Hernia As a Result of a Fall

QUESTION: As a result of a fall, followed by some pain in my abdomen, I
consulted my physician. I was amazed when he told me that I had suffered a
hernia and needed surgery. I thought only men could have hernias and that
they were caused by trying to lift a heavy object. Would you try to clear
this up for me?
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ANSWER: I can provide you with some answers, but believe that it will take a
surgeon to "clear up" your physical problem. The term "hernia" is a general
one and applies any time a portion of an organ or tissue protrudes through an
abnormal opening in the body. Abdominal hernias are a most common situation
for which major surgery is performed as a means of correcting the problem, and
abdominal hernias come in many forms: inguinal, direct and indirect, femoral,
umbilical, epigastric and incisional. Inguinal hernias do occur in men about
8 times more frequently than women, as the normal opening through which the
spermatic cord passes becomes abnormally enlarged and permits a section of
bowel to slide down into the scrotum. But umbilical (around the belly button
or navel) hernias can occur in infants and are more common in women.
Fortunately, they generally close by themselves in infants, and require no
surgical repair. Hernias do develop as the result of repeated elevation of
the pressure inside the abdomen that may be provoked by lifting or straining,
but also as a result of chronic cough or constipation. In your case, the fall
may have caused some enough pressure to force open a weakened portion of the
muscles that make up the abdominal wall and allowed the hernia to form.
Although you do not mention it in your letter, previous surgical incisions
sometimes fail to heal completely, and incisional hernias develop at those
sites. Femoral hernias are the least common of groin hernias, but do occur
more frequently in women than in men. They frequently become incarcerated,
where the bowel or tissue found in the hernia becomes trapped, and can not be
pressed back into place. For this reason, surgical repair of these hernias is
advised. With all this general information you may now obtain more precise
details of your condition from your own surgeon.