The typical fitness hernia involves the feeling of generalized lower back pain, a possible abdominal digestive abnormality and some general or local pain increase during and/or immediately following activity. Other symptoms include nausea, vomiting, binding feeling and eventually a fever.
Most of the common hernias are not detected primarily by most initial visits to your doctor. Only after several misdiagnoses does the eventual correct diagnosis come to surface.
It is very important for the average trainer to understand the symptoms of hernias and also anyone involved in fitness. Since the error rate is so high in the professional setting, additional assistance is beneficial to obtain the correct diagnosis.
Inguinal hernias are groin hernias (Indirect and direct) that makes up the majority of hernias. Commonly called groin hernias since they occur in the crease of skin where the thigh joins the lower abdominal area. The other type is an indirect hernia, which occurs below the inguinal area.
To understand the difference, imagine a hammock that is suspended at the bottom of your abdomen. It separates the abdominal contents from the pelvic contents.
Indirect inguinal hernia
In males, the hernia usually occurs in the track that the testicles descend through as they lower through puberty. The area closes after before birth, but may remain soft and is a likely site for a hernia later and can occur at any time of the life stage.
Direct inguinal hernia
In males it occurs slightly in the inside of the area of the indirect inguinal hernia.
Both of these hernia locations are located in the area that a physician will digitally manipulate while examining to determine the possibility of a displacement of the abdominal contents and is related to the old "turn your head and cough."
Femoral hernia
There is a path that the femoral artery, vein and nerve all follow out of the abdomen into the leg. Sometimes the abdominal contents will move into that normally tight area. This type of hernia is the type that females and males can both experience.
Spigelian & Epigastric hernias
Respectively; a rare hernia that occurs in the rectus abdominal wall that is located in the mid-line of the body. Those bulges outside of the spigelian that can occur between the navel and the lower part of the rib cage are called epigastric.
Umbilical hernia
Often occur at birth or with heavy lifting and located around the area of the belly button. These are visible usually after the strain of the contents of the abdomen, but may be constantly protruding. Leg raise or sit-up will show a bulge or deviation of the belly button.
Post incisional hernia
These are usually associated with a poor closure or improper healing following a surgical procedure.
Obturator hernia
Mostly noted in the female, this hernia protrudes from an opening in the pelvic bone (obturator foramen). Signs and symptoms are usually from bowel obstruction and result in nausea and vomiting. Not visible and difficult to diagnosis. Contrast die on an x-ray of the lower abdomen or ultrasound is necessary to diagnose correctly.
Hiatal hernias
This type occurs when the abdominal contents push upward into the chest cavity usually through the diaphragm or connective tissue that separates those areas.
The most common causes of hernias are obesity (past or present) and coughing, other causes include heavy lifting, straining to do a bowel movement or urination, chronic lung disease, fluid in the abdominal cavity, trauma and some medications. A family history of hernias is very important to note and quite helpful to the correct clinical diagnosis.
Other conditions can often mask or make a proper diagnosis complicated. The most common is a UTI (urinary tract infection), strains of the groin or abdomen.
A common condition known as epididymitis affects the male and is from straining on a full bladder, which forces the contents into the testicle sacs and they swell and refer pain like a hernia. This produces the best argument of why you should go the bathroom and not lift on a full bladder.
Females can have tubal or regular pregnancies, endometriosis, cyst, etc. and mimic any hernia. Both sexes can have sexually transmitted diseases that appear as hernias.
Helping any clinical physician understand the correct location, timing, intensity and duration of the pain will make the correct diagnosis faster. Any pain that last longer than two days or is sharp should be followed up by a physician as quickly as possible.
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