What is a Hernia?
A hernia is “The protrusion of an abdominal organ or fatty
tissues through a gap in the muscles of the abdominal wall”.
The first sign of a hernia is often a bulge or lump in the groin
or umbilical region followed by pain and discomfort which can limit
activity.
Most hernias are reducible, which means the bulge can be
pushed back into the abdominal cavity especially when lying
down.
Danger occurs if the hernia will not reduce and becomes painful.
This may mean that the hernia is strangulated, cutting off the
blood supply to the intestine involved. This situation is treated
as an emergency as it can become life threatening. This is why
specialists advocate hernia repair as soon as possible, to avoid
this potentially dangerous situation.
Anybody can develop a hernia, regardless of sex or age. A hernia
cannot heal itself, except sometimes in babies with umbilical
hernias; neither can it be treated with medication. A truss is an
inadequate and inconvenient method of dealing with a hernia, and
can cause problems with more scar tissue.
Therefore the only effective and successful way of returning to
full activity is by surgical repair.
Consultants providing hernia surgery at
Oaks Hospital