Effect of high tension and relaxing incisions on wound healing in rats

We developed four experimental models of rats and created abdominal wall wounds with various amounts of tension. We made the wounds under normal and high tension, both with and without relaxing incisions, and measured the bursting strengths and the rate of vascularization of the wounds. The results indicate that high closing tension impairs both of these parameters of wound healing and that relaxing incisions help in returning healing in high tension wounds toward normal.