What is hernia?
A hernia occurs when an organ in the body makes its way through a weak area of a muscle surrounding that organ. An example of the most common instance of hernia is when the intestines rip apart a weakened area in the abdominal wall.
What are the different types of hernias?
The hernia can be classified by their location and nature. The most common types of hernia are:
Inguinal hernia
If there are some disadvantages of being male, then inguinal hernia is one of them. These are most common in men and make up more than 65% of the cases. They derive their name from the inguinal canal. Unlike the Suez Canal, this is the part where the testicles descend. The hernia is caused when intestines break open through this canal causing a painful bulge. Inguinal hernias are located in the pubic region.
Femoral hernia
This type of hernia is more common, but not limited to, in women. This too occurs in the groin area and is often the outcome of childbirth or pregnancy. It is caused when, for example, the intestine enters the canal carrying femoral artery. It is advisable to get this type of hernia checked as soon as it is detected to prevent strangulation of a particular organ
Umbilical Hernias
They occur near your abdomen around the belly button. This type can occur in men, women, and children any time during their life. In adults, their onset may not be resolved automatically and may worsen over time.
How can you prevent a hernia?
There are a lot of risk factors for hernia and we often go about ignoring the tremendous amount of risk we put ourselves in due to certain activities and lifestyle choices.
Obesity
The number one cause of hernia is obesity. The extra fat causes unnecessary burden on your muscles and organs. The amount of energy needed to sustain the fat deposits overworks the organs and may sometimes cause them to slip through cavities and openings causing a hernia.
Lifting heavy weights
All the fitness lovers and weight lifters should pay heed to this advice, “don’t go crazy with the weights!” This will cause unnecessary strain and exertion within your body and may cause your intestines, for example, to pop where they aren’t supposed to.
Chronic lung disease
Do you even need more reasons to lay off that packet of cigarettes? Smoking can lead to lung diseases along with a host of other complications. This can then develop into chronic or smoker’s cough known to cause a hernia.
How can you detect hernia?
If you feel an unusual bulge or pain in any part of the body, especially your abdominal and groin area, be sure to get it checked by a doctor immediately. If the person has an obvious hernia, the doctor can immediately confirm that by examining the bulge if the patient is otherwise healthy.
To make things certain, the doctor may order an Ultrasound or CT scan to pinpoint the exact location of the hernia.
