Answers to Common General Surgery Questions

Premier Health providers answer frequently asked questions about general surgery.

What are the symptoms of a hernia?

Dr. de Caestecker discusses symptoms of a hernia. Click play to watch the video or read the transcript.

   

Hernias often have no symptoms, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

For people who do have hernia symptoms, according to the NIH, those symptoms could include:

  • discomfort that gets worse when standing, straining, or lifting heavy objects
  • pain
  • sore, growing bump

If a hernia continues to grow without treatment, it can get stuck inside the hole in the weakened muscle it tore through, according to the NIH. If that happens, it can cause strangulation, which is a loss in the blood supply.

The NIH lists strangulation symptoms as:

  • nausea
  • problems having bowel movements
  • problems passing gas
  • vomiting

Contact your doctor if you have any of the strangulation symptoms because surgery could be needed right away, according to the NIH.

Talk to your doctor for more information about hernia symptoms.

Learn more:

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Source: James deCaestecker, DO, FACS, Gem City Surgical Associates; Daniel Taylor, MD, FACS, Miami County Surgeons; L. Stewart Lowry, MD, FACS, Miami County Surgeons; Luan Tran, MD, Miami Valley Surgery Associates; Steven Sutherin, MD, FACS, Miami Valley Surgery Associates

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