Inguinal Hernia exercises-Do it Right!

The Daily Bulge
Los Angeles, California MONDAY FEBRUARY 4th, 2019
The Problem With Youtube Inguinal Hernia Exercise Videos

If you search online for ‘ inguinal
hernia exercises’, most of what you
will find falls into one of two
categories. The first is different
versions of leg lifts done while you
are lying on your back, flat on the
floor. This may strengthen your abs,
but will increase the pressure on your
hernia making it worse. The second is
pulling your stomach in towards your
spine in order to strengthen your
transverse abdominus muscle. While
this may be nominally helpful, it is
insufficient in my experience to
strenghten all 4 layers of your
abdominal muscles.
The challenge then, is how do you
strengthen your belly muscles without
increasing the pressure on your hernia
and making it worse?
The answer it turns out is
surprisingly simple-do your ab
exercises lying on your back on the
floor, but with your hips elevated on a
very firm 8” high foam wedge. This
shifts your intestines towards your
chest and away from your hernia,
protecting it from abdominal
pressure. Also, no crunches or
sit-ups! This puts downward pressure
on your hernia causing it to bulge
further. A physical therapist named
Janet Holmes developed these
exercises, though not specifically for
inquinal hernia management. You can
watch her video here:
   • Abdominal Core Power  

You will need 3 props in order to do these exercises. A yoga mat or
blanket to lie on, a 8” high very firm foam wedge and an inflated
ball.

If you start her exercise video at
the 14:44 mark and do Phase 1 and
2 exercises only, 3-5 times per
week, you should start feeling
improvements in several weeks, if not sooner.
Keep in mind that even when you
are feeling better, it’s best to reach
down and push into your hernia
when coughing, sneezing or
straining on the toilet.
If you need help with the exercises
you can reach me at:
[email protected]

New Hope for
Hernias
There’s a lot of well-intentioned
advice online about how to fix your
inguinal hernia without resorting to
surgery. Here’s what you need to
know.
An inguinal hernia occurs when your
intestines push through a weakness in
your abdominal wall near your groin,
resulting in a bulge. Straining of any
sort may make the bulge larger, while
lying flat on your back will usually
make it disappear temporarily.
Once you have a hernia you will
always have one unless you have it
surgically repaired. Over time,
hernias tend to get bigger as the
muscle wall of the belly gets weaker
and more tissue bulges through.
Surgical repairs are 85-90%
successful, however 10-15% of
patients report ongoing pain.
Unless hernia discomfort is acute,
doctors usually recommend a wait
and watch approach. While waiting
and watching is preferable to surgery,
you may still be experiencing daily
discomfort plus find yourself having
to be uber careful not to strain and
make your hernia worse.
I’ve found a simple set of exercises
that has virtually eliminated my
hernia discomfort and freed me from
having to be so careful all the time.
However, if I am lifting something
heavy, I absolutely will wear a hernia
belt to protect myself. About hernia
belts-despite recommendations
online, wearing a hernia belt all day
compresses nerve, blood and lymph
flow-not a good thing!! The following
exercises done diligently will free you
from needing to do this.