Hernia Pain
Diagnosing and Treating Hernia Pain
Hernia pain varies a great deal depending on a host of factors starting with the location of the hernia, its severity, and other factors such as physical activity, digestion and any other conditions that may present with the hernia. Hernia pain is difficult to distinguish from other sorts of pains, because abdominal pain is a common symptom for many different kinds of abdominal conditions and because so many organs are present in the abdominal cavity that it is often hard to pin point exactly the cause of a particular problem. That said, any time that you have a pain in your abdominal area whose cause you cannot explain, you should seek medical attention, as this may be a sign of a more serious underlying condition. As with most medical conditions, early detection can be the difference between easy treatment and a negative outcome.
What is a hernia?
Put simply a hernia is a separation created in the muscles of the abdominal wall. When this occurs, the natural pressure present in the abdomen will tend to push material through this fissure creating pain and other possible complications.
What causes hernias?
Over exertion of particular muscles is the typical cause of hernias. The myth in popular culture is that one gets a hernia lifting an object that is too heavy. This is indeed one way that one gets a hernia, but one can get it just with an overly robust sneeze or any vigorous activity. Pregnant women often suffer hernias when going through labor. Often a hernia occurs at the belly bottom when the umbilical cord is removed after labor.
What does hernia pain feel like?
Another difficulty in determining hernia pain comes from the various forms it takes. Hernia pain can be sharp or diffuse, strong or dull, intermittent or constant. A series of complicated factors may influence how hernia pain presents. Even more complicated is what the medical books call “referred pain,” which occurs when organs spill into another area away from the actual hernia and cause discomfort at that location rather than at the site of the hernia.
What is the treatment for hernias?
Typically, a hernia requires an operation to correct. The surgeon must take materials that have pushed through the muscle wall and return them to their natural positions. If materials have ruptured, the surgical team must drain waste materials and monitor for infections. If strangulated organs have necrotized, physicians must restore, replace or cutout and repair such organs. For these reasons, a hernia is a serious condition and needs to be dealt with as soon as possible.
What other symptoms might accompany hernia pain?
Hernia pain is often accompanied by other gastro-intestinal and related symptoms. Problems with urination for example, are typical of hernias. If you have difficulty urinating, or feel pain during urination, this could result from a hernia. Similarly, if you feel a burning sensation during urination this might also result from hernia.
Constipation may also be a sign of hernia. If you are not having regular bowel movements this may result from waste building up behind a hernial blockage and can be quite serious leading to bloating and possible rupture.
A further common condition in relation to hernia is regurgitation or stomach discomfort (feeling like you are going to throw up).
There are a series of rarer sexually related conditions as well that may be a sign of hernia. Impotence in men or pain during intercourse in women are sometimes attributable to hernia.
All of these are signs of a potentially serious condition and should not be taken lightly. Get an appointment with a medical professional as soon as possible.