How to Avoid a Repeat Hernia Surgery

If you have a hernia, your internal organs or other tissues push through an opening in the muscle or soft tissues meant to keep them in place. For example, you have a hernia if your intestine breaks through a hole in your abdominal wall.

While hernias usually don’t cause life-threatening complications immediately, they also don’t go away on their own. That means getting effective treatment is the best way to find relief and avoid additional problems in the future.

Scott A. deVilleneuve, MD, is a top-ranked general surgeon in McKinney, Texas. At Surgical Associates of North Texas, Dr. deVilleneuve focuses his advanced surgical training on minimally invasive procedures and laparoscopic techniques, including hernia repair. In this blog he shares these insights into how your hernia procedure can help you avoid a future recurrence.

Hernia basics

To better understand hernia treatment, it helps to look at why hernias occur. Most hernias develop because of muscle weakness and tissue strain. These issues can occur for a variety of reasons, such as:

Aging
Being overweight or obese
Pregnancy, especially more than one
Damage from surgery or injury
Congenital conditions present from birth
Constipation
Fluid in the belly
Chronic coughing or conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD)

Since hernias are due to tissue weakness, finding long-term relief requires expert treatment.

Hernia repair

The main symptom seen with a hernia is a lump or bulge in the affected area. In many cases, this bulge is most obvious when you’re bending down, standing, or coughing, and it disappears if you lie down. To repair the hernia, Dr. deVilleneuve has to fix the hole and reinforce the area so it can hold your internal organs and other tissues in place again.

There are several options for performing hernia repair, including traditional procedures and those that use minimally invasive laparoscopic techniques. When it comes to conventional, open surgeries, your chances of recurrent hernias can increase because a large incision is required, which causes more tissue damage in the area. This can be especially true if your surgeon uses older techniques.

Instead, Dr. deVilleneuve relies on newer approaches and laparoscopic techniques with small incisions. These methods allow him to access the tissue damage and repair it by using a tiny camera and specialized instruments, thus causing less damage in the process.

After returning bulging organs or tissues back into position, Dr. deVilleneuve also strengthens the weakened area with a special surgical mesh. This helps reinforce the area and avoid future reoccurrence.

Recovering from hernia surgery

You also have to take proper steps after your hernia repair to heal properly and avoid reinjury. Depending on the type of surgery you have will determine how your recovery goes. If you had an open procedure, then this typically includes avoiding strenuous activity and heavy lifting for a few weeks. If you have a laparoscopic procedure, however, these restrictions are generally only for a few days with most people able to return to work without limitations within one week.

To reduce your chances of hernia recurrence after your procedure, you should:

Quit smoking
Lose excess body weight
Use proper lifting techniques
Make healthy lifestyle choices, including getting regular exercise

You should also continue having regular checkups with your primary care physician to monitor your health.

To learn more about hernia treatment or to get examined and discuss scheduling a procedure, book an appointment online or over the phone with Surgical Associates of North Texas today.