After a body massage I have pain under and around my implants. Did the massage or laying on my belly hurt my implants?

The recovery after surgery is a topic I spend a lot of time on during the initial consultation with my breast augmentation patients. I ask to limit all physical activity for three weeks after surgery. The patient is asked to massage gently at four weeks.

Thank you for sharing your question.  Laying on your implants with pressure applied to your back may cause some mild musculoskeletal pain and soreness to develop which should improve within a day or two.  If there has been a change to your breast appearance or the pain persists, see your board certified plastic surgeon in consultation to ensure all is well.

Thank you for your question.  A fully body massage may have, in fact, caused you to have sore muscles.  It would be unlikely that your implants are damaged because of a massage.  Should the pain continue, best to consult with your physician.  Good Luck.

A vigorous massage could surely create some soreness in the areas you describe. However the integrity the implants would not be jeopardized by even the most vigorous of massages.

I agree that if there was no significant change in the stiffness or position of the implants everything should be OK. Most patients are able to sleep on their stomachs as little as 4-6 weeks after surgery.  I'm not sure how often you get body massages, although a possibility is that some irregular pressure was put on the muscles surrounding your implant during the massage and the muscles were stretched - resulting in muscle soreness for that area. I would not be worried but if the pain persists and you want more information I suggest calling your board certified plastic surgeon or scheduling an appointment with him or her. Best wishesJaime Perez, MDBreast Augmentation SpecialistPlastic Surgery Center of Tampa

One of the advantages of saline implants is the ability to know if they fail.  If there is a problem with the saline implant shell, even a pinhole, the implants will deflate to the point of detection within a week.  The implant shells are reasonably resilient and generally it takes more than just pushing against them to cause them to fail.  I am always concerned about new pain, especially in the first weeks postop, but if the appearance and feel of the breast are unchanged and the tenderness resolves, it is most likely there is no problem.  I encourage my patients to come in to see me for a quick visit if there is any concern.

It's unlikely that you hurt your implants because you have not noticed any specific change in them. However, it's always best to be re-evaluated in person by your plastic surgeon. My patients tell me they can lay comfortably on their belly as early as three weeks after surgery, get massages by the sixth week and mammograms by three months. The implants are very durable. Hope this is reassuring. For more information on this and similar topics, I recommend a plastic surgery Q&A book like "The Scoop On Breasts: A Plastic Surgeon Busts the Myths."

Thank you for your question. It is unlikely the damage of implants. May be muscular because you are on stomach for sometime. You have saline implants, if they rupture that side is going to be flat. I would recommend to keep an eye and it continue to bother seek a evaluation from your Physician.

It is unlikely that a full body massage would "hurt" your breast implants. People often feel some tenderness following a brisk massage. If, however, the pain persists, or if they change in shape or softness, you should see your surgeon for follow up and exam.