One of the most frequent questions I get asked when I speak to patients about recovering after surgery is when they can exercise again. I love having active and healthy patients and strongly encourage exercise before and after surgery, but always spend a lot of time going over an exercise timeline to make sure it’s done safely. While you should ask your surgeon what his/her protocol is for exercising after surgery, here’s what I recommend:
1. Think of getting ready for surgery like training for a race or athletic event. The better shape you are going into surgery, the better shape you’ll be coming out of it. Having more muscle mass before surgery can help speed up the time it takes for swelling to go away afterward. And for certain procedures, such as tummy tucks, strengthening your core muscles before surgery can make it easier to get back into core exercises once you’re able to do them again after surgery.
2. Figure out what kind of special exercise gear you’re going to need for exercising after surgery and buy it before surgery so you’re ready. Depending on what type of surgery you’re having, you may be recommended to have compression garments or wear special types of bras. If you have whatever your surgeon has recommended at home in advance, as soon as you get the green light to exercise, you’ll be ready to start.
3. Consider restarting your exercise program with the help of a physical therapist or personal trainer. Even if you’ve carefully reviewed your exercise plan with your plastic surgeon, it can still often be helpful to enlist the help of an exercise professional for when you re-start. They may notice alignment or technique issues that they can point out to you to help your exercise be safer, or may be able to give you specific stretching or strengthening exercises based on the type of surgery you had. I personally refer almost all of my patients to physical therapy after surgery and many of them feel like they end up even stronger than they started thanks to their physical therapy.
4. Listen to your body. It seems obvious, but you know your body best. If a certain exercise is painful, or just doesn’t feel right, stop and ask your surgeon or physical therapist/personal trainer about it and make sure you’re not negatively impacting your surgical healing. Also, if you notice any concerning changes in your incisions or surgery site, contact your plastic surgeon to check in.