessive sitting, and then a lack of corrective exercises during activity. Hip flexor tightness increases varicocele swelling in a similar manner to the nutcracker effect. It compresses the blood vessels and impairs blood leaving the testicles.
Many people have tight and weak hip flexors and will benefit from regular stretching and strengthening. This helps a specific subset of men.

3. Overheating of the Testicles​

When your testicles overheat, your varicocele swelling increases significantly. It is especially important for exercise to maximally cool your testicles. This means wearing proper underwear during exercise, and taking a cool shower after exercise.

4. Poor Exercise Technique: Increased Blood Pooling

So, your main concern during exercise is varicocele toxic blood pooling. Varicocele toxic blood pooling results in increased testicular temperature, and toxicity build-up. So, in order to make exercising okay, we must make the right adjustments to both minimize any varicocele toxic blood pooling, and treat any toxicities that arise from it.

Perfecting your exercise technique makes a big difference in preventing varicocele toxic blood pooling. You can read this free article on the topic: Varicocele: Posture & Exercise Technique

Conclusion

While most exercise types can be a risk factor for varicocele swelling, and symptoms, there is a lot that you can do to make them more therapeutic and less stressful for varicocele.
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Want to treat your varicocele without surgery? Learn more about varicocele natural treatment >