Hernia Treatment
Hernia Treatment Main Content
Recover faster with a lower chance of your hernia coming back through robotic and minimally-invasive hernia treatment options.
Signs of a Hernia
A hernia occurs when an internal organ pushes through a weak spot in your muscle or tissue. This can happen due to elevated pressure in the abdomen, weak areas in the abdominal wall, vigorous exercise, pregnancy, or persistent sneezing or coughing.
Some people have no hernia symptoms, which can make detection difficult. Others may have only a lump in the groin area.
Some silent signs to look for include:
- Constipation
- Feeling full
- Fever
- Heartburn
- Nausea and vomiting
- Pain in the pelvic area
- Pain under certain conditions
- Weakness in your upper leg or groin
While these symptoms could indicate you have a hernia, you won’t know for sure unless you are examined by a doctor. They can often be identified by a quick physical examination but in some cases can only diagnosed by an X-ray, endoscopy or ultrasound. Your first step is a screening by a professional.
Hernia Repair Success
With minimally invasive robotic surgery for hernia, Glenn saw smaller incisions, fewer complications and had a faster recovery. It may even reduce the chance of it returning.
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Common Hernia Types
Inguinal hernia
This is the most common type of hernia, occurring when the intestines push through the weakened spot or tear in the abdominal wall near the groin. It is more common in men than women.
Hiatal hernia
Occurring when part of your stomach pushes through the diaphragm into your chest region. This most occurs in people who are over 50 years old due to repetitive pressure on the muscles in your stomach, possibly caused by coughing, vomiting, straining or living heavy objects. Factors that increase your risk of a hiatal hernia includes obesity, aging and smoking.
Umbilical hernia
Occurring when intestines bulge through the abdominal wall near the belly button. This often occurs in babies under 6 months old but usually go away over time. They may also occur in adults who are overweight or women who have been pregnant many times. Because they rarely cause a bulge, hernias in women can be misdiagnosed as fibroids, ovarian cysts, or endometriosis because of the region of the pain.
Incisional hernia
Occurring after you’ve had abdominal surgery, the intestines may push through the incision scar or surrounding, weakened tissue.
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Hernia Treatment Options
It’s important to know that hernias do not go away on their own and can only be repaired by surgery. However, you do have options when it comes to treating your hernia:
Take a “wait and see” approach. If your hernia does not bother you right now and your doctor doesn’t recommend immediate surgery, you can elect to wait and monitor the situation for any symptoms.
Have surgery now to repair the hernia, even if you don’t have any symptoms. Hernias tend to get bigger over time as your muscles weaken, and electing to have the surgery now will prevent any serious complications down the road. Some complications include strangulation, a serious instance when a loop of intestine or fatty tissue is trapped inside a hernia and is cut off from its blood supply.
The good news is that there are more options for hernia repair now than ever and with even better outcomes. These techniques are often minimally invasive with fast recovery times and fewer chances of your hernia reoccurring.
Baptist Health also offers meshless hernia repairs. This is an option for inguinal hernia repairs and avoids the use of mesh. Some patients experience improved outcomes with meshless hernia repair and lower risk of hernia recurrence. If you are interested in this approach, please mention it when calling about an appointment.
Schedule a hernia exam today
If you think you may have a hernia, discuss your options with your primary care doctor or one of our hernia surgeons. Call or request an appointment online.