Inguinal hernia what kind of doctor

As with all hernias, inguinal hernias may become incarcerated, or trapped, often causing significant pain that is sometimes accompanied by nausea, vomiting, or the inability to pass gas from the rectum. This is an emergency, and if this occurs, you should contact your doctor or go to the emergency room. Hernias can be diagnosed by your doctor after listening to your history and performing a thorough physical examination. Occasionally, radiographic testing is needed to confirm the presence of a hernia.

Surgical repair of an inguinal hernia is the best available treatment. At Mount Sinai, surgery for inguinal hernias can be performed laparoscopically or using the traditional open surgery method. Often referred to as the "traditional method," this repair involves an incision being made over the site of the hernia. The hernia may be uncomfortable or painful. Some cause no pain. A hernia also may cause swelling and a feeling of heaviness, tugging, or burning in the area of the hernia.

These symptoms may get better when you lie down. In babies, a hernia may bulge when the child cries or moves around. Strangulated hernias, which happen when part of the intestine gets trapped in the hernia, are more common in babies and children than in adults.

They can cause nausea and vomiting and severe pain. A baby with a strangulated hernia may cry and refuse to eat. Inguinal hernias typically flatten or disappear when they are pushed gently back into place or when you lie down. Over time, hernias tend to increase in size as the abdominal muscle wall becomes weaker and more tissue bulges through. If you can't push your hernia back into your belly, it is incarcerated. A hernia gets incarcerated when tissue moves into the sac of the hernia and fills it up.

This is not necessarily an emergency. But if a loop of the intestine is trapped very tightly in the hernia, the blood supply to that part of the intestine can be cut off strangulated , causing tissue to die.

In a man, if tissue is trapped, the testicle and its blood vessels can also be damaged. A strangulated hernia is a medical emergency that requires immediate surgery. Talk with your doctor before wearing a corset or truss for a hernia. These devices are not recommended for treating hernias. They sometimes can do more harm than good. Watchful waiting is a wait-and-see approach. If you aren't sure if you have a groin muscle strain or a hernia, watchful waiting with home treatment for 1 to 2 weeks is okay to try.

If you have pain that is increasing or severe, an obvious lump, or evidence of bowel blockage or urinary symptoms, call your doctor to be checked. Watchful waiting is not okay for infants and children who have inguinal hernias.

You and your doctor can decide whether you should have surgery to fix your hernia or if you can wait. If your hernia doesn't bother you, you can probably wait to have surgery.

Your doctor can usually diagnose an inguinal hernia by asking questions about your health and doing a physical exam. Tests such as ultrasound and CT scans are not usually needed.

In most cases, a doctor can find an inguinal hernia during the physical exam. Other tests may be needed if you need to have surgery. These tests check the status of any current health problems, such as lung, heart, or bleeding problems.

But if the hernia does not bother you and it causes no other problems, you may not need treatment right now. The camera sends a magnified image from inside the body to a monitor, giving the surgeon a close-up view of the hernia and surrounding tissue. While viewing the monitor, the surgeon uses instruments to carefully repair the hernia using synthetic mesh. People who undergo laparoscopic surgery generally experience a somewhat shorter recovery time.

However, the doctor may determine laparoscopic surgery is not the best option if the hernia is very large or the person has had pelvic surgery. Most adults experience discomfort after surgery and require pain medication.

Vigorous activity and heavy lifting are restricted for several weeks. The doctor will discuss when a person may safely return to work.

Infants and children also experience some discomfort but usually resume normal activities after several days. Surgery to repair an inguinal hernia is generally safe and complications are uncommon. Knowing possible risks allows patients to report postoperative symptoms to their doctor as soon as they occur.

Risk of general anesthesia. Before surgery, the anesthesiologist-a doctor who administers anesthesia-reviews the risks of anesthesia with the patient and asks about medical history and allergies to medications.

Complications most likely occur in older people and those with other medical conditions. Common complications include nausea, vomiting, urinary retention, sore throat, and headache. More serious problems include heart attack, stroke, pneumonia, and blood clots in the legs.

Getting out of bed after surgery and moving as soon as the doctor allows will help reduce the risk of complications such as pneumonia and blood clots. Hernia recurrence. A hernia can recur up to several years after repair. Recurrence is the most common complication of inguinal hernia repair, causing patients to undergo a second operation.

Bleeding inside the incision is another complication of inguinal hernia repair. It can cause severe swelling and bluish discoloration of the skin around the incision. Surgery may be necessary to open the incision and stop the bleeding. Bleeding is unusual and occurs in less than 2 percent of patients. Wound infection. Surgical tools to repair the hernia are inserted through other small incisions in the belly. Laparoscopic hernia surgery may have some advantages over open surgery in certain cases.

When is it safe to delay surgery? You and your doctor may want to put off surgery if: The hernia is small and you don't have any symptoms, or if the symptoms don't bother you much.

The hernia can be pushed back into the belly or it goes away when you lie down. If it cannot be pushed back, surgery must be done sooner. It may also be a good idea to put off surgery if: You are taking medicines such as blood thinners that cannot be stopped for surgery.

You have other health problems that make surgery dangerous. You have a skin infection that could also infect the material used to repair the hernia. Your doctor has suggested that wearing supports trusses or corsets could help. Compare your options. Compare Option 1 Have surgery now Wait and see. Compare Option 2 Have surgery now Wait and see. Have surgery now Have surgery now You may be asleep during the operation. Or the doctor may keep you awake and simply numb the area around your groin.

You don't need to stay overnight in the hospital. Surgery prevents the rare but serious problem called strangulation. It relieves any swelling or feeling of heaviness, tugging, or burning in the area of the hernia. The hernia could come back. Risks of surgery include: A bad reaction to the anesthesia. Infection and bleeding. Nerve damage, numb skin, or a loss of blood supply to the scrotum or testicles that could cause the testicles to waste away.

But these are rare. Damage to the cord that carries sperm from the testicles to the penis. This could affect your ability to father children. Damage to the artery or vein in the thigh. Damage to the intestines or bladder for certain types of hernias or if the surgery is a laparoscopic repair. Wait and see Wait and see You will get regular checkups to watch for changes.

A rare but serious problem called strangulation could occur. Personal stories about having surgery for inguinal hernia These stories are based on information gathered from health professionals and consumers.

What matters most to you? Reasons to have surgery now Reasons to wait. My hernia doesn't bother me at all. I am worried about being able to afford the operation. Surgery would be convenient for me at this time. This is not a good time for me to have surgery.

My other important reasons: My other important reasons:. Where are you leaning now? Having surgery now Waiting to have surgery. What else do you need to make your decision? Check the facts. True You're right. Many doctors recommend surgery because it prevents strangulation, which happens when a piece of tissue gets trapped inside the hernia and is cut off from its blood supply.