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Have I Compromised my Muscle Repair?
Abdominoplasty involves "plicating" the rectus muscles with suture and is a regular part of the procedure as performed in our Tri-Valley practice in Dublin. This repair is typically most vulnerable at week 2 after your surgery. This is because the normal healing process can actually make the tissues the suture passes through more weak for a period as scar tissue deposits. People are also generally feeling better and becoming more active at this point. Most surgeons would not choose a suture that would dissolve as quickly as 5 weeks so the sensations you felt were probably not that. If you haven't noticed a difference in profile you probably have not compromised the repair. (Though it is possible a suture has ruptured). As always - because the surgeon that performed your surgery understands better than any of us what was done - it is important to follow-up with your doctor if you have post-op questions.
Clinical Context
When surgeons repair the abdominal muscles, sutures pass through the fibrous sheath covering them. In the first couple of weeks, new collagen there is still loosely organized and hasn't fully strengthened, even if the stitches themselves are intact. This is why early movement can feel like something gave way. True tensile strength builds gradually over the following months as tissue remodels and tightens.
