What Groin and Abdominal Hernias Are
A hernia occurs when part of your body protrudes through an abnormal opening in the groin or abdominal wall. A groin or abdominal hernia can be present at birth, develop over years, or come on suddenly.
The underlying causes of hernias are increased pressure within the abdomen and generalized weakness of connective tissues. Since these conditions affect both sides of the groin or abdomen equally, people who have one hernia often have more, even if they are only experiencing pain on one side. Consequently, both sides will be carefully examined for hernias. This is important since an additional asymptomatic hernia may affect the type of repair your surgeon elects to perform.
Although hernias aren’t dangerous themselves, they can have life-threatening complications, and they certainly can cause pain, even when not dangerous.
Facts About Groin and Abdominal Hernias
Groin and abdominal wall hernias are a common problem. The National Center for Health Statistics estimates that about 5 million people in the United States have such a hernia.
The signs of a hernia include an abnormal bulge in the groin or abdominal wall, pain, and tenderness directly over the hernia. Most hernias contain only fat and membranes. A small percentage contains bowel and/or peritoneal fluid (fluid that surrounds the gastrointestinal organs).
Types of Groin & Abdominal Hernias
There are several types of groin and abdominal hernias, as the following chart shows:
| Type |
Description |
Additional Information |
| Inguinal |
Develops in the groin area. |
Accounts for 75% of abdominal wall hernias and most often occurs in men. |
| Femoral |
Appears in the upper thigh, just below the groin crease. |
Less common hernia that usually occurs in women, probably because of increased intra-pelvic pressure during pregnancy. |
| Spigelian |
Occurs at the edge of the rectus muscles (the ones used to sit up), near the level of the navel. |
This rare type of hernia that usually occurs in middle-age. |
| Incisional |
Occurs through a surgical scar in the abdomen. |
Most often occurs in obese patients or when the surgical site was infected. May occur months or years after surgery. |
| Midline |
Includes umbilical (around the navel), epigastic (above the navel), and hyogastric (below the navel) abdominal hernias. |
Umbilical hernias often occur in infants and usually heal on their own. All midline hernias can be acquired or congenital. The majority are prone to being nonreducible. |
Reducibility
A hernia can be completely reducible, incompletely reducible, or non-reducible. When the
tissue creating the bulge can be pushed back into the abdomen, or completely flattened, it is
reducible. If the tissue cannot be pushed back into the abdomen, the hernia is non-reducible.
Strangulation
Non-reducible hernias are more likely to cause pain and are more likely to become strangulated.
Strangulation results when the blood and lymphatic vessels that supply the contents of the hernia
become “pinched” as they pass through the neck of the hernia, interfering with the
blood supply to hernia contents, and potentially leading to death of those tissues. Strangulated
hernias that contain only fat can cause severe pain, but are not life-threatening. However, when a
hernia that contains bowel becomes strangulated, life threatening complications such as bowel
obstruction and bowel death (infarction) can occur.
By diagnosing hernias early, they can be surgically repaired before strangulation can occur.