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How Do You Know if a Surgeon Did Muscle Plication During Tummy Tuck?

asked 1 year ago by delilahj99 in Rockville, MD
Latest answer by Farhad Rafizadeh, MD
Question viewed 409 times
Tags: muscle, plastic surgeon, plication

A friend is actually concerned because she experienced very minimal muscular pain after a full tummy tuck. Is it possible her surgeon either skipped it or did a poor job? He does have an excellent reputation and her stomach does look pretty flat, but she'd rather not challenge him if there is a reasonable explanation for the lack of pain.

8 answers to How Do You Know if a Surgeon Did Muscle Plication During Tummy Tuck?

+1

My friend has little pain after a tummy tuck. Did the doctor do a muscle plication?

No pain no gain is not always a true statement. There are patients who have very little pain after abdominoplasty even with muscle plication. Muscle plication is not always necessary if the patient has a good abdominal tone. It only take ten minutes to do a plication. So if the surgeon didn't have to do it and you friend's belly is flat. It's even better. Tel her to not feel cheated.
Farhad Rafizadeh, MD

Morristown Plastic Surgeon
+1

More pain or less pain after tummy tuck

I think there is a significant variance to some patients pain tolerances and to the degree certain surgeons perform the muscle plication.  I would guess the best way to know if your surgeon plicated the muscles is to ask them.  You can always request a copy of the operative note, also.  Its difficult to gauge every patient experience as some patients can get more pain with less surgery and some have wild pain responses to the same amount of surgery.
Jay Calvert, MD

Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon
+1

Check with your surgeon about plication

Pain differs greatly from one patient to the next for the exact same procedure.  If the result is excellant, and was achieved with minimal pain this is great.  If she must know, then ask the surgeon and/or request a copy of the operative note. 
Jeffrey M. Darrow, MD

Boston Plastic Surgeon
+1

Muscle plication during abdominoplasty

I almost always do a muscle plication during a tummy tuck.  The simplest way to find out if the surgeon performed this portion of the operation is to ask.
Steven Wallach, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon
+1

Does muscle plication with tummy tuck always cause pain? No!

Let's see, her surgeon has an excellent reputation, she has a good result, and she is upset because she doesn't have as much pain as she anticipated, and "therefore" her plication must have been skipped. Please give her surgeon a break; if she had had more bruising and pain, then would she have "known" she got all the surgery she paid for? Still, there's that nagging doubt . . . Though tummy tucks are usually not pain-free, any surgeon will tell you... more
Richard H. Tholen, MD, FACS

Minneapolis Plastic Surgeon

www.mpsmn.com

+1

Painless tummy tuck: Was muscle tightened?

It surprises me that your friend is upset that she had an excellent outcome with no pain. Pain is a very subjective complaint with some patients experiencing minimal while others report excruciating pain with the exact same procedure being performed. The simplest would be for your friend to ask the doctor if a muscle plication was performed. Generally speaking, lying down with your friends arms at her side, ask her to lift her head using her stomach muscles only. You... more
Otto Joseph Placik, MD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon
+1

"How Do You Know if a Surgeon Did Muscle Plication During Tummy Tuck?

Regarding : "How Do You Know if a Surgeon Did Muscle Plication During Tummy Tuck? A friend is actually concerned because she experienced very minimal muscular pain after a full tummy tuck. Is it possible her surgeon either skipped it or did a poor job? He does have an excellent reputation and her stomach does look pretty flat, but she'd rather not challenge him if there is a reasonable explanation for the lack of pain." Believe it or not, the lack of Tummy Tuck pain... more
Peter A. Aldea, MD

Memphis Plastic Surgeon
+1

Muscle Plication May Be Accompanied by Minimal Pain

Pain is very diffucult to quantify and varies a great deal among patients.  If one needs to know whether or not  a plication was performed, a copy of the operative report could be requested.
John Whitt, MD

Louisville Plastic Surgeon

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