Generic accounts of afib ablations, such as
www.heart.org, often include statements like "You should keep your leg straight for 6 to 8 hours after the doctor or nurse removes the sheath."
However we then read about the unintended consequences... where people keep their legs straight for 6 hours and now have back problems resulting from this prolonged unergonomic position. Every physical therapist knows that keeping one's legs straight while flat on their back puts huge stresses on the lumbar region (unless one is as limber as a teenage gymnast).
I'm wondering if perhaps the "legs straight" directive is misquoted, or misunderstood by the nurse.
If the purpose is to prevent bleeding from the catheter insertion sites, wouldn't it be sufficient to "not move" the legs for 6 hours? Meaning that one could put a pillow under their knees (thereby relieving the tension on the lower back)? Wouldn't that accomplish the not-moving-legs goal, without the risk of lumbar trauma?
