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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
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Hernias. Most people have heard of them, but few know exactly what they are, how to detect them or how to treat them.
An estimated 5 million Americans develop hernias each year, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. A hernia is an organ or tissue - often a segment of intestine - protruding through a weakness in the abdominal wall. These protrusions are similar to an inflated inner tube bulging through a worn-out bicycle tire. Hernias are not necessarily hereditary, but a family history of weak abdominal walls will make people more likely to develop hernias. Activities that can cause or aggravate hernias include coughing, heavy lifting, straining during bowel movements, prior surgery/incisions and, for overweight people, everyday activities that add strain to abdominal walls. There is no sure-fire way to prevent hernias, but you can lower the risk through healthy eating, not smoking, exercising regularly and using proper lifting techniques.
Hernias can be detected by both sight and touch. Many people who have a hernia will notice a lump in their groin or abdomen, and hernia sufferers often develop dull aches that become more acute when they are active, coughing or lifting heavy objects. Hernias in the groin area are more common in men but can also occur in women. Once a hernia has developed, surgical treatment is usually necessary to repair it. The hernia will not get better on its own; rather, as more tissue or more of the organ push through the abdominal wall, the size of the hernia will usually increase. Some selected asymptomatic hernias can be treated non-operatively with careful observation following complete surgical evaluation.
The good news is that surgery - either traditional or less invasive laparoscopic procedures - can provide lasting relief to hernia sufferers. To make the repair, the surgeon patches the defect in the abdominal wall using a piece of mesh material or surrounding muscle and tissue secured with several sutures. Both methods repair the breach in the abdominal wall, thus eliminating the source of the bulge as well as the pain.
At a minimum, hernias cause discomfort when resting and acute pain during periods of activity. More severe cases can result in dangerous strangulated hernias, when the intestine is trapped in the opening of the abdominal wall. Fortunately, there are effective surgical treatment options that can be performed conveniently on an outpatient basis in a matter of hours.
If you suspect that you have a hernia, see your doctor.
This article is a NetWellness exclusive. 
Last Reviewed: Apr 27, 2006
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Michael Nussbaum, MD University of Cincinnati |
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