The Inguinal Hernia or Sportsman's Hernia

An inguinal hernia is a specific type of hernia that warrants consideration. A hernia is a tear in a body tissue, usually a muscle, that allows protrusion of an underlying tissue through the weakness created by the tear.

This commonly occurs in the abdomen when small tears of the abdominal muscle wall, caused through poor posture, obesity or excess strain allow part of the retained intestines to protrude or bulge through. Such situations are both unsightly and uncomfortable. Previously people have worn external supports, often called 'a truss' to support the weakened muscle wall and retain the internal structures.

Although the basic pathology is the same as in any hernia, an inguinal hernia, sometimes known as 'a sportsman's hernia' occurs in a structure called THE INGUINAL CANAL.

The inguinal canal (there is a right one and a left one) runs obliquely down from just below the prominent hip bones you can feel at the front of your hips to almost the level of the pubic symphysis. The canals are formed from continuations of the abdominal muscle wall. They carry nerves, blood vessels and the spermatic cord from the abdomen to the pelvis.

If the wall of the canal is damaged in any way, as can happen to males involved in high level sport, particularly soccer, underlying intestinal tissue can protrude into the canal space.

The diagnostic test is a relatively highly skilled one in which a doctor or therapist knowledgeable in sports medicine techniques examines the canal area via the scrotum. A dilated ring at the top of the canal or tenderness with the cough test indicates a positive test for a tear or hernia.

Sufferers mormally complain of a vague ache in the lower abdomen and groin regions after activity, with discomfort on resisted adduction of the hip and straight leg raising and on sharp turning. There is commonly no history of specific injury.

This condition will not get better without surgery. The surgery is arthroscopic and usually involves the implanting of a thin flexible mesh into the affected lower abdominal wall to strengthen it. The outcome of this type of surgery is excellent with a very high success rate of players returning, symptom free, to high level professional sport.

The correct rehabilitation post operatively is of paramount importance and will normally involve a carefully graduated six to eight week program from surgery to full recovery.

For further information on our rehabilitation program for an inguinal hernia repair please click here