A hernia is the result of an organ moving out of its permenant place, often pushing through tissue or muscle.
Hernias can appear in multiple places, including the lower abs, upper thigh, belly button and groin areas, Healthline reported. “Most hernias aren’t immediately life-threatening, but they don’t go away on their own. Sometimes they can require surgery to prevent potentially dangerous complications,” the site noted.
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And depending on the type and where they appear, there can be multiple symptoms. Common symptoms, besides a bulge or lump, include pain and discomfort in the area or acid reflux.
Types of hernias
The most common hernias appear within the abdominal wall, which goes down to the groin, noted Shouldice Hernia Hospital.
“The groin is the area just above the skin crease, where the upper leg meets the abdomen and up to a line from hip bone to hip bone. The lower area of the groin is the weakest part of the abdominal wall, and is the area where hernias most often develop,” the hospital’s site noted. “There are two types of groin hernias.”
Lampron said inguinal hernias are one type, in which the intestines push through the abdominal wall and into the inguinal canal.
“The inguinal canal is found in your groin. In men, it’s the area where the spermatic cord passes from the abdomen to the scrotum. This cord holds up the testicles. In women, the inguinal canal contains a ligament that helps hold the uterus in place,” Healthline noted, adding men are more likely to get this type of hernia.
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There are also hiatal hernias, which involve your stomach bulging through a muscle that separates your abdomen and chest. This one may not always be visible on the outside of the body, she said.
“This is not something you can see, but it causes heartburn and acid reflux.”
Others types of hernias include umbilical hernias (which happen in children) and incisional hernias (which happen after abdominal surgery), as well as femoral hernias (on the groin or upper thigh) and ventral hernias (above the groin area).
Treatment options
If you start to notice any symptoms of a hernia, talk to a doctor right away.
“Treatments depend on the hernia, but commonly we focus on groin tissue repair and mesh repair,” Lampron said, adding they are the most recognized types of treatments.
There are also different medications people can take for hiatal hernias, to help cope with stomach acid, but there also lifestyle changes people can make to strengthen their muscles — keeping in mind lifestyle changes will not make hernias go away on their own.
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Lampron said cutting back on smoking or watching your weight by eating well and exercising are lifestyle changes people can make to cut down risks, but at the end of the day, hernias are often just “bad luck.”
“It’s just something that occurs.”
arti.patel@globalnews.ca