What is a hernia? Literally, a morbid protrusion. A hernia occurs when organ tissue in the abdominal cavity protrudes outward through a weak point in the abdominal wall. Abdominal wall hernias are classified as white line hernia, umbilical hernia, inguinal hernia, and incisional hernia depending on the site of occurrence. Inguinal hernias are the most common, accounting for more than 80% of cases. Inguinal hernias include hiatal, ventral, and femoral hernias. Most inguinal hernias are hiatal hernias, as they protrude through the body’s innate internal ring, and straight hernias occur in older patients or those with weak abdominal walls. How is a hernia treated? Currently, surgical repair is advocated, which includes both traditional repair surgery and tension-free repair surgery with the placement of an artificial patch. Tension-free repair is the most common treatment for hernias in China, mainly due to the international treatment philosophy. However, as an authority on hernia repair surgery and one of the earliest advocates of tension-free repair surgery, the Canadian shoudice center is still treating inguinal hernias in the traditional manner. For younger patients and those with a stronger abdominal wall, repairing without placing any material patch and with only one’s own tissue is the most physiologic, does not cause rejection, and is less likely to cause postoperative recurrence with the appropriate surgical approach, conditions permitting. The management of hernias requires the patient’s own vigilance to avoid high-intensity loading of the abdominal wall and, once it occurs, the choice of the appropriate surgical approach based on sound advice from the surgeon. The traditional approach sometimes happens to be the one that stands up to the most scrutiny of time!