Hernia: surgery, symptoms, types, treatment - Ananthapuri Hospitals

Do you often feel a bulge or a hindrance, while you stand up, bend down or while you lift things?
Beware it might be a hernia! Let’s get to know a hernia better.

WHAT IS A HERNIA?

Hernia is a condition in which a part of an organ is displaced and sticks out through the wall of its cavity. It can develop in areas like the groin, abdomen, or in the areas of incision after a surgery. For example, a part of the intestine comes out through a weak spot in the abdominal wall

HOW IS A HERNIA CAUSED?

A hernia is caused due to abdominal pressure, or a weakness or tear in your muscles. 

Most of the time, it can be due to obesity, chronic coughing, lifting heavy weights and so on. Depending on your cause, hernias tend to develop quickly or over a longer period of time.

WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF HERNIAS?

The following are some common types of hernias:

• An inguinal hernia - often occurs in the groins
• A femoral hernia - often occurs in women due to pregnancy or childbirth
• An umbilical hernia - often occurs in babies
• A ventral hernia - often occurs in the areas of incision
• A hiatal hernia -  often occurs in the chest through the diaphragm 

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF A HERNIA?

The symptoms may vary depending upon the type and location of your hernia. Some common symptoms are: 

• A foreign body sensation or a bulge in the affected area.
• Severe pain in the affected area while walking, lifting or during a cough
• Feeling heaviness in the abdomen, even when you haven't eaten anything

In some cases, hernia doesn’t have symptoms at all, and are found during a routine checkup or checkups for an unrelated problem.

HOW TO DIAGNOSE A HERNIA?

Most of the time, hernias are diagnosed through physical examination by your doctors, but sometimes, depending on the severity level, it may take an ultrasound scan, X-ray or endoscopy to diagnose it.

DOES HERNIA REQUIRE A SURGERY?

Yes. Surgery is the definitive management for a hernia. Without a surgery, it can lead to serious complications. This surgery can be either minimally-invasive repair surgery (laparoscopy) or an open hernia repair surgery.

Laparoscopies are one of the most advanced techniques, with most successful outcomes. It is a procedure in which a surgeon uses a laparoscope to repair a hernia. All patients recover more quickly from laparoscopic hernia repair than they do from open hernia repair. Other benefits include:

• Less blood loss
• Fewer complications 
• Smaller incisions and scars

• Less painful 

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO PERFORM THE SURGERY?

A minimally-invasive hernia repair surgery costs somewhere between Rs 50,000 to 1,50,000,while a conventional open hernia repair surgery costs Rs 30,000 to 1,20,000. Surgical fees of minimally invasive surgeries are a bit higher as it involves advanced and more expensive equipment.

Are you suffering from a hernia? Call us at +91 9400332777 or visit our hospital at Chacka, NH Bypass, Thiruvananthapuram 

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