After having a Tummy Tuck, when will the muscle tone in the abdomen return to normal?

Question

What exercises are recommended over others after a tummy tuck to improve muscle tone?

Vishnu Rumalla, MD · Answer

I reccomend first that patients who have had tummy tucks wait at least three months before trying to strengthen their cores after the surgery. Next I am a fan of short crunches vs long jerky sit ups. Windmills are great for obliques and squats can help too. I however, do not like pilates or hyperextension yoga poses which try to stretch out the core. We worked to hard with the tummy tuck to tighten and shorten your abdomen. As always ask your plastic surgeon their opinion. Good luck.

Brent Moelleken, MD · Answer

Abdominal tone will not return on its own; it has to be built up with exercise.

	Tummy tucks do of course tighten the fascia, or deep layer.  However all this does is reduce the abdominal bulge.  It does not strengthen the abdominal muscles.  That is up to the patient.

	Rather than just do situps, it is best to consult with a competent physical trainer on how to build up the core.  Usually the surgeon will the go ahead 6 to 8 weeks postoperatively.

	most surgeons answering these posts are fine surgeons and this issue should not come up, but make sure your intended procedure will involve tightening of the full fascia all the way to the breast bone.  I have seen many patients over the years who did not have their fascias tightened during a tummy tuck, a shame since the surgeon has the fascia open and could easily have tightened it, and now the patient has a persistent bulge.

	Also there are full tightening tummy tucks now that can be performed through low or minimal incisions in the right patient.

Richard Baxter, MD · Answer

The muscles in the front of the abdomen go from the bottom of the rib cage to the pubic bone and contract vertically. Down the middle there is no muscle, and during pregnancy this area stretches so the muscles become separated and pushed to the side. Exercise will not pull them back to the middle, so a tummy tuck typically does that with sutures. Afterwards, the usual exrecise routine is needed to restore muscle tone since the surgery only re-aligns the muscles.

Steven Wallach, MD · Answer

I usually have patients wait about 6-8 weeks to start sit-ups to improve muscle tone after a tummy tuck.

Karol A. Gutowski, MD, FACS · Answer

While we say that the "muscle is tightened" during a tummy tuck, what really happens is that the connective tissue (called fascia) is tightened and the muscle follows the fascia. The muscle tone itself will not change with surgery. Tightening the fascia however, will improve an abdominal bulge and make the "tone" appear better.

Peter A. Aldea, MD · Answer

Pregnancy and Obesity do not affect muscle thickness or tone - lack of exercise does. We have all seen women who had several children but with training and exercising have not suffered muscle tone losses. We have more commonly seen the opposite where women become discouraged after pregnancy and stop training resulting in weaker muscle tone.

	A Tummy Tuck brings the split and separated 6 pack (Rectus) muscles back together flattening the abdomen and narrowing the waist. The operation does not increase the muscle strength, it just puts the muscles together.

	After waiting 4 weeks before going to the gym you may return to moderate exertion. I ask my patients not to focus on abdominal exams as soon as they return to the gym but to ease into it gradually.

Tom J. Pousti, MD · Answer

Thank you for the question.

	The muscle tone per se is not affected by tummy tuck surgery. During this procedure the abdominal wall rectus  muscles are usually sutured together in the midline ( reconstructing anatomy that has changed with pregnancy and/or weight loss).

	After a period of approximately 6 to 8 weeks patients are able to start gentle abdominal wall  muscle exercises as tolerated. As time goes on patients are able to resume complete "core' exercises/ strengthening.

	I hope this helps.

Ronald H. Stefani Jr, MD (retired) · Answer

The muscle tone of your abdomen following a tummy tuck will respond to your usual muscle strengthening exercises. Abdominoplasty with muscle tightening helps to reinforce the central muscle wall and prevent the gap between the muscles on the left and right sides of your abdomen. Relocating the muscles centrally improves the chance that your natural muscle tone will more effectively flatten your tummy shape. Once the muscle heals from the surgical procedure you can really start abdominal muscle strengthening exercises. I usually do not allow an "ab" workout until about 3 months after surgery. I hope this information is helpful.

Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS (retired) · Answer

Every surgeon will have their own preferences with this so ask your own doctor for their recommendation. I personally feel that after 8 weeks, the healing of the muscle repair is strong enough to begin to wake the abs up and start to exercise. Start easy and work your way up.

Bruce K. Barach, MD (retired) · Answer

i ask my tummytuck patients to avoid activities that stress the abdominal wall for 6 weeks after abdominoplasty surgery. after that period , they are encouraged to very gradually resume normal activities including exercise and most are back to normal in another month or so.

After having a Tummy Tuck, when will the muscle tone in the abdomen return to normal?

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Answers (11)

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