by Nurse Shannon
Exercise and Breast Implants
Exercise and movement is medicine, for both our physical and mental health. One of the important parts of my role Nurse practitioner on the Breast team, is guiding patients through the different stages f the recovery process. For a lot of patients knowing that you will have to modify your lifestyle temporarily can be anxiety provoking. My goal is to always provide as much insight to patients throughout this time and make it as seamless for them as possible. Exercise and activity restrictions are important to abide by. They are recommended for your safety, to let your body heal and to ensure you have the best aesthetic outcome possible. Because I love working out so much and going to workout classes. I really enjoy the opportunity to provide guidance to patients about exercise after surgery!
We get it! We are just like you. Exercise is important to us too!
We want to help you get back to your exercise routine as quickly and as safely as possible.
Top 3 Exercises NPS Patients Do
- Tracy Anderson
- 2. Pilates (Both reformer and mat Pilates)
- 3. Personal training
If you are super into Tennis or Rock Climbing or anything specific, please reach out so we can customize your plan to your favorite sport.
A common myth after having breast augmentation is that you cannot move you arms over your head for weeks after. In fact, we recommend doing over the head arm movements as soon as you are awake in recovery! We describe these arm exercises as doing a “jumping jack without the jack”. This done by raising the arms over head in a slow, controlled manner. It is recommended to do reps of 10 at a time as tolerated. The benefit of starting these exercises right after surgery is that they help relieve pressure and tightness. A common symptom experienced after a breast augmentation.
Each Type of Breast Operation Has Different Guidelines for Exercise!
Breast Augmentation
We recommend 1 week off from exercise, intense cardio and weighted chest exercises. We ask that you avoid lifting more than 10 lbs for 1 week. Walking is encouraged, weather you prefer to talk outside or on a treadmill.
At the 1 week mark you can resume intense cardio and all exercises as tolerated. We recommend easing back into exercise with starting with a stationary bike ride!
If your implants are placed under the muscle when you start to return chest exercises, there are some differences in terms of feeling when compared to over the muscle placement. With under the muscle placement, when you flex or engage your chest muscles you will feel the, muscle contract over the implant. This a normal occurrence, that will feel different at first, but you will get used to it over time. Important to know when you experience that sensation, no damage will occur to the implant.
Breast Lift, Breast Augmentation with a Breast Lift, or Galaflex (The internal bra)
No intense cardio , bouncing and weighted chest exercises for 6 weeks. We ask that you refrain from living small children for 1 week. 6 weeks of off exercise feels like a long time and can seem daunting to someone who is very active. However, walking is encouraged. You can go for long walks or walk on the treadmill on an incline as long as you are not bouncing. Another tip to feel active while recovering is you can wear 1-2 lb ankle weights on your walk.
I really hope this information helps you on your breast augmentation journey. If you have any questions please email me at shannon@neinsteinplasticsurgery.com.