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Correlation Between Extent of Muscle Separation and Recovery?

I was wondering if there is correlation between the recovery /pain and the amount to which muscles are seperated ? Also, does the amount of skin removed matter ? Have the drs correlated any variables ( time under general , etc)in the surgery vs recovery ?

Doctor Answers (8)

Muscle separation and amount of skin to remove


The pain with plication comes from the plication ,i.e the muscle tightening . A very large diastasis could lead to  more tightness afterward but the pain is from the suture line. So coughing , sneezing , laughing will cause discomfort and pain. So my answer is no with one caveat . A very large diastasis could have more pain if extensive surgery is needed instead of the routine plication. The amount of skin removed does not matter with pain .

The only variables correlated with time under anesthesia would be nausea from anesthesia and DVT's . Recovery is person specific and how they handle pain. The goal is to get up and moving ASAP to avoid fever, DVT's and to get you back to your normal life. 


Correlation Between Extent of Muscle Separation and Recovery?


       In general, it does make sense intuitively that the greater the degree of plication the greater the discomfort for that individual.  Skin removal probably contributes less to the overall pain profile.  There is little to no research that has been published on these aspects.  Find a plastic surgeon with ELITE credentials who performs hundreds of tummy tuck procedures each year.  Then look at the plastic surgeon's website before and after photo galleries to get a sense of who can deliver the results.

Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

Muscle repair with tummy tuck and recovery


Almost all women who are candidates for a tummy tuck have significant abdominal wall and muscle weakness, which requires muscle repair. Obviously, repair of the muscle and removal of excess skin contribute to post-op pain, but there is adequate post-op pain medications that can make the procdure tolerable and successful.

S. Sean Younai, MD, FACS
Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon
4.5 out of 5 stars 33 reviews

Correlation Between Extent of Muscle Separation and Recovery?


There is no direct correlation between the "extent" of muscle separation and recovery. I have found ( anecdotally) is a patients who are physically, emotionally, psychosocially “fit” tend to do better with operations than patients who do not fit this description. In other words, patients who are positive and “glass half full” tend to have easier recoveries.  Regardless, these operations can  associated with physically and emotionally challenging recovery periods.  I have attached some advice I give my patients who are about to undergo tummy tuck or mommy makeover surgery:


I hope this helps.


More muscle separation might mean more recovery


There is no way to know for certain, though as a rule the more support and repair to the muscle the longer the recovery after TT. Also for the few that need no muscle repair, we would expect an easier go of it after TT.

Peter E. Johnson, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon
4.0 out of 5 stars 33 reviews

More work = more discomfort


It's of course patient dependent, but the more work that's done = more discomfort. Long acting pain injections and pain pumps do help.

good luck 

David Shifrin, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon
5.0 out of 5 stars 60 reviews

How Does the Tummy Tuck Belt Differ from the Bodylift?


The one factor that makes recovery easier is the occasional patient that needs no muscle repair. Otherwise, the patients' individual response seems to have more variability than other factors, as amount removed, time in OR, etc. 

Long acting local anesthetics can help (pain pumps with Marcaine, or injections with Exparel). 

Discuss with your surgeon. All the best. 

Muscle separation extent and recovery


Thank you for your question, while there aren't any studies to look at the specific question, anecdotally the most painful portion of an abdominoplasty procedure is the muscular work and the more extensive this portion is theoretically there is an increased period of pain and recovery. I have found dramatic decrease in pain with patients undergoing abdominoplasty in whom I have used a very long-lasting local anesthetic called Exparel. 

Kevin Tehrani, MD, FACS
New York Plastic Surgeon
5.0 out of 5 stars 50 reviews
