compression garments harmful?

I have read over the years that studies show that use of compression for long periods of time is actually harmful to abdominal muscles.  (This makes sense since you don't use them since the garment is actually what is holding you in/up.) 

Over the years (as I was gaining and thinking of wearing such things to give me SOME appearance of a figure), medical professionals I have asked about this have agreed with what I have read. 

This is not necessarily a PS issue, but I figured this forum was the best place to ask this. 

I had muscle tightening with my PS and the last thing I want is to weaken my muscles when I just had them tightened. 

Have any of you read the studies on this? What do YOU think about it? 

Could this be why most PS recommend that you only wear compression garments 4 - 8 weeks at most? 

Never heard this, never read this.
Most surgeons I know of recommend the use of the garment for up to 3 months....

The purpose of the garment is not only help the tissue heal but the reduce the swelling...that's the primary purpose.

So far as weakening your tummy muscles by wearing a garment, I don't think that is true.  I can feel when I'm using my stomach muscles whether I am in a garment or not.

Anyhow.....do what feels right to you but for me I'll be using my garment for at least 3 months until all/most of my swelling is gone.

Best wishes!!!

Wow.  None of the PS I've heard of, talked to or researched recommended 3 months.  So that's a new one on me.

I think it is definately true about weakening the stomach muscles by wearing the garments longterm.  I do notice that I don't use my abdominal muslces to hold myself in.  The garment is doing that for me.  Just as person using a wheel chair would experience weakening and/or deterioration in their leg muscles, I'm sure the same thing could happen in the abdomen. 

I'm just 4 weeks out, so I still wear my garment 24/7.  I took it off the other day though to launder it before realizing that my back-up garment was also dirty.  (So I had to go without one for as long as it took to wash & dry them.)  I DEFINATELY noticed that I was using my abdominal muscles then and could definately tell that I was not when I put the garment back on. 

Most of the PS I have heard of, talked to or researched also stated that the majority of swelling is gone after the initial 6 weeks.  So I'm comfortable with my PS's recommendation to only wear the garment 4 - 6 weeks post-op. 

I hate mine, so I am literally counting the days to being able to remove it.  I just really hope my muscles don't weaken too much over this time period.  I just had them tightened and the last thing I want to happen is for them to be weak. 

My surgeon told me at 4 weeks it's more for a "safety feeling" for us and that it serves no real purpose after that. I'm not found of mine either (and rotate two to keep them clean). I had the anchor TT so it's not long enough to cover my entire wound. I also think they are poorly designed with the velcro...ha...almost ironic considering I used to complain about how pants were so poorly designed because of my excess skin! But at any rate, I understand your concern and I too have read somewhere that wearing compression garmets excessively were poor for abdominal musles. I can't remember where or when I read it but it had to be sometime within the past 6 months since I planned my TT.

I don't think I ever used my abdominal muscles as a heavy person . . .   not sure I'll know the difference.

Wearing a compression garment around your abdomen can actually increase the swelling in your thighs (which is why the PS who did my TT did NOT recommend one, although I used one when I had my panniculectomy) but I have never heard of it being bad for your muscles.  I also have not heard of wearing the garment for more than 4 weeks, though...

Lora

From what I've seen, the typical garment-wearing post-op period is 4 - 6 weeks.

I have noticed that my garments just push the swelling to other areas kind of like you are talking about (hips, thighs, upper torso).  I can tell when I'm swollen - not because I swell under my garment (I don't) but because I swell AROUND my garment.  My upper torso beneath my breasts will be swollen or my thighs will swell.

So my garment does not prevent swelling, it just prevents swelling where I had PS and pushes that fluid somewhere else. 

My PS required 8 weeks.

I found when I had the "binder" wrapped around my waist that my thighs got swollen....that's when I stopped using the binder and put on a "compression garment"......  all the swelling left my legs within about 3 days.

I never heard of that my PS recommends 6 weeks but said I could wear it as long as I like.
my garment is very comfortable, I wear it especially when I excercise and when I run and I do use my stomach muscles with the garment on. and yes the swelling does go to other places then the surgical area because of graviy but it eventually goes away..
Susan