1. Define Your Muscle Strain
Abdominal muscle strains fall into three categories, ranging from a grade one injury to a grade three. In a grade one abdominal strain, you may not even know you have an injury until after you finish the activity that causes the strain. Signs of a grade one abdominal strain can include tightness and pain when using the abdominal muscles. A grade two abdominal muscle strain hurts immediately and is sore to the touch. In a grade three strain, or a full rupture of the abdominal muscle, you feel a stabbing or burning pain right away and movement of any kind causes severe pain. The first approach in treatment of a ruptured stomach muscle is rest. You need to refrain from any activity in order to allow proper healing of the muscle and to limit your recovery time. Ice helps decrease swelling and relieves pain in the abdominal area after a grade three strain in the abdominal muscles.
2. Curb the Swelling
Your physician can recommend anti-inflammatory pain relievers such as Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen to treat an abdominal muscle rupture. You should always follow the proper dosage of these over-the-counter medications and take them for as long as your doctor suggests. You may use a hot water bottle to apply heat to the affected area 48 hours after sustaining the injury. If your doctor feels your injury is severe enough and that your pain lasts too long, she may suggest surgical repair of the ruptured muscle to speed up your overall recovery.
3. When an Abdominal Rupture Leads to a Hernia
A grade three abdominal muscle strain, or rupture, can lead to a hernia that requires immediate attention. Once the tissue normally held behind the abdominal wall pushes through the hole formed by the muscle rupture, the only way to fix it is with surgery. You can suspect a hernia when you notice a bulge in the abdomen at the site of the muscle rupture. Wearing a lap band, or a constrictive device designed to prevent further bulging of the tissue coming through the rupture, only works temporarily. All hernias eventually require surgery to heal. Your surgeon may perform one of two procedures to mend your hernia. The first is an open procedure that results in a longer recovery time than the second type, or laparoscopic procedure. In the laparoscopic procedure, your surgeon performs the surgery with the aid of a small camera inserted into your body at the site of the hernia. The laparoscopic procedure takes less time to perform and causes the patient less pain. This surgery most often requires a general anesthesia while the open procedure can utilize a local anesthetic.
