Many of us have had surgeries. We will always be reminded of this event by a scar left on our skin. But what if the seam reminds of itself not only in appearance, but also in pain? The causes of such a symptom can be both on the surface and deep in our body.
Stitches hurt after surgery: causes and how to get rid of pain
For some diseases, it is impossible to manage exclusively with medical treatment, and one has to resort to operations. Surgical interventions are in themselves a very risky process, because an invasion is made into the internal environment of a person. It is very important that this process be the least traumatic, and also that infection does not follow.
It took humanity thousands of years to develop methods for the fastest healing of wounds and preventing infections from entering the body. To do this, at the end of the operation, surgeons suture using a special suture material (catgut, vicryl), special needles. seam knotsalso tied in a special way to avoid divergence of the edges of the wound.
However, such precautions do not always prevent postoperative problems and protect against pain in the suture area.
So why does the stitch hurt after surgery?
Possible causes of pain at the suture site
To avoid severe pain and prevent tissue separation, it is not recommended to strain, stretch the damaged area, try to comb it, although the pain may be accompanied by severe itching.
Often the seam hurts after abdominal surgery, this should be given great attention. If the pain is postoperative and subsides over time, then there is no cause for concern. It is enough to follow the treatment rules recommended by the doctor, and also not to injure this part of the body. However, if stitches hurt for a long time after surgery, a number of other factors may be causing this.
First of all, postoperative pain can be explained by tissue injury. The pain is quite long, but subsides and eventually disappears altogether. The timing for each operation is individual, however, the completion of the formation of the scar on average lasts a year.
How a scar is formed
There are four stages in scar formation:
- On the first day, a strong edema is visible at the site of the suture, epithelialization of the wound occurs. During this period after the operation, the stitches hurt the most.
- In the first month, active collagen synthesis occurs at the suture site, and blood supply is increased. This contributes to the fact that the scar becomesslightly swollen and becomes a bright pink color. During this period, special attention should be paid to processing.
- Within three months after that, the scar gradually shrinks, the swelling subsides, the filling of the vessels decreases. The color of the scar becomes paler.
- At this stage, the scar heals, becomes thin. Healing is completed in about a year. But throughout this time, you need to monitor the scar, take care of it.
Pathological pain
For example, there may be granulomas, nodular formations that have arisen due to the ingress of foreign particles into the wound or due to the use of non-absorbable suture materials by surgeons, which practically does not occur in our time. The granuloma itself is not dangerous, however, if it does not resolve for a long time, this may indicate inflammation. It is necessary to consult a doctor to establish the reasons that may be caused by surgery or provoked by another disease.
May have a reaction to the suture material. Each body is different, and even special threads can cause an inflammatory response in the body.
It is also possible to introduce infection from outside. This can be facilitated by taking a bath during the period when the seam has not yet grown together.
If the pain went away, but after a while it reappeared, you need to remember if you had to lift weights or do any other hard work, as this could contribute to the divergence of the threads and secondarywound injury.
We looked at common causes of stitch pain after surgery. Let's take a closer look at the most common cases.
Features of sutures in hernia surgery
Hernia removal is a fairly common operation. However, it can be done in various ways. With classical methods of hernioplasty, for example, with the help of human tissues, protrusions of internal organs may recur. Modern techniques can reduce the likelihood of recurrence, they use special absorbable meshes. It should be understood that the material flap itself cannot provoke inflammation and pain in the suture area. The seam hurts after surgery for a hernia only in some cases. This can only happen as a result of inaccurate use of the mesh or due to infection in the wound.
How to deal with pain?
The suture hurts after surgery - what to do, how to care for it and reduce pain? You shouldn't panic. There are effective methods that can reduce pain.
- The main thing is hygiene. It is necessary to monitor the purity of the scar, treat it with hydrogen peroxide, brilliant green, potassium permanganate. You can use sterile gauze pads, securing them with adhesive tape. The dressing must be changed at least once a day. It is not recommended to apply cotton wool so that the fibers do not get into the wound.
- Avoid overexertion, exercise.
- Do not wear tight clothing that could chafe the areaseam.
- If pus appears or fluid is released, see a doctor immediately.
- You can use ointments to quickly heal the scar.
- Avoid direct sunlight, which will make the scar more visible and may cause complications.
- Pain medications may be taken, but only as directed by a doctor.
Suture hurts after caesarean section
With a fairly large incision, a wide area of tissues, nerves and blood vessels is damaged. After the operation, the stitches also hurt because of the contractions of the uterus, which was damaged during the caesarean section. This type of operation severely injures the body, and pain in the suture area can be observed for a long time.
In addition to all of the above, you need to take painkillers, which are usually prescribed by a doctor. If the cause of the pain is endometriosis, this is the problem to be addressed.
After abdominal operations, adhesions may form, you need to see a doctor if there are symptoms of adhesions.
If the stitch hurts for a long time after surgery
There are several reasons. Most likely, the pain is provoked by physical activity. If the pain goes away after a short time after the overvoltage disappears, you should not worry.
If no physically difficult work has been done, and the seam hurts years after the operation, then you should see a surgeon. The doctor will probably order an ultrasound.
Operation is a stress for the body, which becomes weakened andmore vulnerable to infections. If the stitches hurt after surgery, this is completely normal, and there is no need to panic in the first days.
Results
It's perfectly normal for your finger to hurt after being cut. The stitches hurt after the operation, and this is also normal. The main thing is to follow the prescriptions of doctors, to monitor the condition of not only the sutures, but the whole organism as a whole. You need to eat right and enough, sleep a lot, monitor hygiene.
If all measures are taken, and the pain does not go away on an outwardly he althy suture, you need to see a doctor to examine the organ directly on which the operation was performed.
If you experience uncharacteristic discharge from the wound, accompanied by pain, do not try to get rid of the symptoms yourself by taking antibiotics or applying compresses. The only way is to go to the doctor. After all, this can be both the result of local inflammation of the skin, and the consequence of a serious wound infection, which should not be started in any case.
Don't be careless about your he alth. It is better to play it safe once again, because it is not always clear what is happening inside our body, why the seam hurts after the operation, because the reasons can be both those discussed above, and completely different.
