The typical clinical symptom of an inguinal hernia is a lump in the inguinal region. Early in the course of the disease, when the hernia first enters the inguinal canal, the patient may feel only a small bulge in the inguinal region with a mild sensation of swelling. As the disease progresses, the mass becomes evident when the hernia passes through the external ring of the inguinal canal. In the case of a hiatal hernia, the mass may enter the scrotum or labia majora. Such masses are actually protruding intestinal tubes or abdominal contents such as omentum, so they are usually not hard in texture and in most cases can be pushed back into the abdominal cavity by hand or disappear on their own when the patient lies flat. In contrast, when the patient does actions that increase the pressure in the abdominal cavity, such as holding the breath, laughing, or coughing, the mass will become obvious, and there may even be a sensation of impact in the groin area. In addition to the localized mass, inguinal hernia may also have some other symptoms, such as localized soreness and swelling, mild painful discomfort, abdominal discomfort or abdominal pain due to the protruding intestinal canal. In some cases, the protruding mass cannot be fully retracted into the abdominal cavity, even by hand, which is a sign that the hernia is becoming severe. This is often a refractory hernia or sliding hernia, which is a more serious hernia with more localized symptoms and a greater impact on intestinal function, with more pronounced gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain and constipation. Refractory hernias and sliding hernias are more difficult to operate on and are prone to recurrence after surgery. If the hernia protrudes and cannot be retracted with significant localized pain and abdominal pain, this is often a severe type of hernia – an incarcerated hernia. This condition commonly occurs after sudden abdominal exertion of the patient, such as coughing or straining to defecate, where the intestine is forced out and cannot return to the abdominal cavity, and as a result gets stuck in the hernia ring, resulting in intestinal obstruction. In this case, the patient should immediately go to the hospital for emergency treatment and should not push the hernia back as this is likely to lead to intestinal rupture with serious consequences. If an incarcerated hernia is not treated in time and the stuck intestine becomes necrotic, it is the most serious consequence of hernia – strangulated hernia. In this case, not only the protruding intestinal canal is necrotic, but often the intestinal canal in the abdominal cavity is also necrotic, leading to severe contamination of the groin and abdominal cavity and, in severe cases, even death of the patient. When strangulated hernia occurs, the patient not only has severe pain in the abdomen and inguinal region, but also has symptoms such as fever, blood in stool, and even shock, and the patient is in critical condition and will have serious consequences if not treated in time.