Have you started to feel a sharp pain in your abdomen and do not know what may be causing it? Here we tell you what are the types and symptoms of inguinal hernias so you can confirm or rule out this condition.
Wisdom That Helps: The hernias are not only abdominal or hiatal, the English can also be affected, and in the case of men, discomfort can run to the scrotum.
What are inguinal hernias?
Inguinal hernias are formed when the abdominal viscera extend and exit through a hole in the abdominal wall, which obviously causes terrible pain and, if left unattended, can cause a heart attack in the area.
Causes of inguinal hernias
Although this type of hernias usually occur when there is weakness in the abdominal area, there are other possible causes:
- Congenital malformation . It is the most common cause of hernias during childhood. It is because the muscular wall at the height of the groin did not form correctly, during pregnancy.
- Increase in abdominal pressure. This can occur when making an effort, such as extreme physical exercise or repeated small increases in pressure (which frequently occur in patients with COPD and asthma), not forgetting the negligible constipation, pregnancy and being overweight.
- Weakness of the abdominal wall . There is no specific reason, but it has been detected that some people have lower muscle tone in the Hesselbach triangle (anterior rectus muscle and inguinal ligament), which is where the viscera escape and form the hernia.
Types of inguinal hernias
- Indirectly . It is the most frequent, especially in men, because they have too large the inguinal orifice through which pass the blood vessels of the testicle and the seminal duct. The size of this hole suffices for the viscera to pass and extend to the scrotum, forming the hernia there.
- Direct . It is limited to appearing in the groin, but can weaken the muscles of the leg. This type of hernia tears easily, so you should be very careful.
And how do you know if this is what you have? Out of pain, there are no signs that alert you; So the most obvious symptom is the appearance of a lump in the area, which tends to increase in size when you cough or make small efforts.
eye! Although many people tend to push the lump with their hand, so that the viscera return to their place, it is very important that you let a doctor decide which is the best treatment. If you insist on “disappearing” the ball, you could hurt yourself.
As with other hernias, the inguinal can only be removed with surgery, so get the idea that you’re going to get a little knife … there! And no, you can not wait for them to disappear on their own, because they could strangle themselves causing bleeding and a heart attack.
It’s better surgery, right?
