What are hernias and how do they appear?

According to the latest statistics in America, about 5 million persons develop an abdominal hernia. The most common type of all is the inguinal hernia defined as the penetration of a weakened part of the abdominal wall by a part of the peritoneal tissue. The hernial bag consists of intra abdominal fat or pinched parts of the intestines. Hernias are more common in men than in women because of the testicle development inside the abdominal cavity; later, they move down leaving a weakened hole behind. Many people risk dangerous complications out of fear for the operation. Anyone suspecting he might suffer from a hernia should immediately see a doctor.

Hernias may occur in many regions of the body but the far most encountered one is the inguinal hernia. Common symptoms of inguinal hernias are a burning sensation, heaviness and inflammation in the area. Left untreated, the hernia continues growing and leads to pain and discomfort. The inguinal hernia can sometimes envelop the inner tigh or the scrotum and lead to further complications. A dangerous situation is when the hernial bulge contains a strangled piece of intestines; the digestive transit will eventually stop and create difficulties and a surgical emergency.

Some factors may predispose a person to develop hernia in his/her lifetime. A congenital effect of the abdominal wall, physical stress, lifting, pushing or pulling heavy objects, prostate problems, prolonged coughing and bowel irregularities can all lead to the development of an inguinal hernia.

The abdominal wall consists out of muscle layers and tendons with the role of supporting the inner organs from the huge pressure they exercise on the outside. A hole in the outer layer can be caused by overstretching especially in a weakened area. Simple coughing or sneezing can as well as overextensions produce damages to the abdominal wall.

A hole in the abdominal layer only becomes dangerous when intestines are trapped inside the bulge and persisting pains occur. Immediate surgery will prevent both gap and bulge to enlarge with every movement due to the pressure of the internal organs on the outside.

The first complication is the incarceration of hernias that no longer permit intestines to move out of the hernial bag leading to bowel obstruction. If no emergency intervention occurs, the intestines trapped will remain without blood supply and eventually die. This is the strangled type of hernias and rarely occur our days but can be successfully treated. Hernias are between the most common operations performed all over the world.

The traditional surgery of hernias requires a 4-6 inch incision, the detection of the gap and the rebinding of the healthy tissues around the weakened area. A nylon mesh can also be used. The modern method with laparoscopic instruments requires a smaller incision and placing nylon mesh over both side strong tissues.

The surgery usually lasts about 30 minutes and the recovery a few days. The recurrence rate is about 10 %. You can try to avoid hernias by avoiding heavy lifting and pulling. Repairing hernias must always be done in quick time.

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