Live Life Team
A hernia is an internal body part, like an organ which extends its way through a weak muscle or the tissue wall surrounding it. Normally, muscles are tough and resilient and keep the organs in their positions, however, when these muscles become fragile and weak, they lead to hernia formations.
Femoral hernia develops when tissues thrusts itself into the groin area or top of the inner part of thigh. The weak area in this case is the femoral canal in the wall of the abdomen.
This type of hernia is more frequently found in women attributed to the wider spread of female pelvis. Certain trigger factors which can cause femoral hernia include physical strain which puts excess pressure in the abdominal area, being obese or overweight, persistent coughing or smoker’s cough, lifting or pushing heavy weights and constipation
Femoral Hernia repair
Femoral hernia can lead to serious complications if the hernia gets caught and strangulated in the canal, thus reducing the blood supply and source of nutrients and oxygen to the herniated tissue. This condition is called strangulated hernia and requires and emergency operation to disentangle the stuck tissue and release its blood supply.
Treatment of femoral hernia is through surgery, referred to as femoral hernia repair. The operation involves pushing the bump or bulging tissue back in its correct place and strengthening the weak spot in the wall of abdomen. The bulge is as big as a grape and made of fat or a portion of the intestine.
Procedure of the surgery
There are two techniques of carrying our hernia repair:
Open surgery: The surgery involves making an incision of 2-3 inches in the lower abdominal area or over the hernia. The femoral canal is opened and the lump of fat or intestinal loop is pushed back into the abdomen. The canal is then stitched back and the weak spot which allowed hernia to form is repaired. In case of a strangulated hernia, the damaged bowel part is extracted and the healthy ends of the bowel are joined back. This can be a complicated surgery and might need a hospital stay of up to 5 days.
Keyhole or laparoscopic surgery – this can be performed without opening the abdominal cavity and allows a complete assessment of the bowel region. This is beneficial if the surgeon is not sure about the type of hernia – inguinal or femoral that is affecting the patient. Also it is advisable to go for keyhole surgery if it is a recurrent hernia case and one open surgery has already been done earlier.
Both above techniques of hernia repair are equally safe and effective and have similar chances of recurrent hernia. The best suited option can be discussed and decided with the surgeon depending on the experience of the surgeon and how comfortable you are with a general anaesthesia.
Hernia repair takes approximately 20-30 minutes and one is allowed to go home the same day, unless there are other medical conditions which need doctor’s attention.
Risks
The risks involved in this surgery, as any other surgery, are subjective to one’s condition. Generally, these include 1% chance of hernia coming back
In rare cases, fluid or blood can get collected in the empty area left by the removed hernia. However, this disappears over time without any treatment. There can be pain and lack of sensation around the groin region, due to a nerve getting damaged during the operation or nerve getting trapped in the stitches or getting stuck in the tissue. This occurs more often in open surgeries.
Recovery
Although there is no sensation of pain during the surgery, but one does feel soreness and discomfort in the groin area after the operation. The below tips can help in a better and faster recovery:
- If in pain, take prescribes painkillers
- Follow advised instructions for taking care of the wound in terms of bathing and hygiene
- Take rest for 2-3 days after surgery till the anaesthetic effect wears of completely. Avoid alcohol, driving and important tasks during this time. You can resume having sex as you might feel comfortable.
- It can take 10-15 days to get back to normal activities if you had an open surgery. Recovery can be faster in a keyhole surgery.
- Driving can be resumed 1-2 weeks after a keyhole surgery and 2-6 weeks after an open surgery. Make sure you feel absolutely pain-free and comfortable when driving.
- Gentle exercise is helpful; however, strenuous and heavy activities and weightlifting should be avoided.
- Take fruits, vegetables and fibre-rich foods like whole meal pasta, brown rice which are easy on the stomach and do not cause constipation and strain on the wounds.
