If you have an inguinal hernia, you might have an inguinal hernia repair:

• if the hernia is causing symptoms such as pain
• to prevent the hernia causing a blocked bowel (bowel obstruction)
• to prevent the hernia causing the blood supply to part of an organ or tissue trapped in it being cut off (strangulated hernia)

An inguinal hernia may not need treatment if it's not causing symptoms.

The hospital will tell you when you need to stop eating and drinking before having an inguinal hernia repair. They may also advise you to have a bath or shower before you come to hospital.

There are 2 main ways an inguinal hernia repair can be done:

• laparoscopic (keyhole) surgery with a few small cuts in your tummy
• open surgery with one larger cut in the top of your inner thigh (groin)

You'll either have a general anaesthetic (where you're asleep and feel no pain) or a local anaesthetic (where you're awake but feel no pain).

The type of surgery you're offered depends on things like where the hernia is, how big the hernia is and your general health.

The main steps of an inguinal hernia repair are:

1. A cut or cuts are made in your skin. If you have keyhole surgery, a few small cuts are made near your belly button and lower tummy. If you have open surgery, a cut is made in the skin in the top of your inner thigh (groin).
2. If you have keyhole surgery, air is pumped into your tummy through a cut and a thin, flexible tube with a camera inside (a laparoscope) is inserted so your surgeon can see the hernia.
3. The hernia is pushed back into place and a thin sheet of material (called mesh) is put over the hernia and fixed in place with small stitches. Sometimes just stitches are used to stop the hernia pushing out.
4. If you have keyhole surgery, the air is let out of your tummy.
5. The cuts are closed with stitches or clips and covered with a dressing.

The surgery usually takes between 30 and 90 minutes.

After the operation

You can usually go home the same day as the operation.

After the operation it's normal to have:

• some bleeding from the wound for a couple of days
• pain around the wound for a few days
• bruising or swelling around the wound or genitals for a couple of weeks
• bloating or shoulder pain for a couple of days if you had keyhole surgery (this is caused by the air that was pumped into your tummy)
• numbness below the wound – usually the feeling slowly comes back, but sometimes a small area of numbness remains

It usually takes up to 4 to 6 weeks to recover from an inguinal hernia repair, but it can take longer.

There are some things you can do to help you recover.

As with any operation, complications can happen during or after an inguinal hernia repair. Your doctor will explain the risks to you before the procedure.

Complications are uncommon but include:

• your wound becoming infected
• a lump or swelling that develops where the hernia was that can last a few weeks or months
• a large painful bruise in the top of your inner thigh (groin) or genitals that can last a few months
• pain or numbness in your groin that may last longer than 3 months
• the hernia coming back
• damage to the area around the hernia such as the bowel, blood vessels or bladder
• a blood clot, DVT (deep vein thrombosis) or pulmonary embolism

Get help from NHS 111 if:

Call 999 or go to A&E if: