Great question. Many people want to resume exercise as soon as possible after surgery, but its important to allow adequate time for incisions to heal. Typically by 4 weeks, you can resume light activity (ie walking). More vigorous activity (ie yoga) which involves more stretching of the arms and armpit areas (think "down dog", "warrior poses" etc.), will require a longer time to resume, usually 6 - 8 weeks. Before resuming any exercise program after surgery, check with your surgeon to make sure that everything has healed properly and your cleared for exercise. As hard as it is, always err on the side of caution. If it hurts, hold off another week. Remember to listen to your body. Good luck.
How Long After a Full Brachioplasty Can Arm Exercise, Specifically Yoga, Be Resumed?
Doctor Answers 11
I usually ask my patients from exercising (running, jogging) for 3-4 weeks. If you are going to do vigorous exercise or stretching (yoga), I would ask you to wait for 6 weeks. Postoperative care/recommendation varies slightly among plastic surgeons. It would be better if you be seen by your plastic surgeon and be cleared by him/her prior to certain exercise. Best wishes.
Learn more: http://www.drkimplasticsurgery.com
A brachioplasty is essentially an upper arm lift. In this procedure, the excess hanging skin and fat in the upper arm is removed. Its the procedure used to correct the common "bat wing" of skin that manifests in patients who have lost a significant amount of weight. Most of my patients are able to get back to a desk job 5-7 days after surgery. However, I recommend no heavy lifting or strenuous activity for 3-4 weeks. If an upper trunk lift is involved, I may recommend holding off working out (heavy lifting/strenuous activity) for 5-6 weeks. I generally recommend compression garments for about 3-4 weeks after surgery.
Best wishes,
Dr. Basu
Houston, TX
Learn more: http://www.basuplasticsurgery.com
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It takes about 6 weeks for healing incisions to reach 90% of their ultimate "bursting strength," and for that reason most surgeons recommend 6 weeks before heavy exertion of the affected areas. If you avoid positions that cause discomfort, you should be in a safe zone of activity. Specific questions are best addressed to your surgeon, who has followed your recovery.
All the best.
Thank you for asking about arm exercise after your arm lift.
- After an arm lift, walking is usually fine after 1 week, aerobic exercise and yoga are fine after 6 weeks.
- It make take 8-10 weeks to do exercises like downward dog that put pressure on the arms.
- Best guide - if it is uncomfortable, stop doing it. And follow your surgeon's advice. Best wishes.
Limited activity after a brachioplasty is okay after just one week, for more vigorous activity I would wait 3 - 4 weeks. Follow your plastic surgeons recommendations when it comes to resumption of normal activities and especially exercise.
Recovery following brachioplasty will involve limited activity for 2-3 weeks after surgery. Return to physical exercise will then likely be slow and progressive over a few weeks. The exact amount of time will likely vary depending upon the rate of healing. A compression sleeve is recommended for about six weeks after surgery to reduce swelling and help recontouring. The medial arm heals differently than other body areas, and scarring may take 12-24 months to improve.
Best wishes. Ken Dembny
Learn more: http://www.drdembny.com
Brachiooplasty recovery varies from patient to patient and depends upon a variety of factors including the type of procedure performed, the patient's wound healing characteristics and the patient's overall health.
The vast majority of patients are able to resume normal activities in 2 to 3 weeks following surgery. Strenuous activity, yoga and heavy lifting should be avoided for at least 6 to 8 weeks following this procedure.
If you're considering brachioplasty, it's important to discuss post-operative activity with your plastic surgeon. Your surgeon should be able to outline an exercise regimen that doesn't adversely impact your surgical result.
The basic rule of thumb with regards to exercise is to wait 6 weeks in order to resume regular exercise, including the gym and weight lifting. This is not to say that you cannot do light exercise at 3 or 4 weeks, however, as most people know, yoga is not to be considered light work out. Therefore, I would suggest you wait the full 6 weeks. All the best.
After a full brachioplasty, it usually takes four to six weeks to resume exercise, specifically yoga.
These answers are for educational purposes and should not be relied upon as a substitute for medical advice you may receive from your physician. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911. These answers do not constitute or initiate a patient/doctor relationship.
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