Can a Hernia Be Repaired Without Surgery?

March xiv, 2022

If y'all institute this blog post, you're undoubtedly experiencing pain, discomfort, or a lump in your groin or omphalus. And, you might also be looking for remedies or methods to relieve hurting or eliminate hernias altogether. Tin a hernia be repaired without surgery? Here's the respond.

Hernia Diagnosis

Offset things first, you lot'll want to ostend that your hurting or protrusion is, in fact, a sign of a hernia. At that place are other types of lower abdominal pain that tin present as hernia symptoms.

Infections, intestinal blockages, growths or tumors, or complications from pregnancy or childbirth could all be culprits and crave different intendance options and treatment. If you're unsure, schedule a visit for a diagnosis. Almost always, a hernia is diagnosed during a physical exam. The story you lot tell y'all provider will help make the diagnosis. Your provider volition examine you and feel for a hernia or bulge. Without that bulge, your provider may guild a test, if your story is suggestive of a hernia and non an abdominal strain.

Of grade, you don't have to immediately seek out a surgeon or hernia repair specialist, but clinics similar ours are more efficient and effective at diagnosing hernias considering that'south the core of our business.

Because of our high volume experience, we tin can brand a diagnosis and requite a treatment plan in more than 95 percent of our patients without ordering a single x-ray, ultrasound, CT scan, or MRI.

Types of Intestinal Hernias that Need Repair

You could accept an inguinal hernia, which occurs when part of the pocket-sized intestine or fat pushes through a weakened expanse of your lower abdominal wall. Hernias, in full general, are common, with more than a million hernia repairs being done in the U.S. each year. Of that number, nigh 800,000 are inguinal hernias, one of the near frequently performed surgeries across the country. Femoral hernias are included here every bit they are often repaired the aforementioned was as inguinal hernias.

If you lot're experiencing an issue with your omphalos and noticed a burl or outward crash-land, you lot likely take what's called an umbilical hernia, or a consequence of weakness in the muscles around your navel. These types of hernias can happen to anyone, just they're most common during and later pregnancy, and in individuals who are overweight.

Other hernias that require repair include epigastric (above the omphalus and below the sternum) and ventral hernias, sometimes referred to as incisional hernias considering they can form at the healed site of past surgical incisions where the abdominal wall layers are weakened or thin.  Hiatal hernias are a blazon of internal hernia that affects peoples digestion and crave specialty intendance.

Treating a Hernia without Surgery

Tin a hernia reverse itself? Hardly always.  We've encountered patients who tell usa they saw a bulge that disappeared for 20 years before coming to encounter united states of america.

While about patients that have hernia symptoms choose to have surgery, unexpected life events, fear of surgery, or other reasons could cause a delay in surgical repair. Information technology is often salve to use a hernia belt of hernia truss equally a mode of getting relief before having surgery. A hernia truss, when worn properly, tin keep the hernia contents inside the belly, minimizing symptoms and long term hazard.  Some people utilize a truss for days or weeks before their surgery and some employ it for years earlier seeing a surgeon.  We think that anyone that needs to wearable a hernia truss, should at least meet with a hernia surgeon to learn what their options are.

Common Hernia Repair

Only surgery can definitively repair a hernia. A lot of people are able to delay surgery for months, even years in some cases. It's all contextual based on your specific symptoms or hurting level. You could repair a hernia that isn't even presenting symptoms, or y'all could expect and see if the hernia is currently not-bothersome.

Nosotros had a patient come to u.s. for surgical options later on his diagnosis. He was preparing to accept a sabbatical from work for travel opportunities, suspending his normal medical benefits and insurance. He delayed hernia repair until he resumed full-time work status and health insurance, fully enlightened of his condition and what to await for in instance his prognosis worsened. His case is just one example, and his repair was successful nearly a year mail service-diagnosis. This is appropriate with people who have minimal symptoms from their hernia.

In general, there are always risks with avoiding or delaying surgery no matter the type of cause. With hernia repair, the risks of not undergoing surgical intendance as an developed can be, but are not limited to:

  • Hernia growing larger as already weakened muscle walls of the abdomen continue to strain and become weaker as more tissue bulges through.
  • Information technology's rare, but a phenomenon called strangulation can occur – this happens when a loop of the intestine or slice of fat tissue is trapped inside the hernia, thus cut off claret supply.
  • Worsening pain and interference with everyday activities and quality of life.
  • Sometimes people experience changes in bowel or urinary habits as a result of intestine or bladder getting inside their hernia. The longer a patient has symptoms, the more likely these organs are involved, scarred and potentially injured during surgery
  • Overall health status may modify – as people age, health factors change. Even adding years to your hernia repair places you in a college historic period category, and with age, comes additional risks for surgery.


We've had several patients who had symptoms from their hernia who waited more six months to have their surgery. In the operating room, nosotros ever find more scar tissue every bit a effect of waiting likewise long. The surgery takes longer and there is a college risk of bleeding. We now recommend that anyone who has symptoms from their hernia accept surgery inside a few months if their schedule allows.

Deciding on Hernia Repair

No one wants surgery. Information technology's a field and profession based on existence reactive vs. proactive in many, many instances. Surgery, including hernia repair, is about restoring the body's health and function to its normal country. There are enough of benefits associated with being proactive well-nigh your hernia repair, whether inguinal or umbilical. And, there are instances where delaying or putting off your repair makes sense in the short-term, as well.

Your best bet is following the guidance of a trusted healthcare professional, someone who specializes in hernia repair surgery, and can walk you through all the possible outcomes and scenarios and so you lot feel comfortable making a decision based on your own health and well-beingness.

Lauren Ott, PA-C is a certified Physician Assistant that has been trained by Dr. Michael Reinhorn in care of hernia and pilonidal patients. She has evaluated over 2000 patients with inguinal hernia, umbilical hernia, groin pain, and pilonidal symptoms since 2022. Lauren sees patients immediately before and afterward their surgeries, and is trained to assist Dr. Reinhorn in the operating room. By working together, they are able to better the quality of care of each patient.