Most people with pacemakers live without major day-to-day limitations, but there are real restrictions worth knowing about. Some apply only during the first weeks after implantation, while others are permanent. The list is shorter than most people expect, and it has gotten shorter as pacemaker technology has improved.
The First 6 Weeks After Implantation
The biggest restrictions are temporary. For the first six weeks after your pacemaker is placed, the leads (thin wires connecting the device to your heart) need time to anchor securely. During this window, Cleveland Clinic guidelines recommend you avoid lifting anything heavier than 10 pounds with the arm on the side of your pacemaker. That rules out shoveling snow, mowing the lawn, pushing or pulling heavy objects, and carrying grocery bags on that side.
You’ll also need to skip golf, swimming, bowling, and tennis during those six weeks. If you need to raise your arms above your shoulders, do it slowly and keep them up for only a few minutes at a time. After the healing period, most of these activities open back up once your cardiologist confirms the leads are stable.
Contact Sports and High-Impact Activities
A pacemaker sits just under the skin, typically below the collarbone. A direct hit to that area can damage the device or dislodge a lead. Sports with a high risk of chest collision, like football, wrestling, judo, and hockey, are generally discouraged long-term. Even soccer carries some risk because of incidental body contact.
Activities involving forceful, repetitive movements of the shoulder and chest muscles on the pacemaker side also deserve caution. Heavy weightlifting, pull-ups, and similar upper-body exercises can stress the leads over time. That doesn’t mean you can’t exercise. Walking, cycling, jogging, and most gym routines are fine for most pacemaker patients once healing is complete. Your cardiologist can help you figure out where the line is for your specific situation.
MRI Scans: Conditional, Not Forbidden
For decades, MRI machines were completely off-limits for pacemaker patients. The powerful magnetic and radiofrequency fields could interfere with the device, overheat the leads, or alter pacing settings. That’s changed significantly. Most pacemakers implanted today are labeled “MRI-conditional,” meaning they can safely go through an MRI scan when specific conditions are met.
Those conditions matter. The scan typically needs to be performed at 1.5 or 3 Tesla (the standard strengths for clinical MRI), the radiofrequency energy absorbed by the body must stay within set limits, and the pacemaker needs to be switched into a special MRI mode beforehand. A large multicenter trial confirmed that MRI-conditional pacemakers remain electrically stable after scans at both field strengths, with the device automatically switching to a safe pacing mode inside the scanner and reverting to normal settings afterward.
The catch is that this process requires coordination between your cardiologist and the radiology team. If you have an older, non-MRI-conditional pacemaker, MRI is still generally off-limits. Always tell any imaging center about your pacemaker before scheduling a scan.
Medical Treatments to Flag
Several medical procedures can interfere with pacemaker function if your care team isn’t aware of the device. Diathermy, a treatment that uses deep-heating electromagnetic energy for muscle and joint therapy, is explicitly contraindicated by device manufacturers. The energy can travel down the leads and damage heart tissue or the device itself.
Radiation therapy for cancer, certain electrosurgical tools used during surgery, and lithotripsy (shock wave treatment for kidney stones) all require special precautions. None of these are necessarily impossible, but your doctors need to plan around the pacemaker. The simplest thing you can do is mention your pacemaker to every healthcare provider before any procedure.
Dental visits are one area where worry tends to outpace the actual risk. A clinical study testing common dental electrical devices, including ultrasonic scalers and ultrasonic cleaning baths, found no significant interference with pacemaker sensing or pacing function in any patient tested. Minor signals showed up on the external programming equipment but had no clinical impact on the device inside the body.
Everyday Electronics and Household Items
Your phone, laptop, TV remote, and microwave are fine. The electromagnetic fields they produce are far too weak to affect a modern pacemaker at normal use distances. One rule of thumb: keep your cell phone in the opposite pocket from your pacemaker rather than directly over it, but even brief proximity is unlikely to cause problems with current devices.
Induction cooktops deserve a mention because they generate stronger electromagnetic fields than conventional stoves. Research published in EP Europace found that as long as you maintain about 35 centimeters (roughly a forearm’s length) between the edge of the cooktop and your chest, the interference voltage drops to a level that isn’t problematic for modern pacemakers. In practice, standing normally at your stove provides that distance. Leaning directly over a running induction burner is the scenario to avoid.
Smart scales and smartwatches with body composition features are a newer concern. These devices send a small electrical current through your body to estimate body fat, and a 2025 study in Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology found interference in 5 of 27 pacemaker patients tested. The interference showed up as oversensing, where the pacemaker misreads the external signal as heart activity, which could theoretically pause necessary pacing or drain the battery faster. If your smartwatch or bathroom scale has a body fat or body composition measurement feature, it’s worth avoiding that specific function.
Industrial and Work Equipment
High-powered industrial equipment poses the most serious everyday electromagnetic risk. Arc welding is the most common example. Boston Scientific recommends keeping at least 24 inches (60 cm) between your pacemaker and the welding arc, power supply, and cabling, and limiting welding current to under 160 amps. At higher amperages or closer distances, the electromagnetic fields can interfere with pacing.
Other equipment that warrants caution includes large industrial motors, high-voltage power lines at close range, and large magnets like those found in salvage yards or certain manufacturing environments. If your job involves this kind of equipment, your cardiologist and employer can work out specific safety distances.
Airport Security and Travel
You can fly without any issues. The pacemaker itself is unaffected by altitude, cabin pressure, or the plane’s electronics. Security screening is where you need to speak up. The TSA states that you should not go through a walk-through metal detector if you have a pacemaker. Instead, you can request screening with Advanced Imaging Technology (the full-body scanner that uses millimeter waves), which is safe for pacemaker patients and reduces the chance of needing a pat-down. If you prefer not to use either scanner, a manual pat-down is the alternative.
Tell the TSA officer about your pacemaker before screening begins. Carry your pacemaker identification card, which you’ll receive after implantation, every time you travel. It identifies the device model and your cardiologist’s contact information, which is useful not just at airports but in any medical emergency.
Things That Are Totally Fine
The list of things you can do with a pacemaker is much longer than the list of things you can’t. Driving is fine once your doctor clears you, usually within a week or so after implantation. Sexual activity is safe. You can use power tools, garden, cook, shower, and swim (after healing). You can travel internationally, go through most security systems, and use all standard consumer electronics.
Most permanent restrictions come down to two principles: avoid strong electromagnetic fields close to your chest, and protect the device area from hard impacts. Beyond that, a pacemaker is designed to let you live normally, not to limit you.