What to do if muscle stiffness occurs after surgery

When people get sick, they have to be treated. Some diseases can be cured by taking medicine or infusion, but some diseases can only be treated through surgery. We know that surgery requires incision. After the incision is sutured, the surrounding skin needs a healing process. During this process, the muscles near the incision are stiff at first. This is normal and it takes a certain amount of time to soften the postoperative scar.

1. What causes muscle stiffness near the incision after surgery?

The area around the surgery is hard because scars have formed. Generally speaking, it will only harden when scars are formed or when the skin wound is infected. This is an inevitable process. It is recommended to use local electrotherapy and hot towel compress for treatment. The scar will shrink after some time. If the surgical wound does not induce reinfection during the healing process and the wound heals well, we do not need to pay too much attention to it at this time. The scars will generally repair and soften gradually in 3 to 6 months and gradually return to our normal feeling.

2. Repair stage of surgical trauma

Surgical wounds generally extend below the dermis, and their repair can be divided into three overlapping stages:

In the first stage, immune cells in the dermis gather toward the incision, releasing various factors and enzymes to dissolve blood clots at the site of injury, resist invading pathogens, and stimulate tissue growth around the wound.

In the second stage, epidermal cells, dermal fiber components, and capillaries begin to proliferate, forming granulation tissue for initial wound repair;

In the third stage, the fibers around the wound contract, the wound tightens, the wound tissue heals, and a scar is formed.

3. What to do if scars are left after surgery

1. Radiotherapy: X-rays can be used for superficial radiotherapy or isotope application, which is effective for newly appeared scar hyperplasia;

2. Laser therapy: Selecting laser irradiation with a specific wavelength and pulse width can flatten and soften fresh hypertrophic scars and eliminate vascular congestion;

3. Surgery: including flap transfer, skin transplantation, skin soft tissue expansion, etc. Because the wound cannot be sutured directly after excision, it must be covered with nearby or distant tissues. This method is suitable for large scars or scars with functional impairment.

4. Intra-scar injection of steroid hormones: suitable for small and medium-sized hyperplastic scars and postoperative linear hyperplastic scars;

5. Local drug application: scar softening cream, scar enemy and other patches can flatten scars and promote scar softening and absorption;

6. Compression therapy: Use elastic bandages and elastic mesh covers for 1 to 3 months. This method has a certain effect on the prevention and treatment of hypertrophic scars;

7. Grinding surgery: It is to smooth out the uneven scars and allow the local area to grow a more even epidermis again. This surgery is suitable for multiple small, sunken scars, while large, raised scars can be treated with grinding surgery.

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