'Will a hernia operation stop me playing football?'
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Q: I've been told that I've got a hernia. I'm really shocked as I don't know anyone of my age with this condition. I'm racking my brains trying to think what's caused it but nothing springs to mind. I've been told I must have an operation to repair it but I'm worried about the implications of this. Is this the only option? And what will happen after the procedure? I play five-a-side football with colleagues. We may not be professional but it's my main hobby – will an operation put a stop to this? Rob, 27 |
our online advisors reply:
Hi Rob thanks for writing in. Although none of your mates have suffered from a hernia, it is actually a common condition. Anyone can develop a hernia at any age and 70,000 hernia repair operations are carried out each year in the UK.
Hernias in adults may arise as a result of the strain caused by excessive coughing or sneezing, lifting heavy weights or straining to produce a bowel movement. A hernia may also develop due to being overweight or from scars from previous surgery. Or you may simply have an inherent weakness in the muscles in your abdomen.
Although you don't specify the type of hernia, you probably have a swelling of the groin and possibly an enlarged scrotum. This is known as 'inguinal hernia' and accounts for 94 per cent of hernias in men. Women also get hernias, although inguinal hernias are 12 times more common in males. For details of other types of hernias visit www.malehealth.co.uk/....
Usually, the muscles in your abdomen are tight enough to keep your bowel in place but some people have weak points in these muscles. The bulge that you can see is fat, tissue or bowel that has slipped through the weakness in the muscle and down into your groin. You can liken a hernia to a tyre where the outer wall has weakened and allowed the inner tube to bulge out.
The protuberance may cause you discomfort due to the constant pressure of tissue pushing its way through the weakened spot in your body.
If you leave it, it will get bigger, become more painful and could stop you enjoying sport and sex. It could also get stuck and cut off the blood supply to your bowel – a condition called 'strangulated hernia' which is life-threatening and requires emergency surgery.
So, unfortunately, in answer to your question – surgery is the only option. A surgeon can replace the protruding part and repair the weakness in the wall by either stitching or reinforcing it with a steel or nylon mesh. Another option is keyhole surgery, although the mesh-method is more common.
This webpage from NHS Direct describes the surgical options: www.besttreatments.co.uk/....
If you have a physically demanding job, you may need a month off to recover following surgery but less than two weeks if your job is sedentary.
You should also avoid heavy lifting or straining for up to eight weeks. But assuming no complications you'll probably be able to rejoin your five-a-side team-mates quickly. Most post-operative hernia patients are able to safely resume most activities within 10 to 15 days.
You can then help yourself by keeping your abdominal muscles toned, maintaining a healthy weight, eating a high fibre diet, avoiding smoking and getting medical help for chronic cough, constipation or allergies.
I hope you have found this answer helpful.
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