Right after getting breast surgery, you’ll feel like a new you. You’d want your body to be in its best possible shape. And if some fatty deposits in different areas of the body are coming in your way, you’d want to start exercising almost immediately after surgery.

However, you need to hold your horses.

Sure, exercising is the epitome of a healthy lifestyle, and you should do it every day, but soon after surgery, exercise can essentially deplete all your energy. On one end, your body is trying to heal, and on the other, you’re exerting yourself beyond what would be considered safe.

You need to take some rest and give your body time to heal. There are other reasons why you should not exercise after breast surgeries.

Why You Shouldn’t Exercise Right After Breast Surgery?

Other than the fact that you’ll get tired and delay healing, you can end up displacing your implants if you had a breast augmentation. If the implant is behind the chest muscles, the contraction can move the implant out of place.

It can also make your breasts droop. Strenuous physical activity can also leave you in severe pain following the surgery.

Not just that, but the stretching, pulling motion can end up reopening the wounds, which can also cause bleeding. Infection is another risk, where the accumulation of sweat and grime on the incision site can result in the festering of bacteria.

It can also raise your blood pressure which can cause bleeding 3 weeks after the surgery.

Lastly, you can end up rupturing your implant as a result of exercising, and you’d need to have another surgery to get them replaced. You need to avoid all vigorous exercise for at least 6 weeks after getting breast surgery.

To get an idea of whether or not your recovery is proceeding normally, you can look at the breast surgery before and after of patients.

Which Exercises Can Help Your Recovery Process?

You should literally begin by taking small steps. Walks are a great way to promote blood circulation and speed up the recovery process. You can also do some light stretches without putting too much staring on the surgical area.

Two weeks after the surgery, you can do low-intensity cardio. That means you can walk on the treadmill or pedal an exercise bike. It’s better if you exercise in the early morning when it isn’t too hot so that you don’t sweat as much.

When Is the Best Time To Get Back To Your Normal Exercise Routine?

It is recommended that you at least wait till 6 weeks for high-intensity cardio, which includes bench presses, swimming, running, push-ups, squats, etc. However, you should make sure to listen to your body.

If you’re tired, in pain, or not comfortable, you should not try exercising for at least 2 more weeks. You need to take things slow and ease into heavy exercise.

When you do start exercising, make sure to wear a support bra with the right fit so that your breasts are supported adequately. Also, before resuming exercise, make sure to consult with your plastic surgeon.

That’s because each patient is unique, and the recovery time can vary depending on the type of incisions made, the area of placement of implants, and the type of implant. If you had more than one surgery like a breast lift with breast augmentation, you may have to wait longer to resume workouts.

If you’re a professional sportsperson who plays contact sports, it’s better for you to wear chest padding to keep your breasts protected. Make sure to ask your surgeon when you can resume it.

What You Can Do To Speed Up the Recovery Process?

Your surgeon will provide you with aftercare instructions. Make sure to follow those. If you smoke or drink excessively, you’ll delay healing. You need to have a healthy diet and stay hydrated.

You may have to wear a special support bra for a few weeks to a month after the surgery. Doing all these things will fast track your recovery so that you can bounce back into your old exercise routine.

Conclusion

After any kind of surgery, you’ll feel tired. It’s important that you take a step back from things and give your body time to heal so that you can recover quickly and go back to your gym in full strength. Trying to exercise right after the surgery will only delay the healing, and you’ll have to wait even longer to start exercising.

-Terry Asher