Does a Hernia Require Surgery?
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Does a Hernia Need Surgery?
A hernia occurs when an organ, fatty tissue or bowel pushes through a weak spot in the muscle wall, causing a visible or palpable bulge.
There are varying types and sizes of hernias with different symptoms but what many patients ask is “Does a hernia require surgery?” The short answer is: in most cases, yes but the timing and urgency depend on your individual circumstances.
Why is Surgery Often Recommended?
Hernias do not heal on their own. Without surgical repair, the opening in the muscle wall can gradually widen, causing the bulge to grow and symptoms to worsen. Even hernias that are initially small or cause only mild discomfort usually require surgical treatment over time.
Surgery is recommended to:
- Relieve pain or discomfort that affects daily activities.
- Prevent the hernia progressing, such as the hernia getting bigger.
- Avoid serious complications, such as strangulation (where the blood supply is cut off).
When Can Surgery be Delayed?
For some patients who have minimal or no symptoms, it may be possible to safely delay surgery under close medical supervision. This is often referred to as “watchful waiting.”
Clinical studies suggest that a proportion of people with mildly symptomatic hernias do not require immediate surgery, but most eventually choose repair because symptoms progress over time.
When is Surgery Urgent?
Some scenarios require more urgent surgical intervention, this includes:
- Incarcerated hernias: when the tissue is trapped and cannot be pushed back in.
- Strangulated hernias: when the blood supply to herniated tissue is compromised, often causing severe pain, nausea and tenderness.
- Rapidly worsening pain or enlarging hernia size.
Many hernia repairs can be performed using minimally invasive techniques, such as laparoscopic approaches, which often lead to smaller incisions and faster recovery. Your surgeon will recommend the most appropriate surgical technique based on hernia size, location and your overall health.
How we've helped make a difference
Frequently Asked Questions
Most hernias around the world are repaired by general surgeons as just one of the list of procedures they perform. Hernia is not a subject that has attracted enough interest generally to make it a specialised area. The slow development of modern hernia techniques is a result. We feel that hernia needs specialisation.
See also, why a specialist hernia centre.
The easiest way to compare is to start with these simple questions. For example,
How many tens of thousands of hernia cases has your surgeon and his team performed? (Always ask that question) Is it done routinely under just local anaesthesia? Will you need overnight hospital admission at all? Will you be able to return to work and normal activities in the same amount of time? Are the risks of recurrence anything like the same? Do they have a 100% safety record and ZERO MRSA?
This depends upon a few variables. We repair just about every kind of hernia there is and we see patients who range from the peak of fitness and good health to really elderly and sometimes infirm patients. Some hernias are straight-forward, primary (first time) repairs, others are recurrences of repairs done elsewhere. Some are single, some are double hernias (or even more!) – and so forth. Typically the total costs are surprisingly affordable, but we need to know about the case to give an accurate guide. Try that form on the Contact Us Page. There is one for Abdominal Wall Hernia, another for Hiatus Hernia. That gives us the most important information about your case and we get back to you with our recommendations and a guide of the costs.
Not everything that is excellent is expensive and you may be very pleasantly surprised at how affordable it is.
Most certainly. Hernias need to be seen as early as possible and we would work around the clock to ensure we have no long waiting lists. Depending upon workload, we can see patients within days, commonly within two weeks and rarely more than 3 weeks after contacting us. For appointments, just call us. See the Contact Us page for everything you need.
Hernia surgery is no different to any other walk of life in this regard. If other operations are done better by people who specialise in that work, then hernia is no different. Expert opinion now recognises the importance of specialisation in hernia, not only by the surgeon, but the rest of the team and the unit where the work is done.
Our own results have been improved on because of our experience with so many cases each year. We started off with excellent results, but by doing tens of thousands of hernias, even they were dramatically improved upon. See Value of Specialisation.
Not many of them really do, but if your local hospital really does do the same operation – and by a dedicated, highly expereinced team specialising in hernia who are achieving – and publishing – the same results, you can use either of us. Not all hernia operations are the same, unfortunately, nor are the outcomes, so choose wisely.
The next Question will help you…
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The British Hernia Centre
While many private hospitals offer hernia repair within general surgery, a dedicated centre provides a far greater depth of expertise. At The British Hernia Centre, hernia diagnosis and treatment are not just part of our work, they are our sole focus.
This commitment allows us to continually refine our specialist surgical techniques, perform a high volume of procedures and develop advanced expertise in complex and recurrent cases.
Our team also contributes to ongoing research and published work in hernia surgery. As a result, patients travel from across the UK and internationally to receive care from a centre devoted entirely to hernia treatment.
Consult With a Hernia Specialist
If you are unsure about whether your hernia needs surgery, we recommend consulting a specialist hernia surgeon who can assess your symptoms, perform a thorough examination and advise on the most appropriate plan of care.