Will my hernia heal on its own?

That’s one of the most common questions doctors hear when it comes to hernias. Unfortunately, the answer is no. While a hernia cannot heal itself, it can almost always be treated effectively with surgery. If left untreated, however, a hernia can cause serious complications, such as a bowel obstruction (resulting in severe pain, nausea or constipation), or intestinal strangulation, if the trapped section of the intestines does not get enough blood. That’s why it’s important to seek medical attention right away if you think you may have a hernia.

Tips to temporarily relieve hernia pain:

Some hernias require immediate surgery, but depending on the type of hernia you have and its severity, there are some home treatment options and measures you can take to relieve hernia pain temporarily until you can be treated by an experienced hernia surgeon. Here are some tips we recommend:

Avoid lifting heavy objects, and strenuous exercise or activity.
These activities may result in increased pressure and strain that could worsen your hernia. Stick to light and low-impact exercises like walking or swimming. And listen to your body; if an exercise or activity is causing discomfort, avoid it until you can seek treatment.

Treating a Hernia

Northeast Georgia Medical Center general/hernia surgeon Dan Mullis discusses how to fix hernias.

Maintain a healthy weight.
Extra weight can exacerbate hernia pain. If you have a hernia and you’re overweight, shedding a few extra pounds may improve hernia symptoms and can help you avoid complications such as strangulation.

Modify your diet.
Diet can play a big role in controlling hernia symptoms. This is especially true for those with Hiatal hernias, where part of the stomach bulges upward through an opening in the diaphragm. Avoiding foods high in acidity as well as others associated with heartburn and indigestion can also help. Additionally, eating smaller meals and avoiding foods that may cause constipation can also provide relief for other types of hernias.

Use an ice pack.
If you have a hernia in the abdomen or groin, applying an ice pack to the affected area can help reduce pain and inflammation.

Visit a Hernia Surgeon

Although the tips above may provide non-surgical relief from hernia symptoms, these measures are not intended to replace the need for surgery. You may be able to delay surgery, but the only way to effectively repair a hernia is to have surgery. The good news, however, is that in most cases hernia surgery is minimally invasive and offers a short recovery time. Surgery will enable you to get back to the activities you enjoy, pain-free.

Choose the Hernia Center of Northeast Georgia Medical Center for Your Hernia Repair.

The Hernia Center of Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) is recognized by Surgical Review Corporation as a Center of Excellence for its commitment to providing the highest quality of care for patients who undergo hernia surgery. 

As a designated Center of Excellence for Hernia Surgery, NGMC’s surgical outcomes are higher than the national average, while our complication rates remain much lower. Our experienced surgeons have performed more than 5,900 minimally invasive hernia repairs and more than 1,500 robotic hernia repairs using the da Vinci surgical system. 

At the Hernia Center of NGMC, our surgeons have demonstrated low complication rates, with less than one percent returning to the operating room, less than one percent being readmitted to the hospital, and less than one percent developing a recurring hernia. 

Get Started Today

Learn more about the Hernia Center of Northeast Georgia Medical Center or call 770-282-8956 to speak to our care team about questions or to schedule an appointment.

Living with a Hernia: Ways to Relieve Hernia Pain

Do you have a nagging ache in your belly or groin that you think maybe a hernia? Don’t ignore it. While it may be causing only slight discomfort now, hernias do not go away on their own. That’s why it’s important to seek medical attention right away if you think you may have a hernia.   

While a hernia cannot heal itself, it can almost always be treated effectively with surgery.

The good news is that most hernias can be repaired with minimally invasive surgery – which has a low complication rate – and most patients are able to get back to their normal routine quickly. If left untreated, however, a hernia can cause serious complications such as a bowel obstruction (resulting in severe pain, nausea or constipation) or intestinal strangulation (if the trapped section of the intestines does not get enough blood).

Tips to relieve hernia pain temporarily before treatment:

Depending on the severity and type of hernia you have, there are some at-home treatment measures you can take to help relieve hernia pain until you can be treated by an experienced hernia surgeon. Here are some tips we recommend:

• Avoid lifting heavy objects and other strenuous exercises or activities. These activities may result in increased pressure and strain that could worsen your hernia. Stick to light and low-impact exercises like walking or swimming. Remember to listen to your body; if an exercise or activity is causing discomfort, avoid it until you can seek treatment.

• Maintain a healthy weight. Extra weight can exacerbate hernia pain. If you are overweight and dealing with a hernia, shedding a few extra pounds may help you improve your symptoms and avoid certain complications such as strangulation.

• Modify your diet. Diet can play a big role in controlling hernia symptoms. This is especially true for those with Hiatal hernias, where part of the stomach bulges upward through an opening in the diaphragm. Avoiding foods high in acidity as well as others associated with heartburn and indigestion can also help. Additionally, eating smaller meals and avoiding foods that may cause constipation can also provide hernia relief.

• Use an ice pack. If you have a hernia in the abdomen or groin, applying an ice pack to the affected area can help reduce pain and inflammation.

• Over-the-counter medications may relieve symptoms. If advised by your doctor, over-the-counter medications like Tylenol and ibuprofen may be used temporarily to relieve mild pain and discomfort caused by a hernia.

It’s important to note that some hernias will require immediate surgery and should not be delayed. Your physician will be able to help determine the best treatment plan for your specific case.

You may be able to delay surgery, but the only way to effectively repair a hernia is through surgery.

Although the tips above may provide non-surgical relief from hernia symptoms, these measures are not intended to replace the need for surgery. Fortunately, hernia repair surgery is common and usually successful, but it’s important to choose a surgeon who specializes in hernia repairs to help avoid recurrence and other complications.

Selecting an experienced hernia surgeon with a high level of technical skill will significantly reduce the risk of recurrence or other complications. At the Hernia Center of Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC), our hernia repair surgeons are experienced and highly skilled in open, laparoscopic, and robotic hernia repair. Our surgeons also successfully treat patients who had initial hernia repair elsewhere but need revision surgery because their hernia has returned.

Our surgeons each perform between 15 to 30 hernia surgeries a month. This means that by choosing the Hernia Center of NGMC, you will see a hernia doctor who is highly experienced and will provide the highest quality hernia repair and surgical care possible. In fact, our hernia surgeons at the Hernia Center have been recognized by Surgical Review Corporation for their quality outcomes and expertise.

Contact us today for an appointment. If you think you have a hernia, don’t delay getting treatment. Call 770-219-4040 today to speak to our care team about questions or to schedule an appointment.

NCC No. 2 (CCH RAS) – clinic for the treatment of spinal hernia in Moscow, non-surgical treatment of intervertebral hernia at a bargain price

Acute pain is one of the most common symptoms associated with herniated discs. Without medical attention, the disease progresses and can lead to loss of mobility and complete paralysis. In difficult cases, when there is a risk of developing myelopathy or cauda equina syndrome, the hernial formation is removed surgically. If the patient asked for help at an early stage of the development of the pathology, before the development of complications, doctors most often choose non-surgical treatment.

Treatment of hernia without surgery. Therapies

In the absence of indications for surgery, the treatment course is prescribed by a neurologist or orthopedist. Non-surgical treatment of hernial formation begins with the elimination of pain. During an exacerbation, any procedure is unsafe, so it is important to achieve a state of remission. A complete examination of the patient is also necessary for an accurate assessment of pathological changes.

For diagnostic purposes, the following are usually prescribed:

• MRI
• KT
• radiography
• electromyography

Diagnostic procedures make it possible to determine the location of the hernial formation, its size, and the presence of inflammatory processes.

With intervertebral hernias, the following therapeutic methods are effective.

Drug therapy

It is used to relieve symptoms, reduce the inflammatory process and regenerate damaged tissues. Medications (suppositories, ointments, injections) help relieve pain and swelling, improve blood flow and restore cartilage tissue. As a rule, drugs of the following groups are used: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, analgesics, muscle relaxants, drugs to improve blood supply, chondroprotectors, vitamins.

Physiotherapy

In the process of physiotherapy, the impact on the human body of natural factors is used: electric current, magnetic field, infrared radiation, etc. With non-surgical treatment of an intervertebral hernia (there is also a name: “intervertebral hernia”), the following are most often prescribed:

• electrophoresis
• ultrasound therapy
• laser treatment
• cryotherapy
• magnetotherapy

Massage

Massage helps to activate blood flow and improve tissue nutrition in the affected area. Depending on the characteristics of the patient’s condition, different massage techniques are used.

Therapeutic exercise

Exercise therapy is useful for strengthening the muscular corset, it also helps to restore blood circulation. An individual set of exercises is selected for each patient.

Therapeutic treatment of intervertebral hernias at the NCC No. 2 (Central Clinical Hospital of the Russian Academy of Sciences)

In NCC No. 2 (CCH RAS) patients are offered non-surgical treatment of diseases of the spine, including intervertebral hernias, using high-quality and safe medicines. The clinic has all the necessary modern equipment for diagnostics and physiotherapy. Treatment is carried out by qualified specialists with extensive experience.

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Treatment of a spinal hernia in Moscow at the Dikul clinic: prices, an appointment

Treatment of a hernia of the spine in Moscow at the Dikul clinic: prices, an appointment | Center Dikul

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• All about herniated discs

Herniated disc is diagnosed quite often, and this is the merit of new imaging methods (MSCT, MRI). Disc herniations can form anywhere in the spine, but are most commonly found in the cervical or lumbar region. Spinal disc herniation can be formed as a result of trauma, excessive loads, or as a result of involutional changes in the musculoskeletal system. Treatment of spinal hernia depends both on the severity of damage to the disc structure and clinical manifestations.

Spinal Disc Herniation Facts

• Discs are cartilaginous structures that act as cushions between the vertebral bodies and minimize the effect of motion on the vertebrae.
• Each disc is a “pouch” with a central soft component (nucleus pulposus).
• Breaking the integrity of the disc lining and protrusion of the central part of the disc is called disc herniation.
• The most common location for a herniated disc is in the lumbar spine, between the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae.
• If the disc herniation is large enough, then the disc tissue can press on the spinal nerves that exit the spine at the level of the disc herniation.
• Physical examination, imaging techniques and neurophysiological methods allow diagnosis of disc herniation
• Depending on the severity of the symptoms, treatment for spinal herniation may include: exercise therapy, physical therapy, medications, blocks. But with gross morphological changes and severe symptoms, surgical treatment may be recommended.

Causes

With age, intervertebral discs gradually lose fluid volume. This process begins around the age of 30 and progresses slowly as we age. As the intervertebral discs dry out, microcracks and ruptures can form on the outer surface, which leads to a decrease in the strength of the discs and they become more susceptible to injury.

Symptoms

• Symptoms of a herniated disc can vary, depending on the location of the herniation and the types of soft tissue adjacent to the herniated disc.
• Pain. The intensity of pain can vary from mild to severe pain, radiating to areas of the body that are innervated from the roots affected by the disc herniation.
• Often, a herniated disc is not diagnosed immediately, as patients may complain of vague pain in the hips, knees, or feet.
• Sensory changes such as numbness, burning, tingling, paresthesia.
• Motor changes such as muscle weakness, paralysis and reflex changes.
• If the herniated disc is in the lumbar region, the patient may also experience sciatica symptoms due to irritation of one of the sciatic nerve roots.
• Unlike muscle spasm, in which the pain may be throbbing or intermittent, the pain caused by a herniated disc is usually permanent, at least in certain body positions.
• A herniated disc in the lumbar spine can cause pain to radiate to the lower extremities or groin area. The radiating pain of a herniated disc can also cause problems in the functioning of the bladder and intestines.
• Typically, symptoms appear on only one side of the body. With a large herniated disc, especially with sequestration, a compression effect on the terminal structures of the spinal cord is possible, with the development of cauda equina syndrome . With the development of this syndrome, symptoms can be on both sides and be accompanied by dysfunction of the pelvic organs.

Diagnosis

As a rule, spinal hernias have a characteristic clinical picture, especially when there is an impact on the nerve root. To verify the diagnosis, instrumental diagnostic methods are prescribed.

• X-ray: Although traditional X-rays cannot accurately visualize soft tissues such as discs, muscles and nerves, however, X-rays are widely used to rule out other conditions such as tumors, infections, and fractures.
• CT (MSCT ) scan allows you to visualize the shape and size of the spinal canal, internal structure and surrounding soft tissues. However, visual confirmation of disc herniation by CT may not be as reliable.
• Magnetic resonance imaging . MRI of the spine provides images of the spinal cord, nerve roots, surrounding tissues, and the morphological structure of the intervertebral disc.
• MRI of the spine, performed using a high-field scanner (more than 1T power), provides the most convincing evidence of disc herniation and provides a clear visualization of the protruding disc material into the spinal canal.
• EMG and ENMG are commonly used to determine the degree of dysfunction of the nerves distal to the spine.

Treatment

Treatment of spinal hernia is usually conservative, but in some cases surgery may be indicated.

Conservative treatment

• Massage . There are more than 100 types of massage, but deep tissue massage is the ideal option in the treatment of a herniated disc of the spine, as it allows you to reduce deep muscle tension and spasms that develop in the localization of a disc herniation.
• Physiotherapy is widely used in the treatment of spinal disc herniation and includes various procedures. One of the effective methods of treatment of acute pain syndrome is cryotherapy. This method allows you to reduce blood circulation in the affected area, reduce swelling and inflammation.
• Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation reduces muscle spasms and results in the release of endorphins, which are the body’s natural pain relievers.
• Manual therapy . This method allows you to remove muscle blocks and improve mobility in the motor segments.
• Traction therapy . The purpose of this method of treatment of a herniated disc of the spine is to reduce the effect of gravity on the spine and reduce the compressive effect of a herniated disc on the root. Traction treatment can be performed if there is a herniated disc in the cervical or lumbar spine.
• Acupuncture – allows you to reduce pain impulses and restore the conductivity of nerve fibers.
• LFK
• Exercise is an important component of spinal disc herniation treatment. Physical activity is the main path to recovery. They help reduce pain and restore a healthy stereotype of movements in the spine.

Pain due to a herniated disc requires rest for only 1-2 days. Prolonged immobilization leads to a sharp weakening of the back muscles, and in the future will only aggravate the violations of the biomechanics of the spine.

Physical exercises have long been successfully used in the treatment of spinal hernia. They allow you to restore muscle strength, flexibility and range of motion in the joints. To achieve optimal results, it is necessary to choose an individual exercise program. This will not only reduce pain, but will also benefit your health in general.

Spinal Stability Exercises: Many people don’t realize how important a strong core is to spinal health. The abdominal muscles (abdominal muscles) help the back muscles support the spine. If the abdominal muscles are weak, then this leads to an additional load on the back muscles.

Stretching and Flexibility: Teaching the patient proper stretching and flexibility helps prepare for aerobic and strength training. Flexibility improves range of motion in the back, allows for better movement and reduces stiffness.

Muscle Strengthening: Strong muscles are the main support for the spine and an effective remedy for reducing back pain.

Medical treatment

In the treatment of spinal disc herniation, especially in the presence of acute pain, medical methods of treatment are used.

• Anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): aspirin, ibuprofen or naproxen. Some NSAIDs are not suitable for patients with a history of CAD or stomach ulcers.
• Muscle relaxants: Spinal spasms often accompany a herniated disc. In such cases, muscle relaxants help reduce spasm.
• Corticosteroids. These drugs may be prescribed to reduce swelling and inflammation. These drugs are prescribed for short-term use.
• Opiates (narcotics) are used only for the relief of intense pain (when other analgesics are ineffective)
• Antidepressants: Antidepressants are widely used in the treatment of spinal disc herniation, especially when it comes to chronic pain. They block the transmission of pain impulses to the brain and enhance the action of endorphins.
• Epidural steroid injections: Steroids are powerful anti-inflammatory drugs that quickly relieve pain caused by nerve compression. The introduction of corticosteroids into the epidural space is used in the treatment of spinal disc herniation in the event that persistent pain syndrome and the patient, for one reason or another, surgical treatment is associated with high risks.

Surgical treatment

Surgical treatment of spinal hernia is used in cases where there is resistance to conservative methods of treatment or there is a high risk of developing cauda equina syndrome or myelopathy. Modern surgical methods for the treatment of spinal disc herniation are most often performed using minimally invasive techniques.

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