Hernia Surgery and Pain After Exercising - What to Do Hernia is a disease that occurs when internal organs come out under the skin due to the weakness of the muscles of our tummy. It is treated by a surgery/operation where the organs are put back inside the tummy and the muscular defect is covered by a mesh (made of synthetic material). This can be done both by open and laparoscopic methods. Both are equally successful with the laparoscopic approach having the advantage of a small incision. There are many kinds of hernia like- inguinal, ventral, umbilical, incisional, femoral, hiatus hernia, and internal hernia. Once the hernia surgery is done successfully, recovered patients need to have few restrictions to prevent both the recurrence of hernia and also the pain after exercising. Prevention is the key and such patients must follow the following precautions1. 2. 3. 4.
Avoid any activity which increases pressure on the tummy Avoid all the exercises of the tummy/abdomen It is a myth that abdominal exercises alone flatten the tummy Such patients can enjoy brisk walking, cycling, swimming, exercises of the upper and lower limbs 5. Pranayama involving vigorous abdominal movement should be avoided In case pain happens, one should see their doctor check if all is fine and get suitable pain killers. This is important as any pain could be due to the following reasons1. Abdominal muscle strain 2. Some technical problems related to the operation 3. Recurrence of the hernia