I recently had surgery on my ankle and i have stitches inside my foot. i am wondering if i would be able to tell if they tore. would the area swell ?

Depends: Really depends on the nature of your surgery. Any suture can tear. Some suture is permanent and some dissolvable. I would typically think that you would have a tearing sensation if you tore the inner sutures followed by a component of pain and swelling. I would talk to your surgeon if you are concerned.

See below: It would take severe injury to tear the inside stitches. Yes, you would have swelling.

Can't tell.: However, the internal stitches are made of materials that dissolve over time, once the tissues have healed around them. So unless there are non-absorbable materials used, this is not why you have swelling.

Stitches: If you tore the stitches you would almost certainly have pain and would be aware of what happened. Consult your surgeon for any questions or concerns.