When can my child resume team sports after having otoplasty? my son plays soccer, and his otoplasty is scheduled for just before practice starts. how long will he have to wait after surgery before he can practice?

Hi, : Hi, after surgery there is a period of time (usually 3- 6 weeks) that we ask patients to refrain from activity due to risk of bleeding and swelling that can compromise outcome... However... For otoplasty there is the added concept of having to wear a headband for an additional month (depending on how extensive a repositioning we do) to help hold the ears in position after the surgery... So while normal activity can be resumed in around 6 weeks... Rigorous stressors to the ears such as wrestling may not be advisable until much later in the recovery period... Perhaps six months or so.... Hope this helps.

Otoplasty: While sutures are placed to reshape the ear, much of the internal strength of the repair is from internal healing. An elastic headband is typically work for 4-6 weeks when there is a chance of the ear folding. It would be prudent to wear this during non-contact sports for the first 6-12 weeks, while contact sports (eg, wrestling) should be avoided for 4-6 months.