I encourage my tummy tuck patients to ambulate the same day of surgery. But you will be walking in the flexed position. You should be able to walk upright/straight in approximately 7 days. Most of my tummy tuck patients are comfortable to go back to a desk job 10-14 days after surgery. If your work involves strenuous activity or heavy lifting, most surgeons recommend avoiding heavy lifting or strenuous activity for at least 5 weeks. In general, for most desk jobs, I advise patients to take 10-14 days off if possible so you can focus on your recovery and not on deadlines/clients/meetings.
Lastly, I recommend the use of long acting numbing medicine to numb out the muscle tightening. I utilize Exparel that can have numbness effects than can last up to 3-4 days.
Hope this is helpful.
Dr. Basu
Houston, TX
Best wishes,
Dr. Basu
Houston, TX