Hernia is Actually a Muscle Problem

A friend of mine who is really overweight was recently found to have a small bulge just below the groin crease. A further examination confirmed that she has femoral hernia, one of the common types of hernia to which women, particularly those who are overweight, are prone. Doctors say that a hernia, regardless of the type, is actually a muscle problem; it is a bulging of a part (or even all) of an organ through a debilitated area in the muscle or other tissue in which it is contained.

How a hernia develops was explained by my friend's doctor. A portion of the intestine, or some of the fat that envelops it, presses through a deficient area - as in a gap - in the abdominal wall's muscles. In inguinal hernia (the type to which men are more prone), for example, the abdominal organs press through the abdominal wall just above the groin crease (notice that the area of occurrence of this type of hernia is opposite to that in my friend's case), creating a large protrusion. Another type of hernia, called hiatus hernia, takes place in the diaphragm.

According to my friend's doctor, heredity may be a factor in the muscle weakness that causes a hernia. In the case of my friend, however, her doctor emphasized that it is due to poor muscle tone. The only indication of the existence of a hernia in its early stages may be a protrusion. In some cases - and this is true in my friend's condition - tenderness at the protrusion's area and a feeling of heaviness accompany hernia.

My friend's doctor made it clear that a hernia, no matter what type it is, can be very dangerous if not remedied at once. For one, the proper clearing of bowel may be prevented by the herniated muscle's trapping of a portion of the intestine. In a severe hernia, the passage of blood to the affected area of the intestine may be cut off; such a case may result to gangrene, or the local death of soft tissues.