Types of hernia

Some of the more common types of hernia are described below.

Inguinal hernias

Inguinal hernias occur whenfatty tissue or a part of your bowel pokes through intoyour groin at the top of your inner thigh.

This is the most common type of herniaand itmainly affects men. It's often associated with ageing and repeated strain on the abdomen.

Femoral hernias

Femoral hernias also occur when fatty tissue or a part of your bowel pokes through into your groin at the top of your inner thigh. They're much less common than inguinal hernias and tend to affect more women than men.

Like inguinal hernias, femoral hernias are also associated with ageing and repeated strain on the abdomen.

Umbilical hernias

Umbilical hernias occur when fatty tissue or a part of your bowel pokes through your abdomen near your belly button (navel).

This type of herniacan occurinbabies if the opening in the abdomen through which the umbilical cord passes doesn't seal properly after birth. Adults can also be affected, possibly as a result ofrepeated strain on the abdomen.

Hiatus hernias

Hiatus hernias occur when part of the stomach pushes up into your chest by squeezing through an opening in the diaphragm (the thin sheet of muscle that separates the chest from the abdomen).

This type of hernia may not have any noticeable symptoms, although it can cause heartburn in some people.

It's not exactly clear what causes hiatus hernias, but it may be the result of the diaphragm becoming weak with age or pressure on the abdomen.

Other types of hernia

Other types of hernia that can affect the abdomen include:

• incisional hernias where tissue pokes through a surgical wound in your abdomen that hasn't fully healed
• epigastric hernias where fatty tissue pokes through your abdomen, between your navel and the lower part of your breastbone (sternum)
• spigelian hernias where part of your bowel pokes through your abdomen at the side of your abdominalmuscle, below your navel
• diaphragmatic hernias where organs in your abdomenmove into your chest through an opening in the diaphragm; this can alsoaffect babies if theirdiaphragm doesn't develop properly in the womb
• muscle hernias where part of a muscle pokes through your abdomen; theyalso occur in leg muscles as the result of a sports injury

Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 21 Dec 2018

Articles for hernia

Introduction

Read about hernias, which occur when an internal part of the body pushes through a weakness in the muscle or surrounding tissue wall

Types of hernia

Some of the more common types of hernia are described below. Inguinal hernias Inguinal hernias occur whenfatty tissue or a part of your bowel pokes through intoyour groin at the top of your inner

When to seek medical advice

See your GP if you think you have a hernia. They may refer you to hospital for surgical treatment, if necessary. You should go the accident and emergency (A&E) department of your nearest hospita

Assessing a hernia

Your GP will usually be able to identify a hernia by examining the affected area. In some cases, they may refer you to a nearby hospitalfor an ultrasound scan to confirm the diagnosis or assess the e

Surgery for a hernia

There are two main ways surgery for hernias can be carried out: open surgery where one cut is made to allow the surgeon to push the lump back into the abdomen keyhole (laparoscopic) surgery thi

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