What activities should you avoid with a PICC line? Your essential safety guide.

October 2, 2025 •

4 min read

According to the American Nurses Association, proper care is crucial for managing a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) line, involving precautions around specific actions. This guide covers what activities should you avoid with a PICC line to prevent infection, displacement, and other complications, ensuring your safety throughout treatment.

Quick Summary

Protecting your PICC line is vital for preventing serious complications like infection and displacement. Always avoid water immersion, strenuous exercise, heavy lifting, and any activities involving sharp objects or excessive arm movement.

Key Points

Water Immersion: Avoid swimming, hot tubs, and baths; cover the line completely for showers to prevent infection.
Heavy Lifting: Restrict lifting with the PICC arm to under 10 pounds to avoid line displacement.
Strenuous Exercise: Avoid contact sports, vigorous workouts, and repetitive arm motions like golf or bowling.
Line Protection: Keep sharp objects, tight clothing, and pets away from the catheter to prevent damage.
Blood Pressure: Never have blood pressure measured on the arm with the PICC line to avoid vessel injury.
Initial Rest: Restrict strenuous activity for at least 48 hours after insertion to ensure proper healing.

Prioritizing Safety: Why Activity Restrictions Matter

A peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) line is a lifeline for many, providing a way to deliver medication, fluids, or blood products for an extended period. Because the catheter directly enters a major vein, it is a direct line into your bloodstream. This makes protecting it from infection, displacement, and damage of paramount importance. Ignoring activity restrictions can lead to serious health complications, from local site infections to dangerous blood clots (thrombosis) or a dislodged line, which may require replacement and could delay your treatment.

Water Immersion: The Absolute 'No'

One of the most critical rules for PICC line care is to avoid water immersion. This is due to the high risk of infection if the insertion site gets wet and bacteria enter the bloodstream. To keep your PICC safe and dry, you must absolutely avoid the following:

Swimming: This includes pools, lakes, rivers, and the ocean.
Taking baths: Submerging your arm in bathwater, which can harbor germs, is not allowed.
Using hot tubs or saunas: These environments also increase infection risk.

For showering, you must use a waterproof cover to protect the entire dressing and catheter site. Many commercial waterproof sleeves or covers are available, or you can carefully wrap the area with plastic wrap and tape the edges securely. If your dressing gets wet for any reason, it should be changed immediately by a trained healthcare professional.

Heavy Lifting and Strenuous Exercise

Strenuous activity and heavy lifting are restricted to prevent the catheter from moving out of place or being damaged. The movement and increased pressure can cause the tip to migrate, rendering the line ineffective or causing a serious medical issue.

Lifting restrictions: Most healthcare providers recommend not lifting anything heavier than 5-10 pounds with the affected arm. This is roughly the weight of a gallon of milk. Always check your specific weight limits with your care team.
High-impact and contact sports: Activities like football, basketball, tennis, or wrestling that involve a lot of vigorous, sudden arm movements or potential contact are strictly off-limits.
Repetitive arm motions: Sports like golf or bowling, as well as household tasks like heavy vacuuming, should be avoided due to the constant, repetitive arm movements that could cause friction or dislodge the line.

Lighter exercises like walking or gentle cycling are often permissible, but always consult with your healthcare provider about what level of activity is appropriate for your specific situation. Gentle wrist and finger exercises can be beneficial for circulation and are usually safe.

Protecting Your Line from Snags and Sharp Objects

The external portion of the PICC line can be easily damaged, leading to leaks, breaks, or displacement. Being mindful of your surroundings and actions is key.

Sharp objects: Keep all sharp items—including scissors, knives, pins, and razors—away from your PICC line and dressing. Never use scissors to remove the dressing.
Snags and pulls: Ensure the line is securely taped or fastened to your body to prevent it from dangling. Wear loose-fitting clothing with wide sleeves to avoid rubbing or pulling. Be cautious with jewelry or accessories that could catch on the line.
Pets: While it might seem harmless, a pet jumping on you or playing near your arm could accidentally damage or pull on the line. Keeping them away from the area is a sensible precaution.

Special Considerations for Daily Activities

Certain routine activities and medical procedures also require careful management with a PICC line in place.

Bending: Avoid repetitive or prolonged bending over with your chest lower than your waist, as this can cause the catheter tip to shift position within the vein. When tying shoes, sit down or prop your foot up instead of bending over.
Blood pressure: Always have blood pressure readings taken on the arm that does not have the PICC line. A cuff inflated on the PICC arm can cause significant damage to the catheter and blood vessel.
Dental procedures: Inform your dentist that you have a PICC line. Some procedures, like dental cleanings, can release bacteria into the bloodstream. You may be advised to postpone non-essential dental work or take prophylactic antibiotics beforehand.
Initial insertion: For the first 48 hours after your PICC line is placed, it is crucial to avoid all strenuous activity to allow the site to heal and the catheter to settle.

Comparison of Safe vs. Restricted Activities


Safe Activities (With Medical Team Approval)	Restricted Activities
Walking, light exercise, stationary cycling	Swimming, hot tubs, baths, submerging in water
Light chores and daily routines	Heavy lifting (>10 lbs), strenuous exercise, contact sports
Gentle wrist and finger exercises	Repetitive arm motions (golfing, bowling, vacuuming)
Standard work and school activities	Taking blood pressure on the PICC arm
Normal range of motion with care	Bending below the waist for extended periods

How to Handle Potential Complications

Knowing what to do if an issue arises is crucial. Immediately contact your healthcare provider or seek emergency medical care if you notice any of the following signs:

Fever, chills, or other signs of systemic infection.
Pain, swelling, warmth, or redness at the insertion site.
Leaking from the line or damage to the catheter itself.
A change in the length of tubing visible outside the arm.
Chest pain, shortness of breath, or a rapid, irregular heartbeat.

Conclusion: Empowering Your Recovery with Informed Care

Living with a PICC line requires careful attention to your activities to minimize risks and ensure a smooth course of treatment. By avoiding water immersion, heavy lifting, strenuous exercise, and protecting the line from damage, you play an active role in preventing complications. For more information on PICC line care and patient education, consult your healthcare provider or visit the Veterans Health Library. Your proactive approach to safety will help you manage your treatment confidently and effectively.

Frequently Asked Questions

No, you should avoid heavy lifting. A general guideline is to not lift anything over 10 pounds with the arm that has the PICC line to prevent displacement or damage to the catheter. Your healthcare provider can give you a specific weight limit to follow.

No, water immersion is not safe with a PICC line due to the high risk of infection. You must avoid swimming, taking baths, or using hot tubs. You can shower, but only if the PICC site is fully covered with a waterproof protector to keep the dressing completely dry.

Light to moderate exercise like walking or gentle stationary cycling may be possible, but strenuous activities, intense sports, and heavy resistance training are not allowed. Always consult your healthcare provider for approval on any exercise routine.

If your dressing gets wet, it must be changed immediately to prevent infection. Do not attempt to change it yourself unless you have been trained to do so. Contact your home care nurse or healthcare team right away for assistance.

No, you should never have your blood pressure taken on the arm with the PICC line. The pressure from the cuff can cause serious damage to the catheter or the blood vessel.

You should watch for signs of complications such as fever or chills, redness, swelling, warmth, or pain at the insertion site, fluid leakage, or if the external tubing appears to have changed length. Report any of these to your healthcare team promptly.

To protect your PICC line, keep it securely fastened with tape and/or the dressing. Wear loose-fitting clothing with wide sleeves, be mindful of your surroundings to avoid catching it on objects, and keep pets away from the area.