Subject: RE: Can you swim with stitches?DrPete - 2009-06-12 8:38 AM I say no, personally. Granted I'm just a surgeon. ![](https://beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/images/emoticons/smile.gif) Wounds don't regain all of their tensile strengh until about 4 weeks out. Until then there's an increased risk of wound breakdown, ugly scars, and non-healing since immersion in water is bad at the cell and molecular level in a healing wound.For any surgical site I'd say absolutely not. For a sutured cut, laceration, etc depending on location and type of closure I'd say you really shouldn't and if you do, you're risking wound related complications. I agree with the good doctor. The sutures are holding your body together by being laced thru small puncture wounds. These puncture woulds, which are impossible to keep really clean, are susceptible to infection due to contamination, especially immersion in water. As your body attempts to fight off the infection, the wound is inundated with white blood cells which have a scouring effect making the wound red painful and sometimes swollen. The doctor also makes an excellent point regarding the tensile strength not being at 100% until about four weeks out. Nothing worse than a busted up halfway healed wound. I think I would focus on biking and running until about two weeks post suture removal. But thats just me. Mark Nicholson Combat Medic USARMY 1/94FA MLRS |