How Can I Tell if I Tore my Tummy Tuck Internal Sutures or Worse?

You may have harmed your muscle sutures, but it will take months to determine if that happened.  If there is persistent bulging after 6 months, you probably tore something.  

Abdominoplasty not only removes excess skin, but also
tightens the underlying abdominal wall muscles.  These muscles can be weakened, stretched, and torn during
pregnancy.  This can result in the
characteristic protuberant abdomen that is commonly seen following pregnancy.

Abdominoplasty tightens these muscles in a side to side
manner which results in a flatter abdomen.  Most surgeons use a continuous suture for this closure, but
in some cases individual sutures may be used instead.  These sutures maintain the structural integrity of the
abdominal wall until the wound has regained adequate strength.  This usually occurs in about 6 to 8
weeks.  At this point, these structural
sutures have served their purpose.

When trauma of any type occurs during the initial phases of
wound healing, disruption of these sutures can result in a recurrence of the
original problem.  Under these
circumstances a flat abdominal wall may suddenly bulge in an outward direction.

If you’re concerned about disruption of your internal sutures,
consultation with your plastic surgeon is appropriate.  Your surgeon should be able to evaluate
your abdominal wall and determine whether or not a disruption of your closure
has occurred.

Even though the muscle layer is repaired with two sets of sutures internally, a sudden strain or abrupt movement might tear the sutures in the first few weeks after surgery.  This problem would be diagnosed with a sharp pain in the torn area possibly accompanied by a  bulge in that area.  It is very important to protect the muscle repair for several weeks following surgery.