Get Moving in a Day After Wearing an Umbilical Hernia Belt

Managing an Umbilical Hernia

Hernia is a common problem; it may occur on the abdomen, groins, and in femoral region. Hernia of a groin and umbilical hernia (near belly button) are quite common. Depending on the age and severity of the condition there are two options for managing them. One is to go for surgical correction of the abdominal wall; second is to delay surgery by wearing abdominal binders.

It is essential to understand that belts would not heal a hernia, they can only help you live a simpler life with your hernia. In most people living with a hernia, surgery is the only treatment. Fortunately, hernia surgery is rarely a threat to life. It is regarded among the simpler surgical procedures. Generally, it is done by using small incision, and the recovery period is short.[1]

• In most cases, a hernia does not cause any symptoms, but more massive hernias may cause discomfort.
• Herniorrhaphy or hernioplasty are two frequently used techniques to repair a hernia.
• In most cases it is day surgery, it means that the patient is at home after a few hours of operation.
• Hernia surgery is among the safest and most effective procedures.

Who Will Need Hernia Surgery?

It most cases there is enough time to think and decide about surgical options. A hernia takes 1 to 2 years to become noticeable or start causing discomfort. In many cases, people would only notice a hernia by chance when doing physical exertion.

You should decide about the surgical correction of a hernia by considering the following factors:[2]

• Living with a hernia for quite a long time,  becomes painful and causes discomfort.
• It has started to interfere with your daily life.
• Pain has started to worsen lately.
• A hernia is visibly quite large and is increasing in size at a fast pace.
• Feel sharp pain along with vomiting or other gastrointestinal symptoms.
• A hernia is large enough to cause pain or irritation of adjoining nerves.

Types of a Hernia

How urgently you need surgery or not? A type/stage of a hernia would decide it.

• Reducible- when a hernia can be pushed back into the abdominal cavity. It is a hernia that can still be managed with the help of hernia belts if you are not ready for surgery. Size of a reducible hernia also matters; smaller size hernia is more easily handled with belts. If a hernia is large, there is an increased risk of complications.
• An un-reducible hernia- is a one that would not go back into the abdominal cavity completely. Generally, in this case, the hernia would be large, and part of intestine would be located inside the hernia sack. It means that a person is at higher risk of complications. Abdominal belts cannot be used in such case; it can hurt you. Surgery is the only option.
• Strangulated hernia- It is not a type of a hernia, rather its complication. It means that part of an internal organ like intestine has come out and is stuck there. This stuck part of the organ is deprived of blood supply and starts to die. It asks for urgent surgical treatment.[3]

Know Your Surgical Options

Once you are decided about surgery, start evaluating your options. There are many techniques available. Repair may be done in a traditional way or with the use of laparoscopy. In both, the cases incision would be small. Open, traditional surgery is a better option in complications like strangulation, or when a hernia is large and un-reducible. However, in the early stages, when a hernia is a small and reducible laparoscopy may be a better choice. Certain decisions are best taken by the treating surgeon.

• Herniorrhaphy- traditional way to repair a hernia, and is still widely used. The surgeon will make an incision over the hernia sack, push back the organs into the abdominal cavity, and then repair the hernia wall with the help of sutures.
• Hernioplasty- problem with the traditional way of hernia repair is a reoccurrence. A hernia occurs at a place where the abdominal wall is weak, either it is inborn or due to some disease. It means that suturing is not enough. Thus using mesh may provide extra support to the abdominal wall.

Recover Faster with an Abdominal Binder

Once the surgery is over, in most cases you will be at home within a few hours. Most people need to have a night’s rest, before starting to move. Here's where  the abdominal binder comes to help. It provides support to the abdominal wall. It can provide confidence and feeling of security. If the incision is large, it helps to keep stitches together even on light physical exertion thus reducing the risk of complication.

Get Moving in a Day with a Hernia Belt

As earlier mentioned, if your hernia is reducible and you cannot have a surgery, then using the hernia belts is a good option. Hernia belt differs from abdominal binders, as it comes with a special pad. You put this pad above a hernia (after reducing it), and cover it with truss or abdominal belt. That’s it; you are ready to move. All the symptoms will be gone immediately. It is an excellent solution for busy professionals with no time for surgery or old adults. If used correctly, and as per instructions, there is no known adverse effect of hernia belts.

References:

1..https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/understanding-hernia-basics

2..https://myhealth.alberta.ca:443/Health/aftercareinformation/pages/conditions.aspx?hwid=abr6767

3..https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319753.php