Pulled A Muscle!

oh so swish · 10-09-2007, 07:28 PM

Im not sure exactly what I did. I am 11 days post op and I seemed to have pulled a muscle on my right side. Every time I use my right arm or roll my shoulders back or anything. The muscle squeezes so hard. It hurts. Makes it hard to function. It feels so much tighter then the other side. The only thing I remember doing was bending over to the right holding a box. But that must have done something to me, Cause it hurt at the time! Any Ideas how to relax the muscle and or relieve the pain????????

moondance · 10-09-2007, 07:57 PM

Hey -
I'm a massage therapist, and I <might> be able to give you some advice, but need some more info...
So, you said you pulled a muscle on your right side...is it in the front, like a pec muscle, or on your back - like between your shoulder blades and your spine?
Either way - a warm shower/bath will probably help. I think you are far enough post-op for that? And, you can alternate heat & ice. Usually the rule of thumb is heat for a chronic injury & ice for an acute injury - but you can see what helps to alleviate the pain. Warmth will probably do more to relax the muscle.
It's funny, because I was actually going to ask my PS about getting massages after breast augmentation (my breast augmentation day is 11/12). I was thinking that most of us probably have a lot of tightness in our back & shoulders while recovering due to all the compensation we have to do while our pecs recover. (which is what I'm guessing is what happened to you...)
Maybe you could ask your PS if you could get a massage...if you don't know of any qualified massage therapists in your area (if forgot to look to see where you live!), you can check this website to find a certified massage therapist near you.
Hope that helps and that you feel better soon - let me know if you have any other questions!

oh so swish · 10-09-2007, 09:13 PM

Thank you soooo much. It is definitly a peck muscle...i think. It tightens up in the front. Lower breast almost in between. So is that chronic or acute? Warm or hot. I will try a hot shower that sounds good. I really appreicaite your expert advice!

moondance · 10-09-2007, 09:59 PM

Glad to help!

I'm guessing you had unders - so it would make sense to me that it is a pectoral (pec) muscle that you pulled. Just from the stretching from the implants alone, the muscles are under a lot of new stress, let alone trying to start moving around like a normal person again. The pec muscles attach to your sternum (the bone in between your breasts) - so that's probably why you are feeling it there. Often, when a muscle is pulled, people feel it at one of the attachment sites.

Given that it is a new "injury" - it would kinda be considered acute (meaning ice). But, you can probably alternate warm & cold and see what kind of relief you get. And, of course, check with your PS to make sure this all makes sense/and that it's nothing more serious.

And, now that I know this sounds more like a pec issue - getting a massage is probably not an option to help resolve this one!

If it was your back, that might be a more viable option.

Let me know how it goes!

LisaPSL · 10-10-2007, 07:24 AM

My ps actually recommended a professional massage to get my muscle to relax in my righty so it would drop. I have not been yet but it sure does sound good!!

moondance · 10-10-2007, 09:19 AM

Interesting...

My PS asked me at myt first consult if I might be interested in working at her practice as a massage therapist. She kind of has the medspa/plastic surgery thing going. I'm pretty much waiting 'til after my breast augmentation to get the ball rolling...just trying to maintain my current practice right now, and then really ramp things up once I'm recovered.

But, it's very cool to know that there are PS's who do recommend massage to aid in recovery. It makes perfect sense to me.

Thanks for the info!

amber · 10-10-2007, 09:26 AM

What kind of massages do you have to do? I don't have mt surgery till December 18th.

moondance · 10-10-2007, 09:47 AM

Well, I think we're talking about two different things. One thing is the implant massage, which some PS's recommend. It's self massage of your implants post-op to try to prevent scar tissue from forming.

What I'm wondering about is the therapeutic effect of general massage post-op, just to help whole body relax and recover. I think that all of our other muscles will be affected just because we'll have to compensate while we aren't using our pec muscles for a while.

Does that help?

10-09-2007, 07:28 PM	#1
oh so swish Join Date: May 2007 Location: Walnut Creek, California Posts: 106 Thanks: 84 Thanked 28 Times in 28 Posts	Pulled A Muscle! Im not sure exactly what I did. I am 11 days post op and I seemed to have pulled a muscle on my right side. Every time I use my right arm or roll my shoulders back or anything. The muscle squeezes so hard. It hurts. Makes it hard to function. It feels so much tighter then the other side. The only thing I remember doing was bending over to the right holding a box. But that must have done something to me, Cause it hurt at the time! Any Ideas how to relax the muscle and or relieve the pain????????

10-09-2007, 07:57 PM	#2
moondance Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Suburbs of Chicago, Illinois Posts: 144 Thanks: 30 Thanked 68 Times in 55 Posts	Hey - I'm a massage therapist, and I <might> be able to give you some advice, but need some more info... So, you said you pulled a muscle on your right side...is it in the front, like a pec muscle, or on your back - like between your shoulder blades and your spine? Either way - a warm shower/bath will probably help. I think you are far enough post-op for that? And, you can alternate heat & ice. Usually the rule of thumb is heat for a chronic injury & ice for an acute injury - but you can see what helps to alleviate the pain. Warmth will probably do more to relax the muscle. It's funny, because I was actually going to ask my PS about getting massages after breast augmentation (my breast augmentation day is 11/12). I was thinking that most of us probably have a lot of tightness in our back & shoulders while recovering due to all the compensation we have to do while our pecs recover. (which is what I'm guessing is what happened to you...) Maybe you could ask your PS if you could get a massage...if you don't know of any qualified massage therapists in your area (if forgot to look to see where you live!), you can check this website to find a certified massage therapist near you. Hope that helps and that you feel better soon - let me know if you have any other questions! Last edited by moondance; 10-09-2007 at 08:11 PM.

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10-09-2007, 09:13 PM	#3
oh so swish Join Date: May 2007 Location: Walnut Creek, California Posts: 106 Thanks: 84 Thanked 28 Times in 28 Posts	Thank you soooo much. It is definitly a peck muscle...i think. It tightens up in the front. Lower breast almost in between. So is that chronic or acute? Warm or hot. I will try a hot shower that sounds good. I really appreicaite your expert advice!

10-09-2007, 09:59 PM	#4
moondance Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Suburbs of Chicago, Illinois Posts: 144 Thanks: 30 Thanked 68 Times in 55 Posts	Glad to help! I'm guessing you had unders - so it would make sense to me that it is a pectoral (pec) muscle that you pulled. Just from the stretching from the implants alone, the muscles are under a lot of new stress, let alone trying to start moving around like a normal person again. The pec muscles attach to your sternum (the bone in between your breasts) - so that's probably why you are feeling it there. Often, when a muscle is pulled, people feel it at one of the attachment sites. Given that it is a new "injury" - it would kinda be considered acute (meaning ice). But, you can probably alternate warm & cold and see what kind of relief you get. And, of course, check with your PS to make sure this all makes sense/and that it's nothing more serious. And, now that I know this sounds more like a pec issue - getting a massage is probably not an option to help resolve this one! If it was your back, that might be a more viable option. Let me know how it goes!

10-10-2007, 07:24 AM	#5
LisaPSL Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Port Saint Lucie, Florida Posts: 456 Thanks: 297 Thanked 187 Times in 166 Posts	My ps actually recommended a professional massage to get my muscle to relax in my righty so it would drop. I have not been yet but it sure does sound good!!

10-10-2007, 09:19 AM	#6
moondance Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Suburbs of Chicago, Illinois Posts: 144 Thanks: 30 Thanked 68 Times in 55 Posts	Interesting... My PS asked me at myt first consult if I might be interested in working at her practice as a massage therapist. She kind of has the medspa/plastic surgery thing going. I'm pretty much waiting 'til after my breast augmentation to get the ball rolling...just trying to maintain my current practice right now, and then really ramp things up once I'm recovered. But, it's very cool to know that there are PS's who do recommend massage to aid in recovery. It makes perfect sense to me. Thanks for the info!

10-10-2007, 09:26 AM	#7
amber Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 48 Thanks: 0 Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts	What kind of massages do you have to do? I don't have mt surgery till December 18th.

10-10-2007, 09:47 AM	#8
moondance Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Suburbs of Chicago, Illinois Posts: 144 Thanks: 30 Thanked 68 Times in 55 Posts	Well, I think we're talking about two different things. One thing is the implant massage, which some PS's recommend. It's self massage of your implants post-op to try to prevent scar tissue from forming. What I'm wondering about is the therapeutic effect of general massage post-op, just to help whole body relax and recover. I think that all of our other muscles will be affected just because we'll have to compensate while we aren't using our pec muscles for a while. Does that help?