A hernia is a medical condition when an internal organ or tissue in the body through the muscle wall or body tissue protrudes out in a weak area in the surrounding muscle or connective tissue. Usually hernias occur in the abdominal wall, but can also occur in the groin or upper thigh.
There are various types of hernias that can occur in the body.
1. Inguinal Hernia, occurs when part of the intestine protrudes or when fatty tissue in the lower abdominal cavity sticks out in the groin area
2. Femoral Hernia, similar to an inguinal hernia, but occurs in the upper thigh near the groin
3. Umbilical Hernia, occurs when part of the intestine or fatty tissue pushes and sticks out in the abdominal wall, around the navel
4. Incisional hernia, occurs when the intestine or tissue sticks out through a surgical scar in the abdomen or pelvis
5. Hiatus hernia, occurs when the upper part of the stomach pushes through the diaphragm into the chest cavity
6. Diaphragmatic Hernia, occurs when part of the stomach organ sticks out into the chest cavity through the gap in the diaphragm
7. Epigastric Hernia, occurs when fatty tissue protrudes through the weak area between the abdominal muscles above the navel
8. Spigelian hernia, occurs when part of the intestine pushes against the connective tissue (spigelian fascia) which is located outside the rectus abdominus muscle, which is a muscle that stretches from the ribs to the pelvic bone with a characteristic bulge known as the "six pack".
Factors that cause hernias
1. Weakened muscles or tissues
2. Excess pressure in the stomach
3. Genetic factors
4. Aging
5. Overweight
6. Pregnancy
7. Doing too much physical activity
8. Have a history of surgery in the stomach area
9. Smoking habit
10. Chronic pressure, such as chronic cough, chronic cold, or chronic constipation
Initially the hernia has no symptoms, but when blood flow begins to be disrupted due to the pinched organ, pain will usually begin to appear which is considered a medical emergency.
In diagnosing whether someone is suffering from a hernia or not, the doctor will ask questions related to the complaint and carry out supporting examinations. Some of the supporting examinations carried out are:
1. X-ray
2. Abdominal ultrasound
3. Endoscopy
4.CT Scan
5.MRI
Hernia treatment is determined based on its severity. If it's mild, the doctor can restore the protruding organs with the fingers (reduction). However, if the case is severe, the doctor will perform surgery to return the internal organs to their original place.