How Do I Know if my Muscles Were Pulled Tight Enough?

I am 9 weeks post op full tummy tuck with muscle repair and lipo. How do I know if my plastic surgeon sewed my tummy muscles tight enough? I hear other people say that thier muscles feel really tight but mine feel no different than they did before. They were tight and sore expecially when I coughed or sneezed for the first 3 to 4 weeks but now they feel normal again, is this normal?

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5 Doctor Answers | Asked by beaks.1 in Sanford, FL

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"Tight enough" does not equal soreness for months!

Your photographs seem to show a good result, and at 9 weeks post-op you should be able to do a straight-leg lift of both legs that tightens your abdominal wall and shows you the degree of tightening your surgeon achieved for you. Careful surgery and minimal bleeding and scar tissue yield quick(er) recovery! You had tightness at first, and just got better more quickly than your friends who had the same operation. Some patients may also have more stretch in their tissues than others. What... more

How to appreciate the muscle tightening from a tummy tuck.

The plication or tightening of the abdominal muscles in a tummy tuck varies between patients. This is because the amount of separation varies depending on the individual. For women with a large separation, the repair can feel very tight whereas the repair of a minor separation may have very little discomfort associated with it. You describe appropriate tightness and tenderness in the first 3-4 weeks followed by resolution of symptoms. This is very normal. What's more important is... more

David Bogue, MD

6 reviews

Boca Raton Plastic Surgeon

www.drbogue.com

Is my Tummy Tuck tight enough?

You seem to have had a nice result from your tummy tuck. The excess abdominal skin is gone and your abdomen looks tighter from the front facing picture you have displayed. The best way to see is by looking at a side view picture of your belly completely relaxed both before and after your tummy tuck. In general, you healed quickly and your stomach looks much better. You said that you were tight at first and therefore have probably just healed faster than others you... more

Erez Sternberg, MD

10 reviews

Jacksonville Plastic Surgeon

How Do I Know if my Muscles Were Pulled Tight Enough?

You will be able to see a difference in your abdominal conture that would be signifecantly different then your pre-operative state. When palpating your abdomen from the superior portion down to your pubis you would feel that the abdomen is tighter then it was before if you had laxity in your abdominal wall. It is also importent to know that tightining the abdomen to much can have serious complications involved. Its is also some what early in the course to see the full reults of the... more

Tummy tuck results

Based on the pictures you've provided, it seems like you have the expected result after the tummy tuck procedure. In order to evaluate the abdominal wall muscle repair, you can palpate the abdominal wall muscles in different positions (in the upright and bent over position) to get a good idea if the plication repair is intact or tight enough. If you notice a significant “bulge” when you are bent or when your abdominal wall is relaxed (for example after... more