Rhinoplasty, also known as nose job, changes the shape and appearance of the nose, usually improving its function.
Rhinoplasty is a very popular procedure, safe and effective.
People often choose to have rhinoplasty because they’re unhappy with the size, shape, or general appearance of their nose, or because of past injury or disfigurement. Let us see the sports to avoid after rhinoplasty.
Rhinoplasty is as an outpatient procedure, under general anesthetic. During rhinoplasty, the surgeon reshapes the cartilage and bone of the nose. Afterwards, a splint or bandage is used over the nose for about a week. For the two weeks following surgery, swelling, bruising, and discomfort or pain around the nose and eyes is common, for which painkillers are effective. After this time there may be some minimal swelling around the nose, which will be hardly noticeable. After six months, the nose should be fully healed.
Recovery is quite easy, with minimal pain and discomfort; but there are important precautions patients should take to protect their nose. Rhinoplasty is still a major surgery and care is necessary to protect the delicate surgical work.
Many patients ask when they can exercise, or resume playing sports after a rhinoplasty.
Doctors generally recommend a full month of recovery before a patient returns to exercise. Gentle exercise, like walking or stretching, is excellent for maintaining health and fitness. However, during the first week, strictly avoid any aerobic activity, such as running or jumping. Afterwards, you can slowly return to your routine, taking care not to damage the stitches.
Additionally, patients should avoid any sport that requires bending or lifting for the first week. This can disrupt the stitches and, therefore, the healing process. Patients may find it difficult to breathe through the nose, due to swelling, for the first two to three weeks. This is why they should stay away any activity that may cause them to become out of breath.
Do not perform any strenuous activity for the full recovery period, which is six weeks. After that, for five to six months, avoid any sports where there is the chance of contact to the face, either from a ball or from other players.
Examples of sports to avoid include:
- Basketball
- Soccer
- Tennis, squash or badminton
- Any combat sports (i.e. boxing, martial arts)
- Dancing or gymnastics
- Volleyball.
As you can see, stay away from any sport where there is the slightest danger of being hit in the face or nose. No one wants to undo the very careful work done during rhinoplasty!
Jan 23rd 2017