A hernia, an abnormal bulging of the internal organs, can develop in many areas of the body, but it often develops in the intestine.

Unless you are a doctor, do not try self-diagnosis. The reasons are many, including that there are several possible symptoms, some or none - or any mixture of which you may have and may detect. However, what you have might be something else entirely and by you thinking (perhaps incorrectly) that you can diagnose it as a hernia, you may be putting something else at great risk of going untreated - perhaps with dangerous consequences.

It was bound to happen to me eventually - inguinal hernias are often congenital. My dad had an inguinal hernia on both sides, and he never lifted anything heavier than a beer. Heavy weight training may have caused it to happen a little sooner, but it would have happened eventually even if I had continued to live a sedentary lifestyle. Being in good shape allowed for a very quick recovery - my surgeon was impressed! Back to index People who work out and lift weights are compensating.

A ventral hernia usually occurs in the abdominal wall because of a weakening due to a previous surgical incision. The result is a bulge or tear in the abdominal wall that allows a balloon-like sac to form in the weakened area.

All the names of the different hernias really relate only to where they are on the body, a rough guide to which is shown here. Spigelian hernia is much less common than others, but is - nevertheless - still a hernia in the abdominal wall, slightly to the side of the upper abdomen. It is, like the others, an opening of a 'window' in the wall tissue which needs to be closed by surgery.

incisional hernia result from a hole or defect in the layers of abdominal wall at the site of a previous surgical incision. The incidence of incisional hernia is less common after laparoscopic surgery but it is a fairly common complication after laparotomy.

quot;A hiatal hernia certainly has a bearing on the situation, and can be in some patients the primary cause of their reflux, though repairing the hiatal hernia, alone, would not be sufficient to stop the reflux. The hiatal hernia repair is usually done laparoscopically, at the time of surgery for acid reflux syndrome."

The most common type of hernia is called an inguinal hernia. An inguinal hernia is caused by a weakness or defect in the lining of the abdominal (belly) wall or pelvic (groin) wall. It can be present at birth or develop over years. A hernia can also develop in the abdominal wall around a previous incision. This is called a ventral hernia.

Left untreated, a hernia will not go away. It will frequently get bigger. Without surgery, complications are possible. Tissue that is a part of the intestines may become stuck in the hernia, cutting off the blood supply to that tissue. The result can be very serious, and emergency surgery may be required.

Traditionally, surgeons have repaired a hernia through an open incision in the abdomen. Today, however, more and more people are having their ventral hernias repaired by MIP. During a conventional hernia repair, an incision, often several inches long, is made in the abdominal wall, through the skin, into the abdomen. The contents of the hernia are pushed back into the abdomen and the muscles are sutured back together.

Uncomfortable or painful hernias have been known to cause such problems, because erectile function is very easily interfered with and if one gets any kind of pain with erection, the self-defence mechanism kicks in and prevents the pain by reducing the erection. It can be as simple as that. This should get back to normal as soon as the underlying cause, namely the hernia, is dealt with.

Factors such as obesity, straining, heavy lifting or pregnancy can exert enough pressure on the abdominal cavity to cause a hernia.