Some patients will have a bulge at the incision after surgery. Why does it bulge? Some patients have a bulge at the incision after abdominal surgery, which bulges out when they are standing and becomes much smaller or even disappears when they lie down. Although the skin outside the incision seems to have grown well, the muscles and other tissues under the skin (that is, the abdominal wall) have not completely grown well. The muscles inside the incision are cracked and even have a “hole”. When the pressure in the abdominal cavity is increased, such as by exerting force or coughing, the intestines and other organs are pushed out and a bulging bag is seen on the surface of the body. In some people, the bulge is accompanied by pain, why? Most patients do not feel pain, but a few patients may experience a little distention and pain. If the abdominal pressure increases with strenuous activity, the pain will be more pronounced. However, if left untreated, the “hole” in the abdominal wall will get bigger and bigger, and more and more organs will burrow out of it, making the bag bigger and bigger. These organs come in and out of the “hole” in the abdominal wall, constantly touching and rubbing, and can easily adhere to the abdominal wall or between organs. If the intestine is drilled out, it is likely that intestinal adhesions will occur, leading to intestinal obstruction, or even the intestine is stuck in the “hole” and cannot be returned (medically called intussusception), which will be very painful for the patient. Generally speaking, if the patient feels pain and the pain becomes more and more pronounced, it means that the disease is getting worse. Do all incisional hernias need to be treated after surgery? Can the “hole” in the abdominal wall grow back on its own? Once an incisional hernia has developed, does it have to be operated on again? Many patients do not want to have another surgery and hope that the incisional hernia will grow back on its own, but this is not possible. No matter what type of hernia is found, it should be treated as soon as possible, especially an incisional hernia, because it is impossible for the “hole” in the abdominal wall to grow back on its own. On the contrary, if left untreated, the pressure in the abdominal cavity will increase during activity, and the “hole” in the abdominal wall will only become more and more obvious as the organs keep impacting on it. The longer the delay, the more complicated the surgery will be, and the patient’s recovery will be worse after surgery. Therefore, it is important to treat incisional hernia as soon as possible. Some people use a lap band to strangle their belly, how does it work? Can wearing a lap band completely cure an incisional hernia? Some patients who have incisional hernia after surgery wear a lap band to strangle the bulge back, and they think it works well, so they keep wearing it without going to the hospital for treatment. For patients with incisional hernia, there are several situations in which the lap band can be worn temporarily, such as when the patient has recently been in poor health, has just developed a heart or respiratory problem that makes surgery impossible, or has had the disease for a long time and has been asymptomatic, and happens to have a recent family event, the lap band can be worn for a period of time. Strangulation with a lap band can prevent the development of an incisional hernia, as well as prevent a sudden increase in abdominal pressure that could lead to an incisional hernia becoming stuck and dangerous. However, it can only slow down the progression of the disease and cannot cure the incisional hernia completely. As soon as the lap band is opened, the bag will bulge out again because the “hole” in the abdominal wall is still there and will never grow back on its own. It is important to remind patients how to wear the lap band correctly. Many patients wear the lap band when they are standing with the bag bulging on their stomach, which is likely to strangle the bulging organs to the outside of the “hole”, so wearing the lap band will have the opposite effect. The lap band should be worn when lying down, when the bag is smaller or all drilled back, and then stand up and move, so as to play a protective role.