Health Check: Hernia basics and surgical recovery

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - This segment on The Three was paid for and sponsored by St. Joseph Health.

Hernias are holes in the abdomen that shouldn’t be there, according to Dr. Lorraine Stone of St. Joseph Health.

The most common hernias occur at the belly button or in the groin.

“Usually those are caused by when you’re a baby and developing the, what we call the fascia, that last little bit to close off just didn’t finish closing for some reason,” Dr. Stone said.

The opening allows internal contents to push through, whether fat or bowel contents from inside the abdomen. While belly button hernias are most common, groin hernias occur frequently on either side of the body.

Men are more likely to experience symptoms with groin hernias because of the spermatic cord and other structures in that area, but anyone can develop hernias.

Surgery time varies based on the type of hernia and surgical approach. Dr. Stone said groin hernia repairs can take up to two hours, with an additional hour if repairing two hernias. Simple belly button hernias done through an open approach typically take less than an hour.

Most patients go home the same day as surgery. The first three days involve the most pain, followed by soreness with major body movements like standing up and sitting down.