Hernia:

A hernia is a lump under the skin caused by part of the intestines (bowels) poking through the muscle layers of the wall of the abdomen (belly). Most commonly they present as a lump in the groin, although they can occur higher up in the abdomen by the umbilicus (belly button) or beneath scars from previous operations. They result from weakness in the muscle layers which allows the intestines to "herniate" through. So, although they often appear for no obvious reason they can sometimes develop after straining, (eg through coughing or lifting heavy loads) which causes the pressure within the abdomen to rise and encourages the intestines to "escape" through areas of weakness in the covering muscles.

Initially the hernia lump may come and go, often being noticed when a person stands only to disappear when he lies down. With time, the size of the tending to increase and the hernia becomes a permanent feature. In men some sorts of hernia enlarge down into the scrotum causing generalised distension of this area.

Hernias do not tend to be painful although they may cause a mild ache. However, it is usually best to treat them as they do not go away of their own accord and tend to gradually increase in size and cause more discomfort over time. In addition, hernias occasionally become "strangulated" - this occurs when part of the intestine protruding through the gap in the muscle becomes tightly fixed in the hernia and its blood supply is compromised. This leads to severe pain and, if untreated, damage to the intestines. Strangulated hernias usually require emergency surgery.

Although in years gone by, people often wore surgical trusses to keep their hernias at bay, nowadays surgery is the preferred option and has a high success rate. There is no medication for hernias. Advances in surgical techniques over the past 30 years have reduced the amount of time people need to be in hospital after hernia surgery to only a couple of days, some surgeons even treat hernias as Day Cases. Similarly, these newer procedures have reduced the amount of time people need to be off work after the operation although depending on the nature of their job, several weeks may still need to be spent recuperating.

Disclaimer: This page is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as medical advice or substituted for professional advice. Always consult your doctor with your questions and concerns.