What is a Hernia and Symptoms of Hernia

It's seen as a swelling or bulge when an organ inside the body protrudes through a weak spot in the cavity wall.

Hernia is when tissue pushes through the muscle wall, usually in the abdomen or groin. Symptoms include a soft lump in the belly or groin or a past surgical scar. The lump may disappear when pressed or when lying down. It can be painful when coughing, bending over, or lifting heavy objects.

Types of Hernia

Common Symptoms

Femoral Hernia

Femoral hernias sometimes appear as a painful lump in the inner upper part of the thigh or groin. The lump can often be pushed back in or disappear when you lie down. The lump may appear while you cough. Femoral hernias can be repaired using surgery to push the bulge back into place and strengthen the weakness in the abdominal wall.

Causes

The exact cause of hernias is unknown. Straining of femoral canal muscles will lead to hernias, few of the factors lead to overstraining of muscles are listed below:

Symptoms

Some of the severe symptoms may signify the femoral hernia in obstructing the intestines. This is a life-risk condition where intestinal or bowel tissue dies. Few severe symptoms of a femoral hernia include:

This is a medical emergency and you need to approach the doctor or emergency care immediately.

Complications

Obstruction: This is a complication where a section of the bowel becomes stuck in the femoral canal, causing nausea, vomiting and sometimes stomach pain, as well as a painful lump in the groin.

Strangulation: his is a complication where a section of the bowel becomes trapped and its blood supply is cut off; this requires emergency surgery within hours to release the trapped tissue and restore its blood supply, so it doesn't die.

Surgical Options

There are 2 ways of repairing a femoral hernia, which is the following:

Open Surgery

In this type of treating option, the surgeon will do an incision and the lump will be pushed back into the abdomen. Once the procedure is done, it will stitch the incision and the patient will be moved to post-op for observation.

Laparoscopy Surgery / Keyhole Surgery

Laparoscopy or keyhole surgery refers to a surgical procedure with minimal incision. The surgeon will do a few small incisions which allow the surgeon to use various special instruments to repair the hernia. As the name indicates, the incision will be in the size of a keyhole.

Most people make a full recovery from femoral hernia repair within six weeks, although many people can return to driving, work and light activities within two weeks.

Umbilical Hernia

An umbilical hernia occurs when the abdominal wall layers do not join back completely. The umbilical cord connects a mother and her fetus while in the womb during pregnancy. The umbilical cord of the baby will pass through a tiny opening between their abdominal wall muscles. In most of the cases, the hole closes soon after birth.

An umbilical hernia occurs when tissue bulges through a weak spot around the belly button. About 20% of babies are born with this condition, which is generally painless and resolves on its own in 90% of cases. If it persists beyond the age of 4, treatment may be necessary.

Causes

The main cause of umbilical hernia is because of not completely closing off the umbilical cord region after the delivery.

However, there are a few factors which cause the umbilical hernia, which is listed below:

Symptoms

An umbilical Hernia will have a slight bulge near the umbilicus (commonly called as naval). Generally, umbilical hernia is not painful for babies but parents may feel discomfort if the hernia is large. Below are a few symptoms:

Risk Factors

Main risk factors of umbilical hernia include:

Treatments

Treatment of Hernia :

The hernia cannot be treated with medication. Open or Laparoscopic surgery is recommended for its repair. Various techniques of repair with sutures/anatomical repair and mesh are available for the surgical treatment of hernias. Surgery can be planned if the hernia is not associated with any complications and risk factors.

Generally, the umbilical hernia will be closed automatically when the baby grows up. Doctor suggests for surgery when :

Surgery

During umbilical hernia surgery, the surgeon pushes the bulge back into place, makes an incision, moves the enlarged lump or bowel back into the abdomen, stitches the muscle layers, and applies a pressure dressing, which should be left in place for 4-5 days..

complications

The only complication with umbilical hernia surgery is if the blood supply is completely cut off, there is a potential risk of gangrene and life-threatening infection.

Incisional Hernia

An incisional hernia is a hernia usually occurs at or close to the surgical incisions that were made from previous abdominal surgeries.An incisional hernia happens when a surgical incision doesn't heal properly, causing internal tissues to protrude. It's common, affecting about 33% of people who undergo abdominal surgery. This type of hernia usually occurs within three to six months after surgery but can develop at any time, even years later, often forming along a vertical incision.

Causes

Symptoms

An individual with an incisional hernia can experience a specific set of symptoms. Some of the common symptoms of an incisional hernia are fever, swelling and increased pressure on the tissue. A list of symptoms which help to detect the occurrence of an incisional hernia include:

Complications

When the diagnosis and treatment of an incisional hernia are delayed, serious complications can result. Any symptoms that might indicate an incisional hernia must be addressed as a priority to prevent the condition from becoming severe and painful.

The most common complications from an incisional hernia include:

How To Prevent Fatigue?

To prevent fatigue, it's important to get 7-9 hours of quality sleep, eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly, stay hydrated, and manage stress through practices like meditation or deep breathing.

Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water, and manage stress through practices like meditation or deep breathing. Take regular breaks to rest during activities, and limit alcohol and smoking. Regular medical check-ups can help rule out underlying health issues. Stay organized by planning and prioritizing tasks, and seek support for mental health concerns like anxiety or depression.

Treatment

An incisional hernia will not heal on its own without surgery. It can be treated only through surgical intervention. The treatment for an incisional hernia will be determined based on multiple factors such as the patient's general health, anatomy, location, and extent of the hernia and desired level of physical activity in the future.

Treatment for an incisional hernia depends on its impact on the original surgery results and may require additional procedures. Generally, two types of surgeries are used: open hernia repair and laparoscopic hernia repair.

Epigastric Hernia

It is a type of hernia in the epigastric region of the abdominal wall, just above the belly button and below the sternum of the rib cage. It is common in both adults and children (infants also). About 2 to 3 per cent of all abdominal hernias are epigastric hernias.

H3 Symptoms

Generally, a bump is caused in the area below the sternum, or breastbone, and above the umbilicus (belly button). This bump is mainly caused by a mass of fat that has pushed through it.

The bump will be visible all the time or only when the patient cough, sneeze or laugh. This bump, or mass, can grow and become larger in few cases.

There is a chance of having one or more epigastric hernia at a single point of time.

Here is a list of emergency symptoms :

Causes

This mainly occurs when the tissues in the abdominal wall don't close completely during development.

Complications

The complications for an untreated epigastric include the following

Hiatal Hernia

It is a condition that occurs when the upper part of the stomach protrudes into the chest cavity through a small opening in the diaphragm known as esophageal hiatus. It occurs among people who are over 50 years old.

These are very common and do not usually cause any major problems.

Types

There are two types of hiatal Hernia: Sliding hernia and para oesophagal hernia.

Causes

The main cause is the increased pressure within the abdominal cavity. The suspected factors that contribute to abdominal pressure and development include:

Symptoms

Most of the individuals with small Hiatal hernias do not experience any symptoms. But, large Hiatal hernias can cause a variety of symptoms related to gastroesophageal reflux. These include:

Complications

Though complications are rare, they might happen and can be serious. The most common complication while having this is to have acid reflux which is a backup of stomach acid and other contents into the esophagus. This results in heartburn, which can get worse after having heavy meals or while lying down right after eating.

A list of other complications include :

Treatment

Most cases do not show any symptoms, so no treatment is required. The need for the treatment of the condition is determined by the presence of the symptoms. It is treated based on the symptoms either through medication or lifestyle changes or surgery.

If an individual with has acid reflux and heartburn, the treatment would be as follows.

Medications

Lifestyle and dietary changes:

Lifestyle and activity modifications include:

The recommended dietary changes include:

Surgery

Treating hiatal hernia by performing surgery is rare in cases in which the symptoms aren't controlled by medications and making lifestyle changes.

The types of surgery to treat include:

There are various approaches to perform these surgeries which include :

Inguinal Hernia

It occurs when tissue that is part of the intestine comes out through a weak area in the abdominal muscles. The resulting bulge can be painful, especially when you cough, bend over, or try to lift a heavy object.

It is not necessarily dangerous. It doesn't improve on its own, however, and can lead to life-threatening complications if left untreated. The doctor may recommend surgery to fix it that is painful or enlarging. Repair is one of the common surgical procedures.

Symptoms

Common signs and symptoms include

Causes

There will be no particular cause for some inguinal hernias. Others might occur as a result of the below causes:

Complications

Pressure on surrounding tissues. In men, large hernias can extend into the scrotum, causing pain and swelling. An incarcerated hernia occurs when the contents of the hernia become trapped in the abdominal wall, causing bowel obstruction and severe symptoms. If the blood supply is cut off (strangulation), it can be life-threatening and requires immediate surgery.

Risk Factors

A few factors that contribute to developing an inguinal hernia are listed below :

When should you seek emergency medical attention when you already have a hernia?

Tips to avoid the development of Hernia?

Frequently Asked Questions