Umbilical Hernia is a common condition in infants in which the intestine protrudes or pokes out through the abdominal muscles in the navel area, where generally the Umbilical cord is located. Umbilical Hernia is generally harmless if not sore and is evident when the bellybutton protrudes. During childhood, Umbilical Hernia closes on its own, but sometimes when it does not, it might require a surgical correction during adulthood. This condition is commonly seen in premature babies and can be diagnosed through physical examination alone.

Symptoms

Umbilical Hernia causes swelling or bulging near the navel and is generally visible under normal circumstances. However, in some cases, the protrusion occurs only when the baby strains, coughs or cries. Though this condition is painless, it can cause discomfort during adulthood. To avoid complications, it is advisable to seek professional help even if the condition initially seems harmless. There might be symptoms of pain, swelling, discoloration, and tenderness in the navel, accompanied by vomiting sometimes.

Causes

When the fetus is still unborn and in womb, the umbilical cord passes abdominal muscles of the baby through a small opening, which generally closes post birth. But in case muscles fail to completely join the midline of abdominal wall, this condition appears post birth, and sometimes later in life.

During adulthood, when there is too much pressure on the abdomen, it leads to this condition. This pressure might build up due to a number of causes like multiple pregnancies, obesity, previous abdominal surgery, ascites (fluid in the abdominal cavity), and long-term dialysis for kidney function.

Complications

Complications might be caused when the protruding part of the intestine gets incarcerated or trapped and fails to push itself back into the abdominal cavity, reducing the blood supply. This leads to tissue damage and umbilical pain. If the blood supply totally fails, tissue death leads to gangrene, causing infection, and posing a life-threatening situation. In such cases, surgery might have to be performed in an emergency.

Treatment

Most of the times, abdominal tissue pushes itself back but sometimes, it has to be done by an experienced medical professional. When this cannot happen, surgery has to be performed to correct the situation. The surgery can be open or laparoscopic.

A small incision is made at the base of the bellybutton during surgery, which is a small and quick procedure. The hernia is corrected and sutures close the incision. For adults, sometimes mesh is used for strengthening the abdomen during open surgery.

Take Away

Umbilical Hernia is a condition in which the intestine or abdominal tissue protrudes through the abdominal muscles in the navel area, where generally the Umbilical cord is located. It is a harmless condition but sometimes painful. Generally, it corrects itself but when it fails to do so, corrective surgery is required which can be open or laparoscopic.

 Umbilical Hernia - How To Manage It?

Hiatal hernia takes place when the upper portion of the stomach pushes itself through an opening in the diaphragm, into the chest cavity. The diaphragm is a wall of thin muscles, which separates the chest cavity and the abdomen. In most cases, a small hiatal hernia doesn't cause problems and you may never know you have a hiatal hernia unless your doctor discovers it when checking for another condition.

But a large hiatal hernia can allow food and acid to back up into your oesophagus, leading to heartburn. Self-care measures or medications can usually relieve these symptoms, although a very large hiatal hernia sometimes requires surgery.

Causes

Hiatal hernia is primarily or most commonly caused due to the increase in pressure in the abdominal cavity. Sometimes, a lot of pressure may be felt around the stomach accompanied by coughing, vomiting, strain during bowel movements. For people born with an abnormal hiatus, the chance of getting hiatal hernia is more.

The two common types of hiatal hernia are:

 Sliding hiatal hernia, which occurs during the sliding out of the stomach and oesophagus into and out of the chest through the hiatus. This type of hiatal hernia is less intense and has no symptoms.
 Fixed hiatal hernia or paraoesophageal hernia is an uncommon type of hernia where a part of the stomach pushes through the diaphragm and stays there.

Symptoms

Usually, no symptoms are experienced during hiatal hernia. Some symptoms are experienced that happen due to stomach acids, bile or air, which enters the oesophagus. Some common symptoms include:

 Heartburns which become worse when a person lies down
 Chest pain, better called epigastric pain
 Problem in swallowing food
 Belching

Tests for diagnosis

Several tests can be carried out for the diagnosis of hiatal hernia. They include:

 Barium x-ray, where a person is made to drink a liquid filled with barium before the x-ray. The x-ray provides a clear image of the upper digestive tract region and the location of the stomach can be seen. If it is protruded out, hiatal hernia is signified.
 Endoscopy is another test for detection of hiatal hernia. A thin tube slides down the throat, which reaches up to the oesophagus and stomach. This will determine whether the stomach is pushing through the diaphragm or not.

Treatment

Medicines, which are used to cure a hiatal hernia may include antacids for neutralizing stomach acid, h2 receptor blockers to lower acid production and proton pump inhibitors. Sometimes fundoplication surgery is required for the treatment of hiatal hernia, although it is rare. Some common surgical techniques are rebuilding of oesophageal muscles or a surgery to put the stomach back in its actual place. Laparoscopic surgery methods are used. Hiatal hernia may reoccur even after surgery; so general precautions should be taken. You should:

 Exercise regularly and maintain a healthy weight
 Avoid lifting heavy objects and ask for help
 Avoid any kind of strain on the abdominal muscles

Hiatal hernia is a disorder, which is more common among people over the age of fifty. Necessary precautions and treatment should be adopted in case of hiatal hernia.


All About Hiatal Hernia

Recovery from a hernia after the surgery will need a time of approximately 2-3 weeks. The time for recovery also depends upon the surgery performed. An open surgery performed through a large incision across the region of a hernia will require a longer hospital stay and a longer time for recovery, whereas, in contrast, a laparoscopic surgery performed with 2-3 small incisions will heal faster and will need a shorter hospitalization.

The recovery process can be speeded up by taking appropriate care, and recovery tips for it are as follows:

Medication should regularly be taken as recommended by the doctor to lessen the symptoms of the surgery. 
Wound care should be taken properly. 
Dressings should be kept clean and dry, and they need to be changed very frequently in order to avoid the infection.
A persistent cough and sneezing need to be treated with the proper medication. 
Keep a pillow nearby. 
Every time while coughing and sneezing hold the pillow over the suture in order to prevent pressure on the sutures. 
Use an abdominal binder of a proper size. It supports the abdominal muscle and maintains abdominal pressure.
Use clothing which is expandable and has elastic waistbands whenever there is swelling. 
Swelling over the incision is a common complication after the surgery. Thus, the incision area should not be closed tightly by wearing tight clothing. 
Wearing expandable cloths will give more comfort and will not cause pain due to pressure. Take a stool softener before and after surgery. 
Constipation should be treated before the surgery and should be avoided after the surgery by using stool softeners. 
Straining for the stools will create pressure over the incision and hernia repair site and will delay the recovery. 
Eat healthy food. The food should be fiber-rich as it will help to improve the bowel movements, and it will avoid the risk of constipation.
Drink plenty of water to avoid constipation and improve the bowel movement.
Do not bend to pick up the things or maintain personal hygiene, i.e., cutting toenails as it will create pressure on the sutures and it may break open.
Avoid lifting of any objects as it will create pressure on sutures and will increase the risk of rupture. After a certain period of time, lift only light items (less than 20 pounds), and always use back muscles and knees. 
Do moderate exercises, such as walking, as it will speed up the recovery. Do not start with heavy exercises. 
Smoking should be avoided after the surgery as it will improve breathing and blood circulation, which will help in the healing process.

Hernia Surgery: Quick Recovery Tips!

A Hernia may be defined as the protrusion of an organ into an adjacent connective tissue or muscle. The protrusion usually occurs through a tear or a weakened area in the muscle (Fascia). Hernia can be an Inguinal Hernia, Umbilical Hernia, Hiatal Hernia or Femoral Hernia. It can also originate from an incision (Incisional Hernia).

The Inguinal Hernia is commonly observed in males. Here, the intestine squeezes through a tear in the abdominal wall into the groin (Inguinal canal). At times, the small intestine bulges through the abdominal wall (weak spot) near the belly button, which results in Umbilical Hernia. In Hiatal Hernia, the upper part of the stomach passes into the chest through the diaphragm, and of all the hernia types, the Inguinal Hernia is the most common.

Severe strain and muscle tear or weakness can result in Hernia. Obesity, chronic constipation, chronic coughing and sneezing, ageing, damage caused by injury, medical conditions like Cystic Fibrosis, contribute to increased incidences of Hernia. In case of Hernia, the affected area tends to protrude or bulge out. If left untreated; Hernia can prove to be detrimental. One needs to consult a physician for proper diagnosis and treatment. Physical examination can help in the diagnosis of Inguinal Hernia. An ultrasound is needed to diagnose Umbilical Hernia. A Barium X -ray or endoscopy can be of great help in the diagnosis of Hiatal Hernia.

The severity of the Hernia depends upon its size. In case the Hernia is rapidly increasing in size, a surgery is needed for the repair. The surgery performed can be open or laparoscopic. In open surgery, Hernia is identified through an incision. Once located, the Hernia is removed from the adjacent tissues. In laparoscopic repair, small incisions are made in the affected region. Through these incisions, specialized instruments are inserted. It is through these instruments that the surgeon visualizes and performs the surgery.

In such repairs, a mesh, held in place by sutures is used as a scaffold. This facilitates the growth of new tissues in the affected person. This technique significantly lowers the chance of a recurrence. Certain factors must be well addressed, before performing a Hernia operation:

* Hernia operations, laparoscopic in particular, should be performed by experienced surgeons. Inexperienced surgeons will do you more harm than good.
* Laparoscopic Hernia operation should be avoided in case a patient has adhesions from previous surgery.
* Extreme care should be taken while performing a Hernia operation in infants and children.
* In some cases, Hernia surgery might affect or injure the vas deferens in men. This in turn can affect fertility in men.

What To Know About Hernia Operation

When an organ residing in a cavity such as the abdomen tries to push through the muscular layer it resides in, it is called as hernia. 

Though said to be genetic, hernias can be caused by things such as improper heavy lifting, incorrect posture, or chronic constipation and as a result of surgical complication or injury. Factors like obesity, pregnancy, smoking, chronic lung disease aggravate the severity of the hernia. It is believed that about 27% of all males and 3% of females can have a hernia during their lifetime.

Types of hernias:

Inguinal hernia: The groin is the most common area, where the abdomen pushes through a weak spot in the lower abdominal wall, causing a protrusion into the inguinal canal. This is more common in men than women.

Hiatal hernia: The abdomen has the diaphragm separating it from the thoracic cavity in the upper border. When it pushes through the diaphragm, a hernia is caused and there is almost always associated food reflux in these cases. Though the most common cause is associated old age, due to muscle weakness, there also are cases of congenital hiatal hernias.

Umbilical hernia: The abdomen finds a weak layer along its length and protrudes through the skin on the stomach. Most commonly seen in babies around the bellybutton, it gradually corrects itself on its own. Quiet rare in adults, seen during pregnancy and in chronic obese people.

Incisional: These are post-surgical, and happen when the organ protrudes through the weakened wall due to surgery. The abdomen is again the most common area and the hernia can happen either onto the external surface or internally, when they are called ventral hernias.

These are the most frequent types, though hernia affects other organs like the spine, brain, appendix, etc.

Treatment
 
This includes a combination of constant monitoring followed by a decision to do surgical treatment. Hiatal hernias and umbilical hernias can be monitored for a while before deciding on surgery. Inguinal hernias may require surgery earlier in the stage. Post-surgery, a mesh is placed to hold back the tissue in its corrected place. The umbilical hernia in children could be self-limiting. If it does not get auto-corrected in the first year of life, that also would qualify for a surgical treatment. Hernias need to be managed under medical supervision.

Hernia - What You Should Know About It?

Hernia or what in Ayurveda is known as Antra Vriddhi, is a condition that takes place when an internal organ in your abdomen gets displaced and protrudes outward, giving rise to swelling in the abdominal region. 
Even though you can develop a hernia anywhere in your body, it mostly occurs in the abdominal region and can affect both men and women at any age.

The causes of hernia are: 
Even though hernia can be a hereditary condition, certain factors can contribute in causing it. These are:
1.   Persistent coughing
2.   Putting excess pressure while passing faeces
3.   Straining your abdominal muscles by exercising or lifting objects that are heavy
4.   Obesity
5.   Buildup of fluid in your abdominal cavity

Symptoms
Some of the symptoms that indicate you have hernia include a visible, hard protrusion, development of soft lumps and pain. However, some people may not experience any symptoms at all. Hernia can be of many types, depending on the part of the body affected and even varying on the basis of your gender. In worst cases, you may require surgery but Ayurveda can cure your hernia completely without the need of you going through a surgical process.

How does Ayurveda help?
Ayurveda helps in curing your hernia by focussing on your diet. If you follow these rules, you can cure yourself of hernia completely.

1.   Reduce the amount of food you eat in a day and take small meals frequently instead of the standard three meals.
2.   While eating, make sure you eat your food slowly.
3.   Drink lots of water and other fluids, but do not consume aerated drinks
4.   It is advised not to take water with your meals, but only to drink a glass of water an hour after and half an hour before each meal. By doing this, you reduce your chances of getting heartburn and aid in the proper functioning of the digestive system.
5.   Eating any form of raw food, such as uncooked meat and vegetables is strictly forbidden along with processed foods such as bread, cakes, cookies etc. However, when eating cooked food, make sure it's lightly cooked and not overcooked.
6.   Having a glass of juice freshly squeezed from vegetables or fruits is recommended, especially carrot juice as it is enriched with calcium and vitamin A that help in the healing process.
7.   Make sure that whole grains, nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruits are a part of your diet.
8.   Lastly, go for a walk after each meal and do not sleep after eating, especially if you've had a heavy meal.

Hernia : Ayurveda Treatment for Hernia Problem

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