Study Finds Pain Treatment Decreases Recovery Time for Tummy Tucks

A new study found that a combination of nerve blocks and long-acting local anesthetics given before surgery decrease pain for recovering tummy tuck patients, making recovery easier and resulting in less downtime after surgery.

Dr. Lu-Jean Feng, a microvascular plastic and reconstructive surgeon, looked at the charts of patients who underwent an abdominoplasty over a ten year period. Seventy-seven patients were treated with the numbing solution, which works by blocking pain impulses between the abdomen and brain, while 20 patients (the control group) were not. The study found that compared to the control group, those who received nerve blocks:

• Had significantly less pain
• Required significantly less narcotics
• Spent less time in the recovery room

Recovery room data and patient questionnaires also found that for those who received nerve blocks, they had significantly less pain at home after surgery. The treatment group was also able to resume driving and other normal activities significantly sooner than the control group.

“The results show that the treatment group had much less pain after surgery, took much less pain medicine, had much less nausea, and had  a significantly shorter return to normal activity,” said Dr. Feng, who presented her study at Plastic Surgery 2010, an annual scientific meeting sponsored by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons that was held October 1-5 in Toronto.

Dr. Feng also noted that patients are not only concerned with the result of a cosmetic surgery, but also the level of pain and recovery associated with a procedure.

The abstract of the study is available online; learn more about tummy tucks in Little Rock, Arkansas.