Push-ups After Mommy Makeover with Breast Augmentation?

I usually clear patients for full activity at 6 weeks as well, but push ups are specific exercises targeting the very muscles that were operated on.  Listen to your body and go slowly - it will come with time.   As for the implant movement, that is to be expected with submuscular placement.  At the end of the day, if you are happy with the surgical results, most people find that it is a reasonable trade-off to have some implant movement when strongly flexing the pec muscles.

The Mommy Makeover is a combination of procedures to bring a woman’s body back to the way she looked prior to pregnancy. Most commonly some variation of a #TummyTuck and #BreastSurgery are performed. Additional procedures can include liposuction, umbilical hernia repair.  The most common #breastprocedures include #mastopexy or #breastlift, #breastaugmentation, or #breastreduction.    

Healing after a  #tummytuck will require time. Some patients are out of bed and walking the night of surgery and every hour while awake. I allow my patients to return to work at one to two weeks with 14 days preferred.  However, no lifting or straining.  At three weeks, increased level of activity and full with no restrictions, at 6 weeks. #MummyTummy is a term given to modified tummy tucks which can use liposuction and skin tightening with radiofrequency such Vanquish, Vela3, thermage, thermiRF and others.  The actual fat contouring can be done non-surgically as well with #UltraShape or Cool-Sculpting.As I advise my patients, if your work keeps you sedentary, you may return whenever you feel up to it. If your work is strenuous, wait until your work activity does not cause any superficial pain. Some employers will modify a person’s job duties so they can back sooner, but without physical activity. Our office can provide our patients with a note stating they are not to engage in strenuous activity for a specified period of time. The note will not disclose what procedure they have underwent. Therefore, you may have to request a similar note from your surgeon if you are not independently employed. I recommend avoiding heavy lifting and strenuous #activity for six weeks following your surgery. With that said, it may help you plan your return to work accordingly.

As for heavy lifting and other #strenuous #activities, it should be avoided for until you have clearance from your surgeon. You may, however, do normal activities at any time if they cause no pain or #discomfort. Let your body tell you what you can or cannot do. Aerobic exercise will raise your blood pressure, which could cause late bleeding and harm your result. Once you begin exercising again, start gently and let your body tell you what it can tolerate. Don’t rush!!  If you have concerns about your healing, or pain that you question to be unusual, it is important to call your plastic surgeon to discuss these further asked to be examined.

Let your body be your guide at this point and work up to hard exercises. Your plastic surgeon will give you the best answer in your specific case. For most of my patients I allow sex to begin at 6 weeks with the woman on top to minimize the risk of trauma. Here are some fo the guidelines I give my patients: Following surgery, you will be walking in a bent-over position to keep tension off the newly tightened skin incision site. Although strenuous activity, and lifting more than ten pounds, must be avoided for 6 weeks, some people can return to work and daily activities as soon as 2 weeks after surgery. Softening of the surgical scars, return of sensation, and loosening of the tight sensation may take several months to a year or more. Abdominoplasty involves a recovery period of 10 to 14 days longer than most plastic surgical procedures. Initial discomfort and decreased mobility is typical. To decrease this discomfort, we offer a long acting local anesthetic. This numbing injection solution (Exparel) which lasts for 3-4 days allows for an easier recovery and is preferable to older pain pump technology. 3-5 days or more of assistance at home is usually indicated. We can arrange for a nurse to stay with you if helpful.You will be encouraged to move and walk regularly starting the day of surgery. Wearing your TED stockings at all times, except while washing, to prevent venous clots (deep vein thrombosis) is mandatory.Light activity is comfortable in 10-20 days. No sports or heavy lifting for 6 weeks or more – please discuss with your doctor for specific questions.

The mommy makeover procedure is a BIG surgery and
definitely takes a lot of time to completely recuperate from.Just because you are cleared for exercise at
6 weeks doesn’t mean that you will be good at it yet!! Patients frequently get
frustrated when they realize how much endurance and strength they have lost
during the downtime after a surgery.You
simply need to have patience and very gradually work back up to your usual
routines.In particular after a breast augmentation
the chest wall muscles take time to stretch and get used to the new “bulk”
under them.Be assured however that
eventually the muscles will stretch, the pain will subside, and you will be
back to doing your pushups, loving your arms, and also loving the look and feel
of your new breast and body.Take it a
day at a time, and let us know how you are feeling in another 2-3 months!

Six weeks after surgery, your body has generally healed to the extent that regular exercise can be resumed but it will take months for your body to return completely to normal.  Most symptoms resolve over time but if they persist, discuss your concerns with your PS at your next follow-up appointment.

Although you are 6 weeks out and healed you should back off when you have discomfort. I would recommend starting out with light weight dumbbells to exercise your arms and take it easy on the pectoralis (chest) muscles. This way you can start getting some exercise without straining your core muscles. Start with knee pushups when you give it another try and limit the number, most people take a while but get back to full strength. Good for you for staying fit!

This is not an uncommon phenomena when breast implants are placed beneath the muscle at the time of breast augmentation. Contraction of the chest muscles tends to displace the implants in a lateral direction. This can cause distortion of the breast and sometimes the pain and discomfort that you describe. With the passage of time these symptoms improve and the distortion becomes less noticeable as the muscle relaxes.
In the first six weeks following surgery, we do not recommend this type of aggressive physical activity. Repetitive muscle contraction and implant displacement might result in the implant being positioned in a lateral direction. This might ultimately result in the need for a secondary pocket revision.
After the first six weeks of recovery, we recommend gradual resumption of normal upper extremity physical activity. With the passage of time, patients are able to resume all of their normal activities. If you have concerns, it’s always appropriate to consult your plastic surgeon.

Congrats on your Mommy Makeover. The moving sensation is probably due to placement of the implants below your muscle. With contraction of the Pectoralis Major muscle, the implants will move. Typically, I have my patients wait 6-8 weeks to begin exercises like push ups. But, I remind them to take it slow, that the strength in the muscle will not be what it used to be and will have to be rebuilt. Try a half push-up first, on your knees and work up to full push-ups. Let pain be guide and taper off the exercises if it causes too much pain. It is best to keep your board certified plastic surgeon in the loop and follow his/her advice after a physical examination.

Unfortunately, because your implants were probably placed underneath the muscles this will continue to occur.  If it really bothers you the implants may have to be moved to "over the muscle."

Assuming your implants are under the muscle, there are some important things to keep in mind with exercise that involes the pecs such as pushups. In most cases part of the muscle is where it attaches to the ribs (unless split muscle technique was used.) That means that essentially half of the muscle is no longer functional and will pull on the implant capsule. (This is one of the reason animation deformities occur.) The part of the muscle that wasn't cut attaches along the sides of the breastbone (sternum) so when the muscle is flexed it will tend to push the implant to the side. In the long run you may be better off finding a new exercise to tone your arms.