Our Hernia Main Article provides a comprehensive look at the who, what, when and how of Hernia

Definition of Hernia

Hernia: A general term referring to a protrusion of a tissue through the wall of the cavity in which it is normally contained.

More specifically, a hernia often refers to an opening or weakness in the muscular structure of the wall of the abdomen. This defect causes a bulging of the abdominal wall. This bulging is usually more noticeable when the abdominal muscles are tightened, thereby increasing the pressure in the abdomen. Examples of activities that can worsen a hernia are lifting, coughing, or even straining to have a bowel movement. Imagine a barrel with a hole in its side and a balloon that is blown up inside the barrel. Part of the inflated balloon would bulge out through the hole. The balloon going through the hole is like the tissues of the abdomen bulging through a hernia.

Symptoms of a hernia include pain or discomfort and a localized swelling somewhere on the surface of the abdomen or in the groin area.

Serious complications from a hernia result from the trapping of tissues in the hernia -- a process called incarceration. Trapped tissues may have their blood supply cut off, leading to damage or death of the tissue.

The treatment of incarceration requires immediate surgery.

For a full article on this subject, see Hernia.

Common Misspellings: hernier

Suggested Reading by Our Doctors

• Questions To Ask Before Surgery - Surgery questions to ask prior to having a procedure are important. Your surgeon should be available to answer your surgery questions prior to the procedure.
• Abdominal Pain - Learn about abdominal pain (pain in the stomach / abdomen) including causes, symptoms, how abdominal pain is diagnosed, and how abdominal pain is treated.
• Laparoscopy - Learn about the laparoscopy (laparoscopic surgery) procedure used to treat digestive diseases of the gastrointestinal tract on MedicineNet.com

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