Sports After Surgery: When Is It Safe?

If you’re looking for face, breast, or body cosmetic surgery or non-surgical operations, you need to be mindful of how soon you can resume an active lifestyle that includes sports after the procedure.

Your surgeon will tell you that it’s important to give your body enough time to heal after your surgery, and getting out on the field, on the rink, or on the exercise bike too soon can potentially jeopardize the healing process and deal you an unnecessary setback.

In order to help you to gauge how soon you can safely get back to sports after surgery, we’ve provided the following guidelines. These tips will be helpful, but they’re not a replacement for whatever specific post-operation regimen your plastic surgeon recommends for you.

Two Days After Procedure

You should refrain from any activity that is even remotely sporty for at least a couple of days following your procedure. The extent of your surgery – such as under the knife for an invasive procedure, or an injection for a non-invasive procedure – will potentially increase the amount of down time you require after the operation.

First Several Weeks Post-Surgery

For the first few weeks following plastic surgery, you can increase, bit by bit, your activity level as you feel your energy returning to pre-surgery levels. As a general rule of thumb, you may need up to six weeks to get back to normal energy level; don’t rush things, though, because your body will need sufficient time to heal after the surgery.

If you absolutely feel compelled to exercise, then opt for non-rigorous cardio such as strolling through the community or walking on a treadmill set at a slow level. Basically, you want to experience the psychological benefits of exercise while not getting your heart rate up too high. If you have any questions on this front, consult your plastic surgeon.

Trust the Surgeon

As you start to heal post-surgery, your surgeon will be able to guide you until you are ready to get back to life as per usual. Trying to do too much too soon can deal you a setback that can compromise the success achieved during the surgery. So take it easy, remember the aforementioned tips and, most important, follow your surgeon’s instructions to the letter. If you do these things, you will increase the odds of a successful post-procedure period.