Hernia is related with your abdomen or groins. What starts with a weakened inner lining slowly ends up forming a balloon like sack on the downside of the abdomen. This is quite a common disease that many people suffer from. No men and women are partially treated in this case. This is a unisex disease that affects both male and their counterparts. However this is completely treatable under proper care.
We describe abdomen as the lower portion of our body, a muscular area which houses all the digestive and reproductive systems. Usually these organs are safe and bound within the strong fibrous walls of the abdomen protected. A situation occurs when the abdomen wall weakens or perforates. This situation is known as hernia. The inner lining taking advantage of the weakened abdomen wall pushes itself through to form a pouch like sack underneath the perforated wall.
Hernia for a certain point of time is sans pain. It is only when an abdominal tissue slips through the wall hole and ends up in the balloon sac does the pain starts. The push through of such abdominal tissues and organs even at times is known as herniated and with prolonged time the situation worsens and worsens.
There are usually different parts that a hernia can prevail to, the first and the most common place being the groins. The most of the hernia cases are groin centric where for females, the usual place is below the groin. This is commonly known as femoral hernia.
For men it is usually inguinal hernia where the bulge might reach to the scrotum. This is the lower bulge section. There are often hernias that cause the balloon like sac to push upwards and out of the abdomen wall and into the chest cavity through a fine opening in the diaphragm. This condition is known as hiatus or hiatal hernia. At times hernia might occur in any past incision in and around a previous surgery scar and at other times it is the belly button that gets affected by hernia. This condition is then termed umbilical hernia.
For most of the times hernia goes symptoms less and when it does strike if prolonged it might turn other conditions into serious deal. Usually a simple surgery, open or laparoscopic seals the deal but the causes for a weakened abdomen wall are worth knowing to avoid further confrontation of hernia.
Hernia Symptoms And Causes:
This article will guide you about what are the causes and symptoms of hernia and what steps to take to overcome.
Causes Of Hernia:
here we mention 10 main reasons for hernia.
1. Heavy Lifting:
Usually weakening of muscle wall can cause due to lifting of heavy weights in the gym. Often people strive to make a sculpted figure dream come true and in pursuit of that, a heavy lifting session is looked upon at. Little people know that heavy lifting usually causes immense pressure on the abdomen area which causes the muscles in the abdomen to wear and tear.
2. Age:
Often due to age, the organs start wearing away. With old age comes inability of the organs to be as tough as they were once a time. Due to this often the abdominal wall weakens and is prone to perforation or tear.
3. Surgical Scar:
Often there are surgical scars in the abdomen area that are still prone to injury as they have not in the past healed properly. This is where hernia occurs, right along the scar lines.
4. Previous History of Hernia:
It has been found that risk factors for developing hernia are higher if you have had a previous history of hiatus or umbilical hernia.
5. Coughing:
Often at times chronic coughing that is usually dry in nature causes throat itch which makes whizzing cough more pressurized and difficult. While one coughs vigorously to relieve himself from the itching irritation in the throat a constant pressure keeps building up in the gut causing the abdomen walls to slowly succumb under pressure eventually rupturing to cause hernia.
6. At Birth:
Navel hernia causes swelling on the inner side of the skin causing a beer gut or a protruding belly situation. This might be a dormant condition present in you while you were small. It is usually the umbilical space that if fails to close properly houses the hernia sac. This might in your later years acts up.
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7. Pregnancy or Obesity:
Often pregnancy or obesity causes undue strength in the abdomen area causing pressure too much for the muscle walls of the abdomen to hold in. In such a situation, the walls rupture.
8. Dialysis:
Hernia is mainly caused when pressure is felt in the abdominal cavity, causing it to protrude. It has been found that in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis, which is done in the condition of kidney failure; increased pressure is exerted on the abdomen. Hence such individuals have higher risk of developing hernia.
9. Injury:
Hernia can be caused when the muscles become strained and weakened. If during an injury, the muscles affected and are not healed completely, the chance of hernia growth becomes considerably high.
10. Constipation:
According to the recent findings, a person suffering from chronic constipation is at higher risk of developing hernia. Constipation causes strain in the abdominal muscles during bowel movement, rendering them weak and more susceptible for hernia growth.
Symptoms Of Hernia:
After identifying the causes of Hernia it is also important to understand and know the symptoms for the same. Knowledge of these Hernia symptoms will lead to early detection and easy cure.
Take a look at these top 10 signs and symptoms of Hernia that you must never ignore:
1. Visible Lump:
Have you ever noticed a visible lump under your skin? If yes, then it could turn out to be one of the early Hernia symptoms. These lumps are formed when the tissues gets weakened that could happen at the time of birth or the tissues wears down with age. These protrusions resemble like a sac in the organs and sometimes also invade the navel, groin or walls of abdomen. These bulge or swellings are easily noticeable with naked eyes and turn painful over time. Presence of lump in any part of the body can turn out to be alarming so it’s best to seek medical attention immediately.
2. Reduced Blood Supply:
When Hernia tends to become big in size, it is referred as ‘strangulated area’ a medical condition wherein the blood supply is cut off to the muscular walls. There will be reduced supply of blood to the primary area and also other parts of the body. Development of strangulated Hernia can even be life threatening and requires immediate medical surgery. According to the experts, death ratio during hernia surgery is comparatively higher to cases where hernia is controlled with other forms of treatment. It is therefore best to detect the development of Hernia early to avoid it from becoming strangulated.
3. Nerve Discomfort:
During hernia you might also experience discomfort in different parts of the body that is connected with the same nerve chain. This condition occurs when hernia causes irritation in the nerves, with pain travelling along the nerve chain. Also hernia that is developed out of sport’s injury causes nerve compression. This is because the bulge presses against the nerve and the pain traverses from the root to the segment of the affected nerve.
4. Feeling of Fullness:
A patient suffering from Hernia often experiences a stuff or bloated feeling in the gut. This symptom is particularly common during Umbilical Hernia or Hiatal Hernia that affects the intestine and stomach respectively. Nausea is another common symptom during Hernia. The pain causes difficulty in swallowing and can cause you to feel ill.
5. Pain:
Person suffering from Hernia is bound to suffer pain, although the intensity may vary from being slightly uncomfortable to very severe. The feeling of pain in cases of hernia only increases with time. Pain in hernia can be even categorized as:
- When only the bulge is visible and the person does not experience any pain or discomfort.
- Sometimes a heavy sensation is felt in the abdomen. The pain can increase due to movements that cause bending at the waist.
- Pain in this case worsens even with movements like bending, lifting, retrieving heavy objects or even sitting for a prolonged time.
When the pain becomes severely painful it signals that the hernia has become strangulated and it is important to immediately show a doctor.
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6. Difficulty in Walking:
Hernia causes difficulty in even slightest of movements. Therefore even while walking around your office, sitting down to eat your meal or even driving your car you may feel slightly uncomfortable. In higher stages of Hernia, even moving your legs or arms can be very painful.
7. Stomach Upset:
Stomach upset symptoms like indigestion, nausea, heartburn or bowel issues are very common during Hernia. It is particularly prevalent when Hernia affects the abdominal areas or groin. In the Inguinal Hernia that affects the groin, stomach upset is frequent when the hernia bulges from the abdomen and reaches the inguinal canal. A gentle massage from a medical practitioner may help by offering temporary relief.
8. Discomfort:
Even if no pain is felt, the protruding gut will feel heavy and hard causing discomfort or irritation in the gut. This can be pain free or with pain. Even though the pain is not persistent and reoccurs at intervals, the nagging discomfort stays all day long.
9. Vomiting:
Nausea and vomiting are very common symptoms that indicate the start of hernia. In such cases, the intestine gets trapped with the growth and may also cause fatal bowel obstruction. This is a dangerous medical condition and is referred as ‘incarcerated’ hernia. The patient may face difficulty in passing gas and disruption in bowel movements. Incarcerated hernia requires immediate medical surgery.
10. Fatigue:
The muscles of the body around the Hernia affected area gradually become weak and the persons tends to feel tired easily. These muscles tend to get weaker owing to the constant wear and tear and also due to severe pain that result out of hernia growth.
It is important to recognize these early signs and symptoms of Hernia. Hernia cannot be cured on its own, if left untreated. You are now aware that muscle weakness leads to hernia. But it is not always possible to avoid such conditions. One can however, reduce the intensity of strain or pressure on the muscles. This will help to avoid hernia in first place and even help in preventing the condition from getting worse.
Some of the Prevention Tips for Hernia are:
- Avoid smoking
- Adopting ways to maintain a healthy body weight
- Avoid lifting heavy objects, especially when it exerts on the back
- Following healthy diet to ensure smooth bowel movements and urination.
- Consulting a doctor immediately if you find any alarming changes in the body.
However taking note of the medical condition and showing a doctor can help to significantly minimize the effect. Hernia can easily be cured with medications and adopting some positive lifestyle changes. By following these guidelines you can prevent hernia from becoming life-threatening.
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