Throwing a ball 4 weeks post op breast augmentation. Could I have hurt my recovery?

Thank you for your question.  Although post operative instructions do vary from one plastic surgeon to another, I advise my patients to not lift anything greater than 15 pounds for a full 4 weeks.  Walking is permitted and encouraged.  After 4 weeks recovery, my advice is to return to normal activity as tolerated. Should you have any increased swelling or pain, my advice would be to follow up with your plastic surgeon for an evaluation.  Good luck.

After breast implant surgery, I advise the patients to take one week off from work.  At that point we take out their stitches and teach them the implant massage technique.  We suggest 5 times per day with the massage and no bra for one month.  The patients may return to work, but may not engage in any strenuous activity.  At one month, the patients start to wear a soft cup bra with no underwire and can start low impact cardio.  At two months they can wear an underwire bra and engage in more strenuous physical activity.  Breast massage continues forever, although only once per day.

Thanks for your question.While every surgeon has different post op instructions, it is recommended to wait until 6 weeks post op to do anything vigorous. Please check with your surgeon to ensure proper healing.You can learn more on our social media (Instagram and Snapchat): @realdrsix.

Regards,

Hi Plstcperfection,Thanks for sharing your question with us,It is very tempting to get back to your normal routine, however in general  post operative protocols differ, in most cases, by week 6 – Most of your swelling should have subsided. Start to introduce light upper body exercise into your routine such as lower weight and reps. Don’t push your body beyond its comfort levels. It takes time to heal fully.Every Surgeons recommendations differ, I would advise to have your follow up, this will give you the chance to discuss your progress.Hope this helpsAll the best

Dear plstcperfection,based on your description, it sounds like you did no harm so your final results should not be affected. Every plastic surgeon has his own postoperative protocol which he recommends to his patients. I would suggest you to discuss this with your plastic surgeon.Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

plstcperfection. I appreciate your concern, but you should be fine. I usually ask my breast augmentation patients to refrain from any heavy lifting or strenuous activity for a solid four weeks after surgery, and you are pretty much there. Check in with your plastic surgeon to confirm my advice. Good luck.

By three weeks, the collagen has regained about 30% of full tensile strength.  The tissues cannot be pulled apart. If you are healing normally, you should be able to have unrestricted activity.  At three weeks we tell out patients to burn their surgical bras, start them on massage exercises, and allow unrestricted activity.

Sounds like your ball throwing probably did no harm. In general I would follow your surgeons guidelines in returning to activities. He knows how much he released your muscle and how long recovery needs to be. Good luck.

Thank you for sharing your excellent question. At nearly four weeks out you likely did not do any damage to your results, especially if you have not seen or felt a change in your outcome.  Should you have any difficulties, talk to your surgeon, they are in the best position to help you.

You should be fine with this activity at 4 weeks postop. We plastic surgeons all do thing somewhat differently from one another so it is wise to follow your surgeon's timetable for activities.