Pressing hard on middle stomach muscle repair line - could this cause repair failure a year and a half out?

Hello Ana090909,

Thank you for your question regarding the concern about your muscle repair. It’s understandable to be worried when someone presses on a sensitive area, especially after surgery.

Given that your surgery was a year and a half ago, the muscle repair should be well-healed by now. While pressing hard on your stomach can cause temporary soreness, it is unlikely to cause the repair to fail at this stage. The sutures and the healed muscle should be quite strong after this amount of time.

However, if you continue to experience soreness or notice any unusual symptoms such as increased pain, bulging, or changes in the contour of your abdomen, I would recommend following up with your surgeon for a thorough evaluation to ensure everything is intact and to address any lingering concerns.

I wish you the best and hope you feel better soon.

Sincerely,

J. Timothy Katzen, MD, FASMBS, FICS

I'm assuming you had a tummy tuck with a rectus muscle plication and repair. At 1 and half years, no damage could be done to the repair. You may experience some soreness after the pressure, but no permanent damage could occur at this time.

It is highly unlikely that someone could disrupt the muscle repair this late after the surgery. If you are concerned, you could consider a visit back to your surgeon for confirmation.

Hi Ana090909,
It would be extraoridnarily rare that someone doing an abdominal exam could disrupt your repair. In fact, by 6-8 weeks after surgery your scar at your tummy muscle repair is nearly 100% strong. Depending on weight gain / loss over time, it is possible that you have some weakening of the connection between your six pack muscles (linea alba). However, it is very unlikely that you could disrupt the repair from even the most invasive abdominal exams by a medical provider.
Best,
Dr. Wingate

Pressing hard on the middle stomach muscle repair line (likely referring to the linea alba, where the abdominal muscles have been repaired) could potentially cause issues, depending on the specifics of the repair and the pressure applied. Here are some considerations:

Timing: If you are a year and a half out from abdominal muscle repair surgery (such as in the case of a hernia repair or diastasis recti repair), the initial healing phase should generally be complete. However, the tissues may still be remodeling and gaining strength.

Impact of Pressure: Applying excessive pressure directly on the repair line could potentially disrupt the healing tissues, especially if the pressure is sudden, intense, or repetitive. This could lead to stretching, weakening, or even tearing of the repaired muscles or tissues.

Symptoms: If you experience pain, discomfort, or notice any changes in the appearance of your abdomen after applying pressure, it's important to consult with your surgeon. These could be signs of a potential issue with the repair.

Precautions: It's generally recommended to avoid activities or behaviors that place undue stress on the abdominal muscles during the initial healing period and beyond. This includes heavy lifting, intense core exercises, or activities that involve straining the abdominal muscles.

Consultation with Surgeon: If you have concerns about the impact of pressing on the muscle repair line, it's advisable to consult with your surgeon. They can provide personalized advice based on your specific case and the details of your surgery.

In summary, while pressing on the middle stomach muscle repair line may not automatically cause repair failure a year and a half after surgery, it's important to be cautious and avoid putting excessive stress on the area. Any concerns or symptoms should be discussed promptly with your healthcare provider or surgeon to ensure appropriate management and monitoring of your abdominal health.

After a repair of a diastasis or an abdominal hernia, it is typical to restrict activity to that area for six weeks to allow the tissues to fully heal. After that time, unlimited activity would be allowed. It is highly unlikely that, after 1 1/2 years, that someone simply pressing on your abdomen would disrupted your repair. You may wish to check back with your plastic surgeon, but I think you can rest assured that everything should be fine. Best wishes.

Thank you for your question.You had enough time to recover after surgery and the tension on the healing tissues will be over 90% of the original situation. Therefore, that kind of simple examination may not damage the repair line easily.

It is doubtful that any damage was done. Otherwise, if tissue was torn, you would have lots of pain, swelling and bruising, and would have made a trip to the emergency room.

It is unlikely that your GI specialist pressing, even firmly, on your abdomen would impact your tummy tuck surgery at all. At this time you are fully healed from your tummy tuck. The soreness is not alarming and should improve over the next couple of days.

Two years after surgery, it’s your scar tissue holding the tissues together more so then the suture material. Material will still have strength, but it will start to deteriorate and over the years the suture material will eventually become fragile, and it is ultimately your scar tissue holding you together.
There’s no possible way an examination could injure your tummy tuck results.
Best,
Matt Hagstrom MD