Can I Ignore My Hernia Pain?
Hernia symptoms can affect different people in diverse ways. You may know you have a hernia but experience no symptoms at all. It could be just a bit uncomfortable, or you might be living with a notable amount of pain and little visible hernia that impacts your day-to-day life.
At Hernia Clinic Hampshire, we will provide you with guidance about hernia/groin pain, the distinct stages of a hernia and when we recommend having your hernia repaired. We aim to clear up uncertainty about hernia discomfort and bring you peace of mind about your current situation.
If you have groin pain and no visible hernia, we can help diagnose or exclude a hernia as a cause of your pain and offer simple steps to help you try and improve your symptoms.
What If I Have No Hernia Discomfort?
You may be wondering if your hernia will get better by itself. Unfortunately, because hernias are a mechanical problem, like a hole in a wall, they do not repair by themselves.
If left alone, they will eventually develop and become more painful and complicated overtime.
In fact, studies show that 70% of patients with a hernia have no symptoms at first but go on to develop symptoms with pain or discomfort requiring surgery within approximately 18 months. You may not need a repair now, but chances are you will eventually.
We do not recommend repairing asymptomatic hernias but when the time comes to repair it, Hernia Clinic Hampshire will be ready to help.
When Should I Repair My Hernia?
We recommend repairing your hernia when the discomfort is beginning to limit your usual activities and interfering with your quality of life. For example, you may need to limit your gardening or running around with your kids or grandkids due to worry from your hernia. You may even have had to take time off from work. This is stage 2-3 in the diagram below.
Stage 2-3 is the ideal time to get your hernia repaired so you do not have to change your lifestyle and live with discomfort . Life is too short to spend it in discomfort, unable to do the activities you wish to do, because of a hernia.
At Hernia Clinic Hampshire, we will free you from your symptoms and reactivate your life quickly . We’ll get you back in the garden or back to your job.
Our highly-experience Consultant Surgeon will help you understand the risks and benefits of a repair, as well as what options best suit your unique situation. Our friendly team will help you book an appointment within one week of contacting us directly and then surgery within 2-3 weeks.
How Can I Manage Hernia Pain?
You should not have to worry about hernia discomfort. Hernia supports can help control symptoms, but they do not fix your hernia. They can be helpful while preparing for surgery and can also be used to improve your recovery post-surgery. Over 99% of our patients recommend the use of hernia supports to other patients as part of their post-surgery recovery.
Click here to find out more about why we use hernia supports.
Our Post Hernia Surgery Rehabilitation Exercise Programme
When you book surgery with us, you will also gain access to our bespoke Rehabilitation Exercise Programme. This has been designed to help strengthen your core pre-surgery, helping with symptoms, as well as re-strengthening your core post-surgery, helping to strengthen your repair. The exercises also help to reduce the risk of developing long term groin discomfort post-surgery by helping to mature the repair tissue, so it is comfortable long term.
Stages of a Hernia
If left untreated for a long time, the hernia will go through the stages explained in the diagram below and potentially even become an emergency (although rare).
- Stage 1 – Asymptomatic.
- Stage 2 – Some discomfort.
- Stage 3 – Discomfort interferes with activity.
- Stage 4 – Difficult to reduce and painful; this is an early warning sign of an emergency developing.
- Stage 5 – Incarceration: the hernia will not reduce under any circumstances and is very painful.
- Stage 6 –Strangulation: Strangulation means blood flow to the hernia contents has been cut off, which is often part of the intestine. This is a serious medical issue.
How We Can Help You
Hernias can be troublesome, but they do not have to control your life. Sometimes patients read information about hernias online and get worried and anxious about their condition. Our aim is to take these worries away by providing you with quick, direct access to our specialist and extremely experienced Consultant Surgeon.
Don’t take our word for how we help, read what some of our patients have to say:
My experience was overtly positive. I was advised of how to ease my daily discomfort while awaiting surgery and was fully informed during the whole process. During my time in hospital, I was treated like royalty (and felt slightly guilty for that!).
Since recovering (swiftly) from the operation, my quality of life is better than ever (as I now appreciate more the positive effects of not having daily pain). I could not be more grateful to everyone involved. I would not hesitate to recommend the clinic.
Although I had hesitations as to whether operation was required or not, I am very pleased I did decide to go ahead.
Recovery has been quicker and easier than I expected, aided considerably by the excellent attention to detail provided by Hernia Clinic staff.