Standing straight after tummy tuck
As part of the recovery process, patients will need to hunch or bend over at the waist when walking for about a week after a tummy tuck. This is a temporary precaution, although an understandable concern of prospective patients.
In this article, we’ll provide more information on hunching over after a tummy tuck, along with tips to help you have a more comfortable recovery.
Why Do You Need to Walk Hunched Over After Tummy Tuck?
You will be advised to walk hunched over after a tummy tuck for the first week, but patients usually do this out of instinct because the skin and muscle tightening prevents them from straightening up.
Additionally, it’s a more comfortable position, particularly for those who had a tummy tuck with muscle repair, as stretching the abdomen can be painful at the start.
Recovery One Week After Tummy Tuck
It’s common to feel significant relief one week after a tummy tuck, as you will be able to walk in a more upright position, which places less strain on the back.
Additionally, by this time, the post-surgical swelling will begin to dissipate, enabling patients to resume certain activities. To ensure a smooth recovery, be sure to follow our tummy tuck survival guide and recovery tips.
What to Expect When Straightening After Tummy Tuck
Straightening Happens Gradually
You should bear in mind that you won’t be able to lift yourself into a completely upright position immediately after one week. Rather, straightening after tummy tuck is a slow and gradual process, with most patients recovering their straightened posture in 2-3 weeks.
Don’t Push Past Uncomfortable
Your body will signal to you the extent to which it can straighten each day, and you shouldn’t force yourself into an upright position if it’s uncomfortable. As not all patients will recover at the same pace, it’s important to listen to your body when recovering.
Attend Your Follow-Up Appointment
Your first follow-up appointment will be scheduled within 1-2 weeks of the surgery, during which you can raise any concerns about your posture and recovery process. Your surgeon will also assess your incisions to ensure that your scars aren’t impacted as you straighten your posture.
Don’t Do Any Heavy Lifting
As you recover from a tummy tuck, it’s important to avoid any heavy lifting as this will place strain on the abdomen, which in turn can interfere with the healing of incisions and the formation of scars. Depending on the type of tummy tuck you underwent, you will need to avoid any heavy lifting for 3-8 weeks.
Sleep While Elevated
Patients are advised to sleep elevated after tummy tuck and on their back when recovering from a tummy tuck, which can be achieved using pillows or a recliner. Sleeping in this position will protect your incisions, avoid straining your abdomen, and will help prevent post-surgical complications.
Is a Tummy Tuck Worth It?
As with any cosmetic surgery, there are pros and cons to getting a tummy tuck. Overall, most tummy tuck patients consider the procedure worthwhile as it provides a dramatic transformation, particularly after drastic weight loss or pregnancy. Additionally, the surgery provides a range of medical benefits that can improve a patient’s quality of life.
Standing straight after tummy tuck
Why is standing straight after tummy tuck important?
In the first few days after surgery, patients are advised to remain in a bent-over position to help minimize tension on the incisions and promote healing. However, as the healing process progresses, it’s important to gradually start standing up straight again to prevent the development of long-term posture problems.
If you continue to hunch over or slouch for an extended period of time, your muscles and connective tissue may become permanently stretched and weakened, which can lead to chronic pain, poor posture, and other issues.
Tips for standing straight after tummy tuck
Here are some tips to help you stand straight after tummy tuck surgery:
- Follow your surgeon’s instructions: Your surgeon will give you specific instructions on when it’s safe to start standing up straight and how to do it properly. It’s important to follow these instructions carefully to avoid putting too much strain on your incisions.
- Take it slow: Standing up straight may be uncomfortable or even painful at first, so it’s important to take things slowly and gradually increase your range of motion over time. Don’t push yourself too hard, as this can lead to complications and slower healing.
- Use a supportive garment: Wearing a compression garment or abdominal binder can help support your muscles and tissues as you start standing up straight again. This can also help reduce swelling and promote faster healing.
- Practice good posture: Once you’re able to stand up straight, it’s important to practice good posture to avoid long-term complications. This means keeping your shoulders back, chest lifted, and core engaged, with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Seek help if needed: If you’re having trouble standing up straight or experiencing pain or discomfort, don’t hesitate to reach out to your surgeon or medical provider for advice.
Conclusion
Standing straight after tummy tuck surgery is an important part of the recovery process, as it can help prevent long-term complications and ensure the best possible results. By following your surgeon’s instructions, taking things slowly, and practicing good posture, you can help ensure a smooth and successful recovery.
how long after tummy tuck can you stand up straight
The timeline for your recovery from a tummy tuck depends on a few different things, including your physical health and what kind of tummy tuck you have. Most people find they need a few weeks to recover from the procedure. If the tummy tuck involves tightening the abdominal muscles, full healing can take several months.
On the Day of Your Surgery
When you have a tummy tuck, you’ll receive a general anesthetic. When you wake up after the surgery, you’ll feel groggy and maybe a bit confused because of the anesthetic. You’ll also feel sore in the tummy area.
After 24 Hours
At North Texas Plastic Surgery, we’ll see you 24 hours after your procedure, and we’ll continue to see you until your drains are removed.
The First Few Weeks of Tummy Tuck Recovery
You will experience some pain and tenderness in the abdominal area for several days after your surgery. Your surgeon will provide you with a prescription for pain medication to help make you more comfortable during this time. This might take the form of oral medication or an injection that provides pain relief for several days.
Your Reactions
Most people who have tummy tucks are prepared for the physical side of recovery, but one thing that surprises many people is the emotional changes they go through. A tummy tuck changes the body dramatically, and it’s completely natural to have mood swings after making such big changes. It’s good to have a strong support system in place for the first few weeks, so you have people to talk to about what you’re feeling and to rely on for help with whatever you need, from getting the groceries to encouraging you through recovery.
Your Movement and Exercise Routine
Even though you must minimize your physical movement for the first few days, it’s still important to keep up a low level of activity to reduce the risk of blood clots. You won’t be able to do any high-impact exercise for several weeks, but even if you rest in bed for the first day or two, you can do simple calf and thigh exercises to keep your circulation going. Flexing the thigh and calf muscles and doing heal-toe movements can help with this. Make sure these movements don’t put any strain on your stomach muscles.
Your Diet
In general, sun exposure can irritate the sensitive skin around your incisions and can even cause skin discoloration. Avoid sun exposure for at least three months to prevent these problems.
In all situations, be sure to follow your plastic surgeon‘s advice so that your tummy tuck recovery is as safe as possible.
Your Week One Follow-Up Visit
Your bandages might be removed, and you’ll have your first opportunity to see your new tummy and waistline. There will still be lots of swelling, but even so it should be easy to see that there’s a big difference in your appearance.
You’ll still need to wear your compression garment after the checkup. In fact, the garment usually has to be worn for several weeks or even months.
One to Two Months After Surgery
Most people find that they still have plenty of swelling—enough to make their clothes feel tight—a month after surgery. At the two-month mark, most of the swelling around your tummy area will be gone, although there will still be a little swelling for up to a year.
The incisions should be completely healed by the two-month stage but will leave behind some long scars that will look prominent for several months. Scars are usually red to purple in color and may be a little raised. The scars may get more puffy over the next couple of months as they continue to heal. You might not like how they look, but they’re a normal part of a wound healing. They’ll become flatter and fade over time, and since they’re placed beneath your underwear line, they’re easy to hide!
For most people, it’s safe to start resuming normal levels of activity between six and eight weeks after surgery. Keep in mind that this is different for everyone and depends on how well your recovery goes. Your surgeon will let you know when it’s safe for you to get moving.
One Year After Your Tummy Tuck
By this time, most people have made a full tummy tuck recovery. The swelling is usually completely gone, and they’re enjoying the results of their procedure after the hard work of recovery. Scars have faded considerably, but they never completely go away. Almost everyone who has a tummy tuck will have some permanently visible scarring. People with good skin tone and high skin elasticity usually find that their scars fade well.
When you have a tummy tuck, it’s important to realize that it might takes some effort to maintain your results. If your weight changes, your waistline may change too; for example, if you lose a lot of weight, or you gain and lose weight, you may end up with more sagging skin. This is why it’s best to have a tummy tuck after you’ve lost all the weight you want to and, if you’re a woman, are not planning to have any more children. If you maintain a stable weight, your tummy tuck results will continue looking great for years to come!
symptoms of muscle separation after tummy tuck
Abdominal muscle separation, also known as diastasis recti, is a condition in which the left and right abdominal muscles separate or move apart. This condition can occur during pregnancy, significant weight gain, or other factors that cause the abdominal muscles to stretch. A tummy tuck surgery can sometimes involve repairing diastasis recti by suturing the separated muscles together. However, in some cases, muscle separation may persist or even develop after a tummy tuck. Here are some of the symptoms of muscle separation after tummy tuck surgery:
- Abdominal bulge or protrusion: If your abdominal muscles are separated, you may notice a bulge or protrusion in the area between your belly button and pubic bone. This can be especially noticeable when you’re standing or doing activities that require you to engage your core muscles.
- Weakness in the core muscles: If your abdominal muscles are separated, you may experience weakness or a lack of tone in your core muscles. This can make it difficult to perform activities that require core strength, such as lifting or bending.
- Back pain: If your abdominal muscles are separated, you may experience lower back pain, as the weakened muscles are less able to support your spine and maintain good posture.
- Poor posture: If your abdominal muscles are separated, you may find it difficult to maintain good posture, as the weakened muscles are less able to support your upper body.
- Digestive issues: In some cases, diastasis recti can lead to digestive issues such as bloating, constipation, and abdominal discomfort.
If you experience any of these symptoms after a tummy tuck surgery, it’s important to consult with your surgeon to determine the cause and appropriate treatment. In some cases, further surgical intervention may be necessary to repair the muscle separation. In other cases, physical therapy or other non-surgical treatments may be recommended to help strengthen the core muscles and alleviate symptoms.
pulling feeling after tummy tuck
The Tummy tuck, or Abdominoplasty, is a great ‘mommy makeover’ postpartum, or an excellent solution for loose skin in both men and women following significant weight loss. Aside from the obvious aesthetic rewards, it can also help repair damage to lower stomach muscles, restore other abdominal functions and ease persistent back pain. Of course, as with any surgery, there is a lengthy list of risks and complications that you need to be aware of before going under the surgeons knife. Here, we’ve put together some sound information and advice about what to look out for post-procedure, to help you and your specialist surgeon manage and identify any problems that may come up during recovery.
Developing an exhaustive list of the potential complications of any surgery is problematic and here’s why: Each surgery, as well as each patient, is unique. Let us clarify this for you: If a surgeon tells you that there are never complications with their procedures, whether it’s a tummy tuck or any other surgery, they are either lying or, at the very least, incredibly inexperienced. Either way, choosing a surgeon who doesn’t completely understand the risks of the procedure himself could spell disaster for you and, in the worst case scenario, could even be deadly. This type of disinterest in a patients well being is were people run into trouble and, if this is your experience, we suggest you find an alternative specialist.
Download our short guide: “11 Important tummy tuck techniques that you need to know about”
Here’s the bottom line, complications are always a possibility and it’s up to you to choose a skilled FRACS surgeon who can handle any problem that arises and provide quality care with a great recovery plan, resulting in a positive outcome. While major complications are rare, it’s important you are informed and prepared for all eventualities related to your tummy tuck procedure. Some of the risks we discuss here are unique to abdominoplasty while others are general to all surgeries.
Serious Complications
Let’s break this down into simpler terms by starting with the most problematic of complications related to any type of surgery:
Heart problems
Heart problems, including heart attack during surgery are one of the top worries for patients and here’s why: Anesthesia and surgery have a range of effects on the cardiovascular system. BUT these days, unless there are any underlying heart conditions such as heart disease, these are very rare due to modern anesthetic techniques.
Anaesthesia
Anaesthesia can also affect how our lungs work after surgery and though lung problems can be serious, they are mostly manageable. More specifically, small areas of the lungs can collapse and, as a consequence, there is an increased risk of chest infection. This may require antibiotics and physiotherapy treatment. Thankfully, other potential lung complications are incredibly rare.
Blood clots
Blood clots in the legs with pain and swelling may occur and, rarely, part of such a clot may break off and move to the lungs, causing fatal complications. Again, these are very rare side effects but should still be discussed with your surgeon during consultation. Make a point of asking questions, such as, the relative risk according to your own personal health issues and concerns.
Manageable Complications
Next, let us walk you through some general surgery complications that are more easily managed than those mentioned above.
Allergic reactions
Allergic reactions to medications should be a priority during consultation with your surgeon pre-procedure. Obviously, it’s important for you to discuss any history of allergic reactions to medications but you also need to be aware of the signs and symptoms related to drug allergy.
Injuries to deeper structures
There is always the potential for injury to deeper structures from surgeries, such as to the nerves, blood vessels, and muscles. This will usually present as itching, tenderness, or exaggerated responses to hot or cold temperatures. Often this resolves during the healing process but, in rare cases, may be chronic and a management plan should be discussed with your surgeon as soon as possible.
Early complications
Some complications will present visually and need to be managed immediately. For instance, sutures may spontaneously poke through the skin, becoming visible or producing irritation that requires removal.
Things you can do to prevent complications
Discussing your current lifestyle with your surgeon is incredibly important and here’s why: some complications are often preventable, such as wound disruption or delayed wound healing, which are more likely to occur in patients who don’t stop smoking before their operation, as should be advised by your surgeon. Generally, if wounds are dressed daily, this heals up in a couple of months. Necrosis, or skin death, can also occur at this time but is very rare.
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Potential Problems Relating to your Tummy Tuck
Now, let’s take a look at some of the complications more specific to your tummy tuck procedure.
Abdominoplasty scar formation
Abdominoplasty scar formation around the umbilicus isn’t particularly unusual and is generally nothing to be concerned about. The scarring is very often pink but will fade to become white, soft and supple in the weeks or months after the operation. Most patients find that the wound heals quickly and that the appearance is ultimately acceptable to them. However, abnormal scarring occasionally occurs within the skin and deeper tissues and these may be unattractive and of a slightly different colour to the surrounding skin. Scars may also exhibit contour variations and “bunching” due to excess skin, or may even be asymmetrical, meaning a different appearance between the right and left side of the body. It is important to note that in some cases scars may require surgical revision or treatment, though this is no real cause for concern.
In rare cases keloid scars may form, which are thickened by an inflammatory process in the scar tissue. This occurs due to an abnormality of the patient’s healing process rather than through surgical error. In such instances, specialist cosmetic surgery provides a special silicone gel tape to wear over the incision after the operation, which will result in less-visible scars.
Tummy tuck infections
Infection after surgery is a big concern for patients in our experience but antibiotics are administered during the operation and you will be prescribed oral antibiotics to take afterwards as well, which will minimise any risk. Nevertheless, infections can occur and, should this be the case, they are treated either by oral antibiotics or, in severe cases, by admission to hospital for intravenous antibiotics and further drainage procedures. It is important to note that infections, superficial or deep, from an abdominoplasty happen in only about 1% of surgeries.
Pain from a tummy tuck
Postoperative pain is another common concern and will occur in varying degrees in each patient, from quite severe to moderate to mild on the first day. It gradually improves over the next few days and is usually well tolerated by patients if they take the painkillers prescribed. Increasing pain unresponsive to pain-killers should be brought to the attention of the surgeon as this may be an indication that complications are developing. Patients may not be able to stand fully erect for up to two weeks after the operation due to the tightness of the abdominal skin with resultant excessive pull on the surgical scar. Intermittent mild discomfort or intermittent sharp pains after the first few weeks after surgery is also common, as the swelling resolves and the nerves recover. Chronic pain, ranging from from mild aching pain to sharp nerve pain can persist for more than one year, but is very rare. While bruising and swelling is normal after the operation, this also varies from mild to severe with each patient.