Inguinal Hernias won’t get better without surgery. But will, over time get bigger and worsen and it is therefore advised to get the hernia repaired before complications can arise. However if the hernia is reducible the need for immediate action is not needed as the chance of strangulation is far lower. But on the other hand, if the hernia starts bothering the patient or is incarcerated then it is highly advised to visit your doctor to repair the hernia immediately. Therefore if your hernia is reducible the option to have a hernia repair surgery is voluntary as there is a relatively low chance of strangulation and damage to the person.
Inguinal hernia
Considering having the hernia repair
Unless you are unable to have a hernia repair due to poor health etc, it is recommended that ever hernia should be repaired to reduce any complications forming from it. This doesn’t mean that the repair should happen immediately but that you shouldn’t wait a few months as the longer you wait the larger in size it will get. On top of that, the longer the hernia is there, the greater the risks of life threatening complications by bowel incarceration which can cause obstruction or necrosis of the bowel wall. These used to be very common complications of inguinal hernias and are pretty uncommon today because nearly all hernias are repaired. Over 900,000 hernia operations take place in USA alone every year.
How Are Inguinal Hernias Repaired ?
All inguinal hernia repairs are one day operations which mean that after the operation you are able to leave the hospital the same day that you arrived.
There are two main ways of having the hernia; one is through laparoscopic surgery i.e. “keyhole surgery”. This involves 2-3 incisions on the abdomen around 1-2 inches in size which allows the surgeon to place a high tech wire mesh over the weakness or hole after pushing the bulge of abdominal tissue back through it. They then stitch the mesh into place before sealing up the three incisions made at the beginning of the repair.
The other method involves creating one large incision over the hernia roughly 4 inches in length. From there the operation is pretty much exactly the same as the laparoscopic surgery in which mesh is used to patch up the weakness.
Both methods are equally good as each other however the laparoscopic leaves smaller scars after the repair, there is also a downside to the laparoscopic repair as the risk of recurrences of the hernia increases.
Most doctors will recommend the second method as it is a safer method of hernia repair.
Recovery after the Repair
After a successful hernia repair, the patient must rest for 4-6 weeks. This means he or she must not take part in strenuous exercise or sports however they can return to work within the first 3 days or so. By the end of the six weeks the stitches would have dissolved and the mesh would have been coved by intertwined tissue which strengthens the wound.
There will be pain during the first 1-2 weeks and swelling, you may also feel numbness around that area after the operation which can end after 3 months or so, but in most cases stays. There are also other risks such as severe pain which can last for months after the operation but this is very unlikely.
