The history of open surgery for groin hernia symptoms has gone through many stages of development. Hernia Surgery as we know it began in the fifteenth century and has seen many evolutions to the point where we now have entered the era of tensionless repair where a simple mesh patch placed over the defect can result in a quick surgery and quick recovery.

A hernia is a protrusion of a tissue, structure, or part of an organ through the muscular tissue or the membrane by which it is normally contained. A hernia may be likened to a failure in the sidewall of a tire. The tire's inner tube behaves like the organ and the side wall like the body cavity wall providing the restraint. A weakness in the sidewall allows a bulge to develop allowing the inner tube to protrude leading to the eventual failure of the tire.

Hernia symptoms can be classified according to their position on the body:

Inguinal hernia symptoms are protrusions of abdominal cavity contents through the inguinal canal. They are very common and their repair is one of the most frequently performed surgical operations.

Femoral hernias occur just below the inguinal ligament when abdominal contents pass through a naturally occurring weakness called the femoral canal. The incidence of strangulation in femoral hernias is high.

Umbilical hernias involve protrusion of abdominal contents through a weakness at the site of passage of the umbilical cord through the abdominal wall. These hernias often resolve spontaneously.

An incisional hernia occurs when the defect is the result of an incompletely healed surgical wound. When these occur in median laparotomy incisions in the linea alba, they are termed ventral hernias. These can be the most frustrating and difficult to treat, as the repair utilizes already attenuated tissue.

Diaphragmatic Hernias result when part of the stomach or intestine protrudes into the chest cavity through a defect in the diaphragm. A hiatal hernia is the herniation of the upper part of the stomach into the thorax through a tear or weakness in the diaphragm.

A Sports Hernia is a medical condition of the groin affecting athletes. It is a syndrome characterized by chronic groin pain in athletes and a dilated superficial ring of the inguinal canal. Soccer players are affected most frequently, and both recreational and professional athletes may be affected.

Hernia Treatment Methods

It is always advisable, wherever possible to repair hernias in good timing in order to prevent complications. Most hernias can be repaired, and recovery is usually quick. Hernias are repaired by returning the herniated tissue, and then mending the weakness in muscle tissue.

The use of external devices like hernia trusses and hernia belts to maintain reduction of the hernia without repairing the underlying defect is not recommended. Exceptions are patients who cannot have surgery for medical reasons and possibly other cases as recommended by a medical practitioner.