When an organ, tissue, etc. in the body leaves the place where it is supposed to stay and enters another part through a surrounding defect, hole, or weakness, it is called a hernia. Imagine a soccer ball with a tear in the outer skin and a bulge in the inner lining from the tear, this bulge is known as a hernia. How does a hernia come about? Hernias occur most often in the abdomen, and are commonly extra-abdominal hernias, which are formed when the intestines, fat, etc. in the stomach, along with the peritoneum, protrude outward from the surface of the body through a weak point or aperture in the abdominal wall. When you feel your stomach, it feels like the skin and flesh are evenly distributed. However, in reality, inside the stomach, the muscle fascia and other parts of the abdominal wall are not uniform, but rather thin and thick, and in some places there are naturally occurring holes. When the strength of the abdominal wall decreases due to muscle deterioration, or when the pressure inside the abdomen increases due to coughing, constipation, heavy lifting, etc., the organs and tissues may be squeezed into the adjacent weak areas. These organ tissues bulge out through the weak abdominal wall and form a sac, which is called a hernia. What is in the bulge? The bulge of a hernia is not the same as a lump that bulges when you hit your head on a doorframe. The bulge is an organ in the stomach that will not go away on its own, and if you don’t pay attention to it, the bulge may grow. The most frightening thing is that the organ inside the bulge is stuck and cannot go in or out. At this point, the patient will feel pain and discomfort, and in severe cases, it will cause ischemic necrosis of the stuck organ tissue. Commonly, there are inguinal hernia, femoral hernia, umbilical hernia and so on. Types of extra-abdominal hernia 1, inguinal hernia inguinal, is the small stomach and thigh root junction of the two triangular area, the hernia that occurs in this part is called inguinal hernia. Inguinal hernia is also divided into oblique hernia and straight hernia, oblique hernia is the most common. Because of their physiological structure, they are more common on the right side than on the left, and more common in men than in women. Doctors have a simple way to initially differentiate between these two types of hernias: first, carefully stow the bulging mass back, then use your fingers to press the middle of the groin slightly upward, and then cough hard. If the hernia no longer protrudes, it is a hiatal hernia, otherwise it is a straight hernia. In addition, a hiatal hernia will enter the scrotum, while a straight hernia usually does not enter the scrotum. 2, femoral hernia The root of the thigh, there is an anatomical structure called the femoral canal, is the weak spot of the abdominal wall. If the opening of the femoral canal is loose and the surrounding muscles and ligaments are further weakened, the intestines and some of the fat will easily protrude from here, forming a femoral hernia. Femoral hernias are most common in women over the age of 40. In addition, the increased intra-abdominal pressure caused by pregnancy increases the risk of femoral hernia formation. A femoral hernia is often small and usually has no obvious symptoms at first, so most are discovered by accident, and those who are heavier are less likely to notice. 3, umbilical hernia As the name suggests, it is a hernia that protrudes through the umbilical ring. Umbilical hernias are less common in adults, and most of them are in middle-aged women. Due to the narrow entrance of the hernia sac, umbilical hernias are more likely to become incarcerated and require special attention. What to do after finding a hernia? Some people find a hernia lump and think it doesn’t hurt, so they don’t pay attention to it. They don’t go to the hospital until it gets stuck and hurts too much. By this time, the situation may already be more critical. Therefore, if you find a problem, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible. When an adult is diagnosed with an extra-abdominal hernia, surgery should usually be performed as soon as physically possible. The surgeon will stow the protruding organ back into its original position, and then put a patch or direct reinforcement in the weak part of the abdominal wall. This procedure is now well established, highly effective and has a quick recovery. It is important to emphasize that if the hernia bulge suddenly becomes painful or fails to reset, it is important to seek prompt medical attention to prevent ischemic necrosis of the hernia contents due to entrapment. How to prevent hernia? Adhere to the appropriate amount of suitable exercise, enhance physical fitness, but do not do strenuous jumping or need to hold your breath force action; avoid coughing, or carrying heavy things; pay attention to diet, eat more coarse grains and fresh fruits and vegetables, in order to prevent constipation for a long time; bowel movements do not overly force, is also the key to preventing a hernia, the abdominal wall of the elderly is weak, and if constipation, defecation force, increase abdominal pressure, it is very easy to form a hernia; prostate enlargement, men should not urinate, but should be careful to prevent the formation of hernia. The men who have prostate hyperplasia, in the urine, should also pay attention to do not excessive force, to avoid excessive abdominal pressure.