Will tummy tuck help alleviate back pain?

Question

I threw out my back and suffered a sacroillaic sprain two times after each pregnancy on the same side. I'm a PE teacher and athlete and I eat a very healthy. I work out my core 2-3xs per week but still feel twinges of pain in my lower back. I want to get rid of my pregnancy pooch but I also want relief from my back pain. My surgeon said it will help my back pain because my pelvis will be positioned correctly after he sews up the muscles but I want other surgeons opinions.

Richard G. Reish, MD, FACS · Answer

Hello and thank you for your question. I have had some patients with similar scenarios who have had relief of pain after a tummy tuck.  However, there is guarantee and no clear-cut mechanism for pain relief.  If you are an appropriate candidate for a tummy tuck, this can be done through a low and short
incision, all completely below the bikini line. 
The belly button can be designed to look natural and have no scars on
the exterior.   Your muscles can also be
plicated resulting in a flat abdomen.

Best wishes and good luck.
Richard G. Reish, M.D.
Harvard-trained plastic surgeon

Adam Tattelbaum, MD · Answer

Thanks for your question. If you have severe diastasis or muscle separation and a normal height and weight tummy tuck will usually succeed in bringing these core muscles together. While this may help there are so many different causes of back pain that I would not want to guarantee resolution to a patient. Tummy tuck won't solve spinal stenosis or a bulging disk. You may want to be evaluated by a spinal surgeon to rule out other causes. In general most patients get back pain after tummy tuck because they are walking bent for a few weeks. This usually resoves as the patient is able to stand upright. I'm glad your surgeon is optomistic, but only time will tell.Hope this is helpful and best wishes.

Ellen A. Mahony, MD · Answer

Hi there!It sounds like you're fit and in great shape but bothered by that bit of extra from the pregnancies.   If you're doing core 3x/week and maintaining good posture and weight, I believe you're on the right track for the back pain.  Sometimes a great physical therapist who works on pelvic manipulation of the SI joint can perform miracles.  I've strained the same area with weight lifting and found a PT who was of great help to meTummy Tucks are an excellent method for reshaping the abdomen/torso region but no sure cure for back pain.  Be sure to select the right solution for the right problem.Good luck!In good health,Ellen Mahony, MD

Usha Rajagopal, MD · Answer

It has been shown that abdominoplasties can improve overall core strength and thus relieve lower back pain. This is especially true if you have rectus muscle diastasis, or separation of rectus muscles. When that happens, you have a decrease in core strength, and that contributes to some lower back pain, and so reconstructing your rectus abdominus muscles to their original position can help improve lower back pain.

Richard A. D’Amico, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank you for this very observant question as it is very important to patients considering tummy tuck (abdominoplasty).
If a patient has a diastasis recti, which is a vertical gap between the left side and right side abdominal wall muscles, then greater stress is placed continually on the back.  Proper surgical repair of the muscles can restore the contribution of the abdominal muscles to stabilize your back.   Without repair of a significant diastasis, the back will always be under greater stress and will likely cause problems going forward.  This diagnosis requires a thorough physical examination and a careful history.
  
Restoring the physiologic balance in your torso is very important for your long-term health, especially in a busy active, athletic mom.  While you can never guarantee relief of pre-existing pain or problems, it certainly helps to take the pressure off the spine by restoring the integrity of the abdominal muscle wall in the front.  
  
Good Luck!

Rick Rosen, MD · Answer

The answer depends on how significant of a Diastasis Recti you have. You work out and as a PE teacher you know the correct exercises to help your core muscles. But if your Rectus Muscles are too far apart, then repair of that area "may" help your lower back pain. The other question is if you have a true anatomic problem with your back, which should be evaluated as well. Good luck.

Steven Wallach, MD · Answer

Back pain may not get better with surgery. Your contour should improve. I do not know of any scientific papers supporting that statement that back pain will improve.

Richard Mark Winters, MD · Answer

A tummy tuck is a cosmetic procedure.... in my practice, I often seize the opportunity to improve abdominal aesthetics at the time of a ventral hernia repair or even an abdominal wall reconstruction in patients with bonafide medical conditions....furthermore, usually I rebalance abdominal wall muscles at the time of a tummy tuck, but this does little to address the 'separate but related' issue of back paina while back, an orthopedic spine surgeon colleague of mine introduced me to an article extolling the virtues of the 'WARP' procedure (wide abdominal rectus plication) as a solution for certain types of back pain.... it never went anywhere!good luck...

Laura A. Sudarsky, MD (retired) · Answer

A tummy tuck is a cosmetic procedure done to improve loose skin, hanging belly skin, and the pesky pooch. On occasion back discomfort might improve when the excess tissue is removed, or the tummy muscles are tightened. I would not count on back pain improving after a tummy tuck, and certainly do not have the surgery done with this in mind. If there is an improvement after the tummy tuck, it is a perk, not an expectation.

Will tummy tuck help alleviate back pain?

Answers (9)

More Tummy Tuck Questions

WE SEND PRETTY
EMAILS

Answers (9)

More Tummy Tuck Questions

Tummy tuck, BBL & breast lift at the same time?

Diastasis recti or excess stomach fat? (Photo)

Shortness of breath and heart palpitations after tummy tuck.

I am 3 weeks post op from a liposuction and tummy tuck.

Does a tummy tuck prevent the ability to obtain 6-pack abs?

WE SEND PRETTY EMAILS

WE SEND PRETTY
EMAILS