Muscle Healing After Tummy Tuck

Following surgery, you walk in a bent-over position to keep tension off the newly tightened skin incision site. Although strenuous activity, and lifting more than ten pounds, must be avoided for 6 weeks, some people can return to work and daily activities as soon as 2 weeks after surgery. Softening of the surgical scars, return of sensation, and loosening of the tight sensation may take several months to a year or more.Abdominoplasty involves a recovery period of 10 to 14 days longer than most plastic surgical procedures. Initial discomfort and decreased mobility is typical. 3-5 days or more of assistance at home is usually indicated. Light activity is comfortable in 10-20 days. No sports or heavy lifting for 6 weeks or more. Excess swelling may indicate too much activity. Do not plan on resuming aerobic or strenuous exercise for about 6 weeks after surgery. Your surgeon will guide you as to the specific time to resume key physical activities and sports.

Good question.  Unfortunately, I cannot give you an exact answer.  Each surgeon does a different type of muscle repair and uses different sutures.  I close the muscle in two layers including one layer of permanent suture.  I thus feel confident in all lowing my patients to resume lifting at the gym within 4 weeks and reasonably strenuous work-out by six weeks with a binder on. 

I have my patients start to get back to exercise at 6 weeks.  The muscles are not cut or damaged but the tissue encasing the muscles is what is tightened. You can start depending on what you doc says and listen to your body.

Healing after tummy tuck surgery can take up to a year.  Physical limitations should be reviewed with your surgeon at your post op apointment. 

Though you should first contact your physicians office for their recommendation, we allow our patients to begin physical exercise starting 6 weeks after surgery assuming their recovery is as expected.