How to Prevent a Hernia - Risk Factors, Symptoms, Prevention Tips

What Is a Hernia?

Your abdomen contains a combination of muscles, connective tissue, and organs. A hernia forms when the contents of your abdomen push through a weak spot or tear in the muscle or connective tissue. This allows the abdominal organs or fatty tissue to squeeze through this opening.

There are several different types of hernias that can occur based on location:

• Inguinal: Inner groin
• Femoral: Outer groin
• Incisional: Resulting from past surgery
• Umbilical: Belly button
• Hiatal: Upper stomach into chest

Inguinal hernias are the most common, accounting for 70% of all abdominal wall hernias. A hernia forms a visible bulge under the skin. The contents may retract back into the abdomen when lying down. Coughing, straining, or standing can cause them to reappear.

Hernia Causes and Risk Factors

What leads to the abdominal wall weakening and makes one person more vulnerable to a hernia than another? Here are the main contributors to hernia development:

Pressure and Straining

Any activity that increases pressure inside the abdomen can cause connective tissue to weaken over time. Repeated straining, heavy lifting, constipation, chronic coughing, pregnancy, and fluid buildup place excessive internal pressure.

Increased Body Weight

Carrying excess body weight increases strain and pressure on abdominal muscles and tissue. This makes obese individuals much more susceptible to hernias.

Prior Surgery

Past abdominal surgery weakens the muscles and connective tissue. Incisions from surgeries like C-sections allow organs to push through resulting in an incisional hernia.

Age

Hernias become more common as we get older. Connective tissue naturally weakens over time. Most hernias develop after age 40.

Gender

Men have over twice the risk of developing a hernia compared to women. It's believed weaker connective tissue and more straining contribute.

Family History

Hernias tend to run in families. You may have a genetic predisposition if a parent or sibling has/had one.

Smoking

Smoking chronically irritates the abdomen causing coughing. It also increases pressure and weakens connective tissue putting smokers at increased risk.

Health Conditions

Certain medical conditions like COPD, constipation, cystic fibrosis, pregnancy, prostate enlargement and ascites make hernias more likely by increasing abdominal pressure.

Early Hernia Symptoms and Warning Signs

Recognizing early hernia symptoms allows for prompt treatment. Here are the most common signs:

Bulge Appears

A noticeable bulge under the skin is the hallmark hernia symptom. It may disappear when lying down and reappear when standing or straining. Groin hernias cause bulges in the groin area.

Pain and Discomfort

The hernia bulge may be associated with a feeling of pressure, aching, burning or heaviness. Coughing, bending over or prolonged standing can worsen discomfort.

Weakness and Numbness

If the hernia bulge presses on a nerve, you may feel localized numbness, tingling or leg weakness. Tell your doctor immediately if these nerve-related symptoms develop.

Difficulty Urinating

Men may experience problems passing urine if the hernia puts pressure on the bladder. This occurs most often with femoral hernias in the outer groin.

Feeling of Fullness

Incisional or epigastric hernias can make you feel overly full after eating just a small amount of food. Early satiety and indigestion may occur.

Seek prompt medical evaluation if you develop any suspicious bumps, discomfort, or other concerning symptoms in your abdomen. An untreated hernia can lead to potentially serious complications.

Complications of Leaving a Hernia Untreated

While hernias wont always cause problems, potential complications include:

Incarceration

The contents of the hernia can become stuck or trapped outside the abdomen. This incarceration causes severe pain, vomiting, and bowel obstruction.

Strangulation

If incarceration cuts off blood flow to the trapped tissue, it leads to life-threatening strangulation. Strangulation requires emergency surgery to prevent tissue death.

Obstruction

Bowel obstruction can occur if the intestine becomes kinked or twisted within the hernia. This can lead to dangerous inflammation and death of bowel tissue.

Tissue Death

Lack of adequate blood supply causes the bowel or fatty tissue to start dying inside the hernia. Infection and sepsis can result.

Due to the risks for serious complications, dont ignore a hernia once discovered. Seek medical treatment for proper diagnosis and management.

When to See a Doctor

You should schedule an appointment with your doctor if you notice any of the following:

• New bulge or mass under abdomen skin
• Increasing groin pain or swelling
• Worsening discomfort with straining
• Problems with urination
• Weakness or numbness in leg/groin

In some cases, emergency medical care is warranted. Seek evaluation at an urgent care or ER if you experience:

• Sudden severe pain at hernia location
• Inability to push hernia contents back into abdomen
• Nausea, vomiting, fever with a hernia
• Skin redness, bleeding, or bruising by hernia
• Difficulty passing stool or gas

Waiting too long can allow potentially serious complications to develop. Its better to err on the side getting checked out.

How Are Hernias Diagnosed?

To diagnose a hernia, your doctor will begin with a physical exam of your abdomen. They will have you stand and cough to see if a bulge appears.

Your doctor may be able to gently push the hernia lump back into place. Other tests used to aid diagnosis include:

• Medical Imaging - An ultrasound, CT scan or MRI give detailed images to identify the hernia location and contents.
• Herniography - Contrast dye is injected to outline the hernia on an x-ray image.

Lab tests may also check for signs of bowel obstruction if you have vomiting, constipation or severe pain. Let your doctor know if any family members have had a hernia.

Hernia Treatment Options

The only way to repair a hernia is through surgery. However, not everyone with a hernia requires immediate surgery. Small, painless hernias may simply be monitored at first. Treatment options include:

Watchful Waiting

If the hernia is small and not causing discomfort, a watch and wait approach may be recommended. You'll monitor for progression and avoid heavy strain.

Hernia Belt or Truss

Wearing a supportive hernia belt or truss may help manage symptoms. These provide compression to prevent the hernia from bulging and worsening.

Medication

Over-the-counter pain relievers like Tylenol or anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen can help manage aching or discomfort from the hernia.

Surgery

Repairing the weakened abdominal tissue with surgery is the only way to fix a hernia. This is required if the hernia is enlarging, painful or having complications.

Surgery techniques include traditional open repair or laparoscopic repair. Discuss the pros and cons of each with your surgeon if operation becomes necessary.

Can a Hernia Be Prevented?

While hernias can never be completely prevented, you can lower your risk by maintaining a healthy weight and avoiding strain. Here are key hernia prevention tips:

Lose Excess Weight

Excess weight puts tremendous pressure on abdominal muscles and tissue. Shedding extra pounds reduces straining and the likelihood of developing a hernia.

Strengthen Your Core

Do core strengthening exercises for the abdominal muscles. Having stronger abs protects against hernias by preventing connective tissue weakness.

Improve Constipation

Chronic straining with bowel movements weakens the abdomen over time. Eating more fiber, drinking fluids, and exercising can reduce constipation.

Quit Smoking

Smoking cigarettes promotes chronic coughing which raises intra-abdominal pressure. Quitting helps minimize straining and its impact.

Lift Properly

Use correct lifting form by bending knees, tightening core muscles, and avoiding twisting. Get help lifting very heavy objects instead of straining.

Manage Coughing

Allergies, asthma, and respiratory infections cause repeated coughing. treating the underlying condition can minimize straining from coughs.

Eat High Fiber Diet

Fill up on fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Fiber softens stools preventing constipation and excessive pushing.

Avoid Heavy Lifting

Steer clear of lifting anything over 50 pounds. Use mechanical assistance if items are excessively heavy to avoid abdominal pressure.

Dont Hold Your Urine

Waiting too long to urinate strains the abdomen. Stay hydrated and use the restroom when first feeling the urge.

Support Abdomen During Pregnancy

Wear pregnancy belts and avoid heavy lifting when expecting. This reduces pressure on the uterus and abdominal wall.

Hernia Prevention After Surgery

Those who develop incisional hernias after surgery need to take special precautions to avoid recurrence. Recommendations include:

• Follow surgeons restrictions on lifting after procedure
• Support the incision with an abdominal binder as advised
• Refrain from constipation by maintaining high fiber diet
• Limit straining with coughing, bowel movements, or heavy exercise
• Achieve ideal body weight to avoid pressure on incision

Closely following your surgeons post-op instructions can help minimize risks for recurring herniation after surgical repair.

When to See a Surgeon

While not all hernias require immediate surgery, prompt specialist evaluation is a must if you develop any concerning symptoms. See a surgeon right away if you have:

• Hernia causing significant pain or disability
• Hernia not able to be pushed back into abdomen
• Increasing redness, swelling, or bruising over hernia
• Nausea, vomiting, fever, or abdominal pain
• Difficulty passing stool or urinating

Emergency surgery may be needed if any signs of incarceration, strangulation or bowel obstruction develop. Delays can have grave consequences.

Hernia Surgery Cost

The average cost for hernia surgery runs between $4,000 - $8,000 depending on the technique used. Those with insurance can expect to pay:

• Copay of $15 - $50 for primary care visit
• $50 - $100 for surgical specialist visit
• $250 - $500 for diagnostic testing
• $500 - $2,000 for outpatient surgery

Compare costs between hospitals and get pre-approval from insurance before proceeding. Consider an outpatient surgery center to pay less.

Hernia Surgery Recovery

Recover after hernia surgery typically involves:

• 1 - 2 days in hospital for open repair
• Few hours monitoring after laparoscopic procedure
• 2 - 4 weeks of restricted activity and lifting
• Taking pain medication as directed
• Eating a high fiber diet and taking stool softeners
• Wearing a compression garment for support

Follow all of your surgeons post-op care instructions closely to prevent recurrence and support proper healing. Report any concerning symptoms like bleeding, swelling or signs of infection.

Can a Hernia Heal on Its Own?

While hernias themselves dont resolve without intervention, the symptoms may improve on their own. Small hernias often dont pose immediate danger. With no complications, its reasonable to try:

• Losing weight to reduce abdominal pressure
• Wearing a hernia belt or truss for support
• Restricting strenuous activity that worsens symptoms
• Modifying activity to avoid strain on abdomen

However, the hernia defect itself requires surgery at some point to prevent potentially serious complications from arising. Leaving it alone indefinitely is unwise.

When is Hernia Surgery Urgent?

While a watchful waiting approach is OK initially, prompt surgical correction is recommended if any of the following develop:

• Hernia increasing in size
• Severe pain or discomfort from hernia
• Difficulty reducing hernia contents
• Symptoms of incarceration or strangulation
• Bowel obstruction symptoms

Sudden onset of extreme pain, inability to push the hernia back in, or signs of compromised blood flow signal a surgical emergency needing immediate repair.

Can Hernias Be Fatal?

Hernias rarely result in death, but it's possible if intestinal strangulation goes untreated. Signs requiring emergency surgery include:

• Sudden and worsening hernia pain
• Inability to have a bowel movement or pass gas
• Nausea and vomiting
• Fever and chills
• Constipation

Bowel tissue can die off if not promptly restored to proper blood flow. Sepsis and organ failure follow. Seek immediate medical care if your hernia

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.