If my hernia does not hurt, do I have to get it repaired?

A simple answer to this question is a “YES”. There are several reasons to get your hernia fixed as soon as possible even if you don’t have symptoms. The first and foremost reason is that hernias won’t go away on their own. No matter whether you experience symptoms or not, hernias can interfere with your day-to-day activities. So, delaying hernia repair would mean that you are spending more time away from your work and other activities rather than going back to normal activities after recovery.

Generally, if you don’t have any symptoms, you and your doctor can choose to wait. In this case, it will be pretty much appropriate to say watchful waiting. However, there are some risks involved with this waiting. They are:

• Your hernia can become strangulated
• Your hernia can grow
• Your hernia will need surgery eventually
• Your overall health may be affected

Although surgery will not be convenient, having control of when to get operated is a great benefit of not delaying the hernia repair. Remember that the surgery will be easier on you and recovery will be a lot smoother at a young age and with a small hernia. So, it’s always advisable to get your hernia repaired even if it doesn’t hurt at all.