AboutAlan M. Engler, MD, FACS Expertise Dr. Engler has answered over 2700 plastic surgery questions for Allexperts. His expertise is in cosmetic plastic surgery including breast surgery (breast enlargement with implants, breast reduction, breast lifts), liposuction, eyelid surgery, tummy tucks, facelifts etc.
Dr. Engler has been listed as one New York`s Top Doctors, and as "One of the World's Most Famous Aesthetic Surgeons" (Aesthetic Surgery, TASCHEN Books, Angelika Taschen, Editor). He is the author of 4 books, including "BodySculpture" (a best-selling plastic surgery book on breast surgery, liposuction and tummy tucks), "EyeScapes" (Plastic Surgery of the Eyelids), "Restylane," and "The Slim Book of Liposuction."
Dr. Engler has two US Patents for surgical instruments that he's designed, and has appeared on numerous television shows, including The Tyra Banks Show, The Ricki Lake Show (four times), and the Dr. Keith Ablow Show. Videos of his appearances are available on YouTube (SEARCH FOR "DR. ENGLER"). His website is www.bodysculpture.com.
Experience Dr. Alan Engler is a board-certified plastic surgeon in New York and the author of BodySculpture - Plastic Surgery of the Body for Men and Women (ISBN 0966382749) one of the top-selling plastic surgery books on amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, etc.
Education/Credentials Dr. Engler graduated from Yale University (undergraduate) and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University (medical school). He did his residency training in General Surgery and, after that, Plastic Surgery, at the Montefiore Medical Center in New York. He is on the faculty of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.
Question Dear Dr.Engler
Over the past several years I have had a great deal of upper right abdominal
pain. I have a 13 y.o. child delivered by c-section. Two years before he was
born , I had laporascopy to remove my gallbladder. The pain worsened over
the past 2 years and the pain is increased with activity(bending to play with
dog , walking 2-3 miles 5-6 days per week). I was diagnosed with relapsing
remitting m.s. 6 years ago and and have been on Copaxone since the
diagnosis. A recent surgical consult revealed abdominal diastasis and the
surgeon believes the pain is associated with my m.s.. I rarely suffer from
neuropathic pain. I respectfully disagree because I think I may have a hernia
as well. I am aware that weak muscles are symptoms of m.s. and the
copaxone may make the muscles weak too. The surgeon mentioned a tummy
tuck. That seems drastic , what other options are available?
Answer from Dr. Alan Engler
www.bodysculpture.com
Hi Karen,
I'm obviously sorry you have the medical issues you're describing.
I am not aware of a diastasis recti causing the amount of discomfort you're describing, and I agree that you need to make sure that you don't have an underlying hernia, or some other more significant problem. Have you had a CT Scan and/or an MRI, in addition to an evaluation by a general surgeon? That's what I would recommend at this stage.
It is, actually, possible to repair a diastasis without doing an entire tummy tuck, and I don't know that a tummy tuck is the best procedure for you at this stage anyway.
It may wind up being what you need in order to address your pain, but I don't think I would start with that. I would do the general surgery consult, and actively pursue the hernia issue as the basis of the pain, if it is a surgical issue.
