Should I be Moving Around Immediately After Breast Augmentation?

there are no set answers because medicine is a biologic science not a physical science. there are variations in everything patients, healing abilities  etc.  in a perfect world surgeons would have you do nothing after any surgery so thye healing would be better. however this can cause the blood clots we are all afraid of.  life gets in the way. most people have to go to work , raise kids etc... so we all have to compromise.  i tell people no more than 10-15 lbs of lifting for 10-days to 2 weeks .  my 2 most recent hematomas were after bowling at a week and amorous activity at 10 days.  common sense is really important!!

Unfortunately, not every issue in plastic surgery is clear cut. There are many gray areas and for this reason, plastic surgeons don't always share the same philosophies.In the case of upper extremity movement, two schools of thought have developed. Some surgeons feel that early movement decreases the potential for post-operative bleeding, while others feel that early movement actually increases the potential for bleeding. Unfortunately, there aren't studies available to clarify this issue.It's also not unusual for surgeons to recommend early ambulation to avoid the development of deep venous thrombosis in the port-operative period. These blood clots can potentially have fatal consequences. Although each surgeon's protocols may have slight differences, they all recognize the importance of early ambulation following surgery.It's important to discuss these issues with your surgeon prior to surgery. Your surgeon has protocols in place that have worked in the context of his surgical approach to breast hypoplasia. It's not unusual for these protocols to vary from surgeon to surgeon.

Every surgeon has different guidelines and advice. This is based on their expertise and the specific details of your surgery. For example, this is what I normally recommend:For the first three days restrict your arm movements and leisurely walk around.After three days, you can begin doing non-strenuous activities except lifting.You can start exercising at 3 weeks but wait 6 weeks before doing upper body training and more strenuous activities.

It it normal to get up and move around immediately after any type of surgery whether it is a breast augmentation, abdominoplasty, or facelift. It is important to do that to prevent significant post-operative complications including pneumonia, deep vein thrombosis, and other major complications. However, the most important aspect is to not increase your heart rate above 100 after any type of surgery for at least 2 weeks. After breast augmentation, it is important to move your upper extremities early after surgery and you can shower usually after 24 hours. You can resume most physical activities in 2-3 weeks.

First and foremost, you should follow your doctor's orders. After breast augmentation, I generally tell my patient to avoid sports, strenuous activity, and heavy lifting for 4-6 weeks. This can be a longer or shorter period of time depending on how the patient is healing. Immediately after the surgery (the first 48 hours), it is best to take it easy. Getting up to go to the restroom and light walking is good but it is very important not to jump back into normal activity. The first two weeks should generally be spent resuming light activity. Good luck in your recovery.

What type of activity should I be doing following breast augmentation? Thanks so much for your question. While it’s always best to follow your specific surgeons recommendations following surgery I ask my patients to do the following: I think it’s important to not have stiffness and soreness following breast augmentation especially if the implants are placed in a sub muscular pocket. With that said, if you place an artificial device under your pec muscle it tends to spasm. So I instruct my patients to raise their arms over their head every hour while they are awake after surgery. I want them to get up and move around but I don’t want them to be strenuous with their activities. It’s important to get good sleep. After three weeks I let them resume limited exercise. After six weeks they can resume full activity.  Ice is absolutely fine. I would avoid any heat as you can burn yourself due to the limited sensation. 

Getting up in the middle of the night, while you should be sleeping, doesn’t sound logical to me. Yes, during the day you should walk around a bit to prevent blood clot formation is important but at night, you should be able to sleep through the night without waking up every couple hours. This can actually compromise your recovery because it’s while your sleeping at night when your body repairs your body most effectively.

However, your surgeon knows your situation the best so it’s probably better to listen to them. Of course you can ask questions to find out why they gave you this advice, though.

Stay ambulatory is good for the circulation and prevention of DVT.  However, after breast augmentation too much movement in the first several days after breast augmentation should be avoided to reduce the risk of seroma and hematoma.  This risk reduces progressively so that light housework can be resume in 2 weeks and heavy work recommenced at 6 weeks.

Yes it is confusing and it is best to follow your doctor's advice as it works for her or him.   That being said, I encourage my patients to get up and out of bed.  I do not ask them to wake up every 2 hours and I think you may have misunderstood your surgeon.  You heed your rest to heal properly.   If it hurts dont do it is my approach.  I allow my patients to put their arms where ever they please.    Good Luck!  Dr Grant Stevens

I usually advise people to get out of bed and move around. I usually have patients limit there upper body activity for the first couple of weeks