This is most likely abdominal wall paresis (lack of abdominal wall muscle ability to contract) from either nerve stretch or nerve compression. The thoracic spine contains all the nerves that cascade down to the belly to supply the muscles here. One nerve that is injured will do exactly what you have experienced, a band of weakness and a bulge of the abdominal wall along a descending band.
There are two things that you can do. One is to have a CT scan of the thoracic spine to see if a screw is out of place and irritating a thoracic root. The other is simply to wait and see if this nerve will heal. See the section on “Nerve Damage and Healing” to understand how nerves heal.
Dr. Corenman
PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS FORUM IS MEANT TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ON SPINE ANATOMY, CONDITIONS AND TREATMENTS. TO GET AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, YOU MUST VISIT A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PERSON.
Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.
Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.