How Obesity Gives Rise to Hernia

Obesity is major health threat that gives rise to various health problems. It is associated with many systemic illnesses such as dyslipidemia, hypertension, diabetes mellitus etc. Apart from that, obesity can cause many other surgical problems as well. One such problem is formation of hernia.

Hernia and obesity usually go hand in hand. Hernia is defined as protrusion of an organ from its containing cavity. This is either due to weakened coverings of the cavity or due to increased pressure inside the cavity. Obesity causes hernia by both of these mechanisms. Obese people have fat not only in the skin but also inside the abdomen, within the mesenteries. As a result the intra-abdominal pressure increases. Fat also deposits within the muscle fibers.  They separate each muscle fiber from one another and make them weak. Fat also deposits within the aponeurosis and weakens it too. As a result, para-umbilical, direct inguinal and hiatus hernia occurs. 

Is hernia repair is enough to cure hernia?

Is hernia repair is enough to cure a hernia? The answer is no. If you have a hernia, you might think that everything will be OK after getting it operated, but this is not true. There are a lot of things that you have to do. The surgeon can only repair the hernia. It is up to you to make sure it does not come back. 

So, what are the things you should do to prevent hernia from coming back? The first thing you should do is to identify the cause for hernia. Everybody do not get hernia. So, what went wrong in your case? One of the commonest cause of herniae is smoking. Smoking causes collagen deficiency. As a result, the strength of the abdominal wall reduces and predisposes for  formation of hernia. Therefore, if you want to prevent recurrent hernia, you should stop smoking. 

The next most commonest predisposing factor for hernia is chronically raised intra-abdominal pressure. Several things can lead to raised intra-abdominal pressure. They are chronic cough, straining during urination as well as straining during defecation. 

In conclusion, hernia repair is not enough to cure hernia. It also requires elimination of predisposing factors. Therefore, if you have a hernia, first think whether you have any of above mentioned predisposing factors. If you do, you must take necessary steps to eliminate them. It might require consulting a doctor and taking appropriate steps. 

Most of the time your doctor will inquire about these factors and refer you to take necessary treatments. Therefore, you don't have to worry too much about it. But, you should pay more attention to eliminate these predisposing factors by following the medical instructions correctly.

How can a strangulated hernia get reduced on its own after taking pain killers?

Hernia is a common surgical problem. Hernia can be complicated with many things. Strangulation is one such thing. A hernia gets strangulated when the contents of the abdomen comes out and twists. As a result the vessels supplying the hernial contents get crushed and the blood supply is cut off. If your hernia has got strangulated, you will feel colicky abdominal pain, with nausea, vomiting, abdominal distention and constipation. This is a surgical emergency that requires immediate attention. Unless, the contents can become gangrenous and rupture. 

If you have a strangulated hernia, the doctors will advice you to have strict bed rest and elevate the foot end of the bed. They will also prescribe you analgesics. Surprisingly, some people improve with the provision of pain killers. This occurs as a result of relaxation of the muscles surrounding the neck of the hernia. Analgesics can relax the muscles. The same thing happens when your are taken to the theater and anaesthesia. Anasthetics are also muscle relaxants. Sometimes the muscles can get too loose and the hernial contents can get back in to the abdominal cavity. This can be an disadvantage, because the surgeon might have to open into the abdominal cavity, in order to find the strangulated bowel loops and look for possible perforation.