Pulled the Muscle Under my Implant - What Can I Do?

I am 17 days post-op with 375cc silicone implants under the muscle. My boyfriend hugged me too hard in the first two weeks and I felt a sharp pain toward my sternum on my right side. There is a sharp pain when I breathe deeply or laugh. The pain is very specifically UNDER the implant. What to do?

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5 Doctor Answers | Asked by 8150anon in California

Doctor Answers (5)
Community Comments (0)

Pain after implant surgery

The likelihood that this has caused a problem for you is unlikely, but if you are worried or truly have trouble breathing you shoudl contact your doctor.

Steven Wallach, MD

12 reviews

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Sharp pain and trouble breathing following breast augmentation with implants is probably due to muscle

There may be a variety of reasons for your symptoms but as Dr. Aldea mentioned if you are experiencing pain with breathing, you should seek emergent evaluation. Most likely this is due to a muscle pull or strain of either the elevated pectoralis major or underlying pectoralis minor or intercostal or serratus muscles.

Otto Joseph Placik, MD

32 reviews

Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Sharp Chest Pain After a Breast Augmentation

It would take a lot more than a hug to break an implant BUT you really need to be examined by your surgeon. If you have shortness of breath I would go to the ER to make sure you did not suffer an injury to the long (VERY unlikely but a potentially serious condition) - a simple upright chest xray would rule this out. If the implant is intact, you may hay irritated a rib, its muscle or the cartilage and your pain should improve with Advil (on a full stomach) and time.

Pulled the muscle under implant

First call the surgeon or see him. Second be patient the pain is from intercostal injury and takes a long time to resolve. Third, get the BF to stop hugging you TOO hard. From MIAMI Dr. B

Pulled Intercostal Muscle After Augmentation

If you are feeling the pain on your chest wall, deep to the implant itself, then most likely you pulled an intercostal muscle ( the muscles between your ribs). The good thing is that you did not harm anything in the long run. The bad thing is that it can take a few weeks for that pain to go away. Just be patient and it should take care of itself. If it persist more than 3-4 weeks, you should check in with your plastic surgeon. I hope this helps.