Muscle Repair Vs Fascia Tightening

The terms muscle repair and fascial tightening are generally, although somewhat incorrectly, used interchangeably.  Weight gain/loss and pregnancy stretch out the abdominal muscles and the fascia which covers them (a tear in the fascia on the abdomen creates a hernia).  During a tummy tuck, the fascia running down the middle of the abdomen is tightened (plicated), bringing the two rectus muscles (the “six pack” muscles which run from the ribs to the pelvis) back toward the midline, their normal position.  The muscles themselves are not sutured.  Depending on the patient’s needs and the surgeon, fascia located over other muscles on the front of the abdomen may also be tightened, to improve the cosmetic result.  

Muscle repair and fascia tightening are the same thing.Fascia is the covering of muscle.  Fascia is strong and will hold the suture, and when two pieces of fascia are pulled together, it is a very strong repair.  Muscle, on the other hand, is easily torn apart by tight suture, therefore when you tighten the fascia in a tummy tuck, you repair the muscle separation (rectus diastasis).The midline between the right and left segments of abdominal muscle is known as the Linea Alba (white line).  This white line is spread during pregnancy to allow the uterus to come forward prior to delivery.  At times, the separated muscles repair themselves after the first pregnancy, rarely after the second, and almost never after the third pregnancy.  This separation of muscles and a thin, stretched out Linea Alba between the two muscles allow the bowels to come forward.  Therefore, the visual pooch after pregnancy is very often a stretched out white line and bowels pushing out between the two sides of the rectus muscle.When the fascia is brought together from side to side, this fascial tightening brings the muscles into a functional position, and therefore fascial tightening equals muscle repair.

the simple answer is that they are probably the same thing.  muscle tightening is a term that people understand . fascial imbrication tends to get a lot of blank looks.   good luck

Most patients who are candidates for a tummy tuck have a separation of the muscles in the midline, called a diastasis. These musclse are like straps from the bottom of the rib cage to the pubic bone, and they contract in the vertical direction so when they have been pushed apart there is no exercise that can pull them back together. All muscles are encased in fascia, and it is also fascia that comprises the layer between the muscles in the midline. The sutures that are used to pull the muscles together are put into the fascia on the muscle, not into the muscle, so technically it is the same thing. It is possible that some surgeons might use the term differently to describe other things but the issues are basically the same.

Muscle repair and fascia tightening during a tummy tuck or abdominoplasty are two terms for the same procedure. During pregnancy or weight gain the abdominal fascia is stretched, which stretches the abdominal muscles apart. This causes upper or lower abdominal bulges. By plicating or tightening the fascia the muscles are brought back together, giving an enhanced contour. I often perform triple plication, not only correcting the rectus or six pack muscles, put also the oblique muscles, which translates into a more defined waistline.