United Kingdom
Change

Support and offers for individual members and customers

Health Information

Abdominal hernia

Published by Bupa's health information team, March 2010.

This factsheet is for people who have an abdominal hernia, or who would like information about it.

Abdominal hernia is a bulge or swelling that occurs when contents from the abdomen, such as your intestine, push through a weakness in the muscle of the abdominal wall.

About abdominal hernia
Symptoms of abdominal hernia
Complications of abdominal hernia
Causes of abdominal hernia
Diagnosis of abdominal hernia
Treatment of abdominal hernia
Prevention of abdominal hernia
Questions and answers
Related topics
Sources

About abdominal hernia

The abdominal wall is a sheet of tough muscle and tendon that runs between your ribs and your groin (upper part of your leg). Your abdominal wall acts like a natural corset holding all the abdominal organs in place. There are, however, natural weaknesses in the abdominal wall, such as where the blood vessels and nerves pass through. Sometimes, this weakness in the abdominal wall opens up so whatever is on the inside (usually part of the gut) pushes through. This causes a bulge or swelling (a lump) called a hernia.

Types of abdominal hernia

Abdominal hernias are named according to the position of the weakness in the abdominal wall. The most common types of abdominal hernia are listed here.

Inguinal hernia - a lump appears in the groin or scrotum when the gut pushes through a weakness in the inguinal canal (an area in the groin where there is an opening between the layers of muscle that form the abdominal wall). Men have one in four chance of having an inguinal hernia, whereas only about three in 100 women have it.
Femoral hernia - a lump appears in the groin or inner mid-thigh when the gut pushes into the femoral canal (a channel through which large blood vessels travel in and out of the leg). Women are four times more likely to have a femoral hernia than men.
Incisional hernia - a lump appears near or on top of an old surgical scar when tissue or part of the gut pushes through a weakness in the muscles caused by surgery. An incisional hernia can occur months or years after surgery and is more common in adults than children. It can occur in up to 13 percent of some abdominal surgeries such as laparoscopy, bowel surgery or appendectomy.
Umbilical hernia - is when the naval (belly button) pops outwards or a lump appears around the belly button due to a weakness in the muscles in or around the belly button. Umbilical hernias are most common in women during and after pregnancy, in people who are overweight and in young children. For more information see related topics.

Symptoms of abdominal hernia

Often the lump will disappear when you lie down or push on it and reappear when you stand, cough or sneeze (called a reducible hernia). When you cough or strain, hernia will usually reappear but not always.

A reducible hernia is usually painless. You may notice a slight discomfort and feeling of heaviness or aching.

Complications of abdominal hernia

If the hernia grows and becomes impossible to push back, it is called an incarcerated hernia. There is a risk that the blood supply to the protruding gut may be cut off; this is called a strangulated hernia. An incarcerated hernia may be painful and you may feel sick. A strangulated hernia is very painful. It is a serious complication that requires urgent surgery.

A femoral or inguinal hernia is at particular risk of becoming incarcerated and strangulated because of its narrow neck. The risk of having a strangulated femoral hernia is about one in five at three months and one in two at 21 months.

If you think you have a femoral or inguinal hernia, it's important that you seek medical advice.

Causes of abdominal hernia

Anything that increases pressure in the abdomen can increase the risk of having an abdominal hernia, including:

coughing or sneezing
straining on the toilet (for example, if you have constipation)
pregnancy
lifting heavy objects (for example, weight training)
being overweight

The risk of having an abdominal hernia also increases with age because the older you get, the weaker your abdominal wall muscles become.

Diagnosis of abdominal hernia

Your GP will ask your about your symptoms and examine you. He or she may also ask you about your medical history.

Your GP will examine the bulge or swelling. This may be while you are standing up or lying down. Your doctor will check if the lump can be pushed back in.

If you have a hernia in your groin, your doctor may ask you to cough while he or she places a finger over the hernia. This is to help diagnose a femoral or inguinal hernia.

Once a hernia is diagnosed, your GP will usually recommend that you have it repaired.

Treatment of abdominal hernia

Self-help

Umbilical hernias in young children usually improve, as the abdominal muscles get stronger. In adults, surgical repair is recommended.

All other abdominal hernias, such as femoral, inguinal or incisional hernias, generally get larger with time and don't go away without treatment. The only successful treatment is surgery.

Surgery

Hernia repair operation involves pushing the hernia back into the abdomen and repairing the weakened muscle. This is usually done by making a small cut over the hernia, pushing the contents back into the abdominal cavity and stitching a piece of artificial mesh over the weak area on the abdominal wall. For more information about hernia repair see related topics.

Prevention of abdominal hernia

The only way to reduce your risk of having an abdominal hernia is to stop problems that make a hernia more likely. For example, if you are:

coughing or sneezing - find out what is causing this and get help to treat it
straining on the toilet - eat more fibre and drink plenty of fluids to help ease your bowel movement
overweight - get help to lose weight
pregnant - wear a support belt to ease the pressure on your abdominal muscles
lifting heavy objects - find ways to reduce heavy lifting