Statistically, around 10% of Americans will develop a hernia throughout their lifetime (men & women). Often, because hernias can be asymptomatic, many will never know they have it.
But, unfortunately, for others, very serious and even life-threatening complications can arise, mandating immediate medical treatment.
So, what is a hernia? The graphic below shows the six most common types of hernia.
Each is best described as a protrusion of the intestines through a weakened or structurally compromised area within the abdominal wall.
Causes for hernias vary from development at birth, extreme exertion, surgical incision sites, through rapid weight loss. In most adults, hernias are best treated through healthy lifestyle habits, including; regular exercise, maintaining a healthy body weight, and eating foods that are non-irritating to the digestive system.
However, in some extreme cases, it becomes medically necessary to repair hernias surgically. A repair is most often done by inserting a mesh material into the compromised area to reinforce the abdominal wall (alternately, the weakened muscle tissue is sutured closed). This resolves the issue in most cases, and the person can live a normal/healthy lifestyle.
A consideration for choosing a mesh-type repair over a traditional muscle suturing is that up to 30% of hernia mesh repairs can develop complications, including recurrence and chronic pain at the repair site.
So, can you still exercise if you have a hernia or a hernia repair?
What can you do? What shouldn’t you do?
Not only can you exercise – YOU MUST!
The caveat is you must choose exercises that avoid lifting extremely heavy poundage (typically 50+ pounds for most adults), stretching the abdominal wall (such as hyper-extension exercises), and positional lifting that involves having your feet spaced wider than shoulder-width apart.
Why you MUST exercise to manage hernia involves developing and maintaining strength within the abdominal wall. The stronger these muscles are/become, the better job they do at containing the contents of your organ cavity and preventing/limiting protrusion.
Hernias can be made worse without regular strength exercise and have an increased risk of complications.
The best practice approach for choosing hernia-safe exercise is to work with loads less than 50 pounds in repetition ranges of 8 – 20 utilizing free-form/full-body exercises.
Free-form exercises (body weight, TRX, cable, band, ball, kettle bell, dumbbell, etc.) are many times more efficient than machine training and passively recruit your abdominal core muscles to provide spinal support as you produce force.
Exercising in this fashion allows you to functionally train your core muscles without doing traditional abdominal exercises like sit-ups or crunches, which could worsen the problem.
Finally, it is best to always follow guidance/direction from your doctor regarding exercising with any medical condition. Due to the varying levels of severity with many types of hernias, your physician may have specific guidance relevant to your situation.
Joe Carson B.S. NASM-CPT/FAS/CN
Master Trainer/Functional Aging Specialist/Certified Nutritionist
Age-Well Arizona