Muscles and tissues are responsible in holding every organ in its specific location within the body. Hernia is a condition when an organ, due to variety of reasons, gets displaced, and a part of it protrudes through openings in muscles and tissues that are holding it.
Hernias are mostly associated with intestines that may push out through weak points in the abdominal wall that carries it.
Besides abdomen, hernias can develop in different parts of the body, such as thighs, belly and groin areas. Depending upon the location where they occur, hernias have been classified in different categories discussed later.
Hernia surgeries are getting very popular in India. Both men and women are somewhat prone to this medical condition. However, men are at greater risk. Hernias very rarely prove fatal. In most cases, medication and surgeries bring about the required solution.
Hernia surgeries are commonly performed in most health care centers across the country. However, these surgeries are very frequently associated with a number of post surgical queries.
Therefore, to help our readers with a thorough understanding of hernia operations, this post has been designed to answer anything and everything that may come to your mind! So let’s get going!
Why do you develop hernia?
In a nutshell, hernias occur when there is an extreme pressure within abdominal walls and a weakness of muscle or fascia.
Exact causes of hernia cannot be jotted down accurately. However, some of the probable causes have been listed below:
- Congenital defect or birth defect, where abdominal walls do not have proper closure within the womb
- Lifting very heavy articles may cause the organs to get displaced
- Some severe injury
- Pregnancies can cause huge pressure on abdomen
- Obesity
- Constipation hindering bowel movements
- Accumulation of fluid in abdomen
- Excessive coughing and sneezing
- With age, muscles become loose and thus make people prone to hernias
Hernias have been seen to occur in different locations within the body. Below mentioned are specific areas where hernias may occur, and based on this, different types of hernias have been termed.
Top 6 symptoms of Hernia:
There are various types of hernias and each of them comes up with mild symptoms. Having a brief idea about probable symptoms facilitates early treatment and care.Therefore, go through few of the most common symptoms experienced by people listed below:
- Weakness and pressure around the abdomen, groin and scrotum
- Sometimes a burning sensation is also experienced
- A bulge or lump that is visible and thus facilitates self diagnosis
- Some people experience a feeling that something has ruptured inside the body
- Pain while coughing or lifting objects is also common
- Prolonged hernias that go undiagnosed may lead to pain in legs, hip and genitalia
Hernia symptoms usually are mild in the beginning. However, with time they worsen and become unbearable. Therefore, seeking medical attention when symptoms are mild is always suggested.
Types of Hernias:
The most common types of hernias have been listed below:
- Inguinal Hernia
- Femoral Hernias
- Incisional Hernias
- Epigastric Hernias
- Umbilical Hernias
- Hiatal/Hiatus Hernia
Depending on the type of hernia, medical and surgical procedures are being opted. All of the hernia conditions have been explained as under.
Inguinal Hernia:
Inguinal Hernias are also popularly known as groin hernias and occur in the inguinal canal. This canal is a passage through the lower abdomen that is present both in male and female anatomy.
Inguinal Hernias are of two types:
- Indirect Inguinal Hernia
- Direct Inguinal Hernia
When a fetus is growing inside the womb, the abdominal lining forms and then extends through the inguinal canal. Testis in baby boys develop inside abdomen and then descends through the lining to reach the inguinal canal. Thereafter, abdominal lining closes this entrance to the inguinal canal just a few weeks before birth.
However, sometimes this closure does not take place perfectly, thereby leading to hernias in future. This is known as Indirect Inguinal Hernia.
Direct hernias on the other hand may arise in adult males due to any of the above mentioned reasons; such as, stress, excessive strain on abdominal walls etc.
Femoral Hernias:
Femoral Hernias are another type of groin hernias. Unlike inguinal hernias, these hernias are more common in females as compared to their male counterparts. Femoral hernias develop when intestinal tissues push through femoral canal that is located in the anterior thigh.
Women after pregnancy or childbirth have weak muscle spots and any strain on abdominal wall may lead to femoral hernias.
Incisional Hernias:
Incisional hernias develop at sites where some kind of abdominal surgery had been performed and is yet to heal thoroughly. Incisional hernia, also known as Ventral hernia becomes more common with age and therefore elderly people come up with such issues. Being extremely overweight can also lead to such hernias.
Epigastric Hernias:
Another common type of hernia is the Epigastric hernia in which tissues force though the abdominal wall on umbilicus; an area between bellybutton and breastbone. These are more common with adult men. However, overweight and pregnancies make women prone to this type of hernia.
Umbilical Hernias:
Umbilical Hernias develop near the bellybutton or navel. These hernias are commonly seen in infants just after birth. However, this condition heals on its own and disappears at the age of 3 or 4 years.
Having said so, umbilical hernias can also be seen in adults due to variety of reasons that cause intestines to push through the abdominal wall near navel. Lifting heavy weight or being overweight are two of the common reasons of umbilical hernias.
Hiatal/Hiatus Hernia:
Hiatus hernia develops in an opening in the diaphragm, that is known as hiatus. Diaphragm distinguishes the chest cavity from abdominal cavity. And therefore, a hernia in this location is slightly more severe than any other hernia growth discussed above. Peculiar symptoms of Hiatus include; heart burning sensation, severe pain in the area etc.
Hernia – Diagnosis and Treatment:
Doctors can easily diagnose hernias through physical exams. Hernias are usually visible and therefore no other test is required.
However, if a person is only showing symptoms of hernia such as mild groin pain or anything similar, doctors ask patients to stress the abdomen slightly so that they can feel the hernia that are not easily visible. Coughing while in standing position is a sufficient procedure. Very rare cases may demand for Imaging tests; such as, CT Scan, X-Ray or Ultrasound.
An easiest solution to hernia is gently pushing back the hernia into its original position inside the abdomen. This can be administered by your doctor while having you lied down. Use of pain relieving medicines and muscle relaxers is required.
However, if the above remedy does not work, surgical treatments is the next option. Hernia surgery is one of the most practiced procedure that comes up with expected results. There are two types of surgical procedures, namely – Open Repair or Herniorrhaphy and Laproscopic Hernia Surgery.
Open surgeries require long incisions to put back abdominal tissue back to its original position that is followed by correction of the defect. Laproscopy on the other hand requires multiple small incisions. Recovery time of Laproscopic surgeries is short.
Do hernias return post surgery?
For every 100 hernia surgeries, the recurrence ratio lies anything in between 1 to 10. Hernia recurrence post surgery depends largely on the doctor’s skills and experience.
Besides, patient’s age and overall health also determine the success rates of hernia repair. Laproscopic surgeries have greater chances of recurrence as compared to traditional methods. Mesh techniques of hernia repair greatly reduce the risk of hernia recurrence post surgery.
Mesh is similar to a ‘cloth’ that is medically prepared using number of sterilized thread like substances. This mesh is available in different shapes and sizes that is stitched on the weak spot which leads to hernia.
A metabolic reaction takes place in and around the mesh that results in number of tissues that work like a ‘curtain.’ This curtain eventually grows in strength and thereby prevents any weak spot and thus recurrence of hernia.
How long does it take to recover from Hernia Surgery?
Once you are done with a Hernia Surgery, the next thing you need to do is to get back to your usual day to day life. The time period of recovery depends on the type of work you do. On an average, Hernia recovery period can be approximated to be anything in between 3 days to 6 weeks.
People who are engaged in rigorous physical activity may require 5- 6 weeks to feel completely stable and comfortable with the job. Others with lesser physical activity; such as people with desk job, may take around 4 – 7 days to start working.
Taking Care Post Surgery:
Hernia Surgery, or for that matter any surgery, requires patients to follow post operation suggestions thoroughly; so as to ensure best results and quick recovery.
If you or anybody you know is going under a Hernia Surgery, make sure you are taking care post surgery. Here are few of the suggestions that can come handy:
- Before you leave the doctor’s chamber, you will be tested to see if you could eat, drink and urinate properly and comfortably
- Take your doctor’s suggestion before you shower as it could disturb the stitches that have been freshly done
- Proper diet including fruits, vegetables and fluid is important to avoid bowel disorders
- Abstain from driving while under pain medication
- No strenuous activity should be carried out without doctor’s advice
- Bleeding, difficulty in urinating, pain or excessive sweating needs to be reported immediately
Hernia Surgeries have grown to be very common in India. Except congenital hernias, all other types are easily preventable if proper diet, sufficient water intake, exercise and care after abdominal surgeries are carried out.
Besides, knowing early signs and opting for solutions immediately will help prevent comprehensive surgeries and thus easier recovery.
My sister is about to have surgery for her hernia and she is pretty nervous about it. She is worried that the surgery will potentially not solve her problem. I’ll have to direct her to this article, she would be interested to know the recurrence ratio you mentioned.