Post-Surgery Strength and Mobility Plans in San Francisco
At Ethos Plastic Surgery, we believe that surgery is just one part of a larger journey toward whole-body transformation. Harvard-trained plastic surgeon Dr. Ginger Xu offers a holistic approach to care that supports your physical strength, emotional resilience, and long-term wellness from the inside out.
For procedures involving the deeper muscle layers, such as tummy tucks or breast augmentation with submuscular placement, our strength and mobility program is designed to help you prepare your body before surgery and restore function safely after. From gentle breathwork and mobility in the early phases to structured strength routines once you’re cleared, every movement is intentional, safe, and tailored to support recovery.
To learn more about incorporating pre- and post-surgery movement into your healing plan, contact Ethos Plastic Surgery online or call (415) 506-4300. Dr. Xu will be happy to walk you through the program and how it fits into your personalized surgical experience.
Why Movement Matters
For the right procedures, movement is medicine. Strategic mobility and strength work protect long-term function, reduce risk of complications, and improve overall comfort. This approach is not relevant for all surgeries; procedures that target only the skin and fat layers (like liposuction or facelift) don’t require this type of physical rehabilitation. However, for surgeries involving the core or muscle, movement can dramatically influence how you heal and how you feel.
Phase One: Pre-Habilitation Before Surgery
Gentle conditioning before surgery helps your body prepare for the recovery ahead. Even light cardio and mobility work, such as walking, breathwork, and stretching, improves circulation, maintains flexibility, and primes your neuromuscular system. We also encourage basic strength movements that target the core and back. By reinforcing these key muscle groups before surgery, you create a solid foundation for post-op healing and reduce your risk of stiffness, weakness, or poor posture.
Phase Two: Early Recovery
During the early recovery phase, we focus on extremely gentle, guided mobility exercises to maintain circulation and prevent stiffness without disrupting healing tissue. With your surgeon’s approval, this may include breathwork, seated rotations, and small-range movements that reintroduce mobility safely.
We are currently developing a video series that will guide you through this process week by week. These routines are specifically designed to respect surgical restrictions while gently reactivating your body’s natural movement patterns.
Phase Three: Structured Rehabilitation (After 6 Weeks)
Once cleared by your surgeon, typically around the 6-week mark, patients may begin a structured rehabilitation routine. These short sessions will focus on:
- Back and posture support: Starting peripherally to restore alignment
- Core stability: Introducing planks and breath-connected core work
- Pectoral activation: Gradually layering in pushups and pec engagement, which are critical for long-term implant stability
- Proper mechanics: Helping patients regain functional strength and move safely through daily life
This progression is intentionally designed to meet you where you are and evolve as your body regains strength. Whether you’re rebuilding after a tummy tuck or learning to support breast implants more effectively, this framework prioritizes safety, simplicity, and sustainability.
Long-Term Wellness, Not Just Recovery
Our approach is gentle, practical, and intentional. You don’t need to be an athlete to benefit. Through this healing program, you’ll learn how to move safely and build strength gradually, starting with breathwork and small movements, and advancing only as your body is ready. Each routine is designed to support healing while restoring confidence in your body’s natural strength and resilience.
Over time, a consistent movement practice not only supports your surgical results, it enhances your entire sense of well-being. Better circulation, reduced tension, improved balance, and increased energy are all common benefits. More importantly, you’ll feel connected to your body in a way that supports not just recovery, but ongoing health and vitality.
Meet Dr. Ginger Xu
Dr. Xu embraces the responsibility and transformative opportunity to alter a patient’s appearance in a way that is congruent with their own values and matches a more cohesive sense of self; to realign the external with the internal; to create an improved emotional landscape and a better life. These ideals captivate and inspire her every day.
Healing That Goes Beyond the Procedure
At Ethos Plastic Surgery, we believe in supporting the whole patient. Strength and mobility plans are one of many tools we embrace to enhance comfort, calm, and confidence during your surgical journey. Dr. Ginger Xu believes that true healing extends beyond the operating room.
At Ethos Plastic Surgery, our approach to healing is grounded in the Seven Pillars of Healing and Five Guiding Principles of ETHOS: a sensory-informed framework designed to support the body’s innate ability to recover. The Seven Pillars of Healing align with our five senses, recognizing that sensory input directly influences the nervous system, which in turn governs inflammation, pain, and tissue repair. Each element of our recovery program, from nutrition to movement to touch, is chosen with intention, rooted in evidence, and sequenced to work synergistically. This thoughtful integration helps reduce stress, enhance circulation, support immune function, and accelerate healing from the inside out.
Whether through strength and mobility or aromatherapy, guided visualization, nutrition, integrative healing, sound healing, or lymphatic massage, each element is thoughtfully integrated to help you feel balanced, empowered, and connected to your body. This whole-self approach is what makes the Ethos experience both transformative and deeply personal.
Ready to Begin? Contact Ethos Plastic Surgery Today!
To learn more about our holistic fitness in San Francisco, or to schedule a one-on-one consultation, we invite you to contact Ethos Plastic Surgery at (415) 506-4300 or reach out online. Whether you’re preparing for surgery, newly post-op, or months into recovery, we are here to guide you toward results that last, inside and out.
FAQs
Fitness Plans Before and After Surgery
No, this program is designed specifically for procedures involving the deeper muscular layers, such as tummy tucks and breast augmentation with implants placed under the muscle. It’s not necessary for surgeries focused on skin and fat alone, such as liposuction or facelifts.
Gentle movement, such as breathwork and light mobility, may begin within the first few days after surgery, depending on your procedure and our guidance. Structured strength work typically begins around six weeks post-op, once your body has had time to heal and you’ve been cleared.
The early phase includes very gentle movements to support circulation and prevent stiffness. Later phases gradually build core stability, posture, and strength in areas like the back and pectoral muscles. Our video series will guide you step-by-step through each phase safely.
Not at all. This program is designed to meet you where you are, whether you’re completely new to exercise or already active. The movements are approachable, progressive, and focused on building strength with care.
Procedures like tummy tucks alter the abdominal wall, and implants under the muscle shift how your body moves and stabilizes. Strengthening the core, back, and supporting muscles improves posture, protects results, and helps you feel stronger and more stable in daily life.
Yes. We’re currently developing a video library that will be accessible online, so you can follow along from home at your own pace. Each video is curated with surgical recovery in mind: safe, simple, and specifically designed to support your healing timeline.