Both direct and indirect Hernia has become one health condition that makes life almost unbearable for those suffering from either of them. Hernia occurs when the internal organ or body part bulges through the surrounding tissues that protect it.
Hernia can be seen in different areas of the abdomen. The most common type of hernia is Inguinal hernia.
This type of hernia is formed when the wall of your abdomen has a thin spot. Inguinal hernia are of two forms; direct and indirect hernia. Classification depends on when and how it is formed.
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There is also a chance that the sex and age of a person dealing with a hernia will help determine what kind of hernia it is.
Symptoms Of Direct And Indirect Hernia
Both direct and indirect hernia can trigger a bulge on either side of the groin, depending on how big the hernia is. The hernia bulge can be easily seen when coughing, straining, or standing.
In many cases, hernias do not cause any pain until they grow larger. Men can sometimes feel pain in the scrotum if the intestine pushes the region low enough.
Indirect hernia occurs most of the time during childhood. The reason is that hernia is usually a congenital condition. Indirect hernia is usually more noticeable in infants when they cry.
Direct hernia develops mainly during adulthood; later in life, in most cases, except when the issue is caused by a specific injury.
Causes Of Direct And Indirect Hernia
Direct hernia usually occurs when the wall of the abdominal muscles becomes weak. The weakness will allow a portion of the intestinal bulge through the wall of the stomach. Abdominal weakness can occur gradually over time, due to ageing and also due to the nature of daily activities in which a person is engaged.
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There are cases where heavy lifting of objects in the wrong way puts extra pressure on the muscles of the stomach wall, allowing them to fade and tear.
Indirect hernia is not caused by damaged or weakened abdominal muscles.
However, this happens when the inguinal ring (the area of the abdominal muscle tissue) does not close while the baby is still in the womb of the mother.
In male children, the inguinal ring allows their testicles to drop into the scrotum before it closes. However, if a part of the child’s intestine fails to close, it can push through the opening.

Risk Factors For Direct and Indirect Hernia
The risk factors for a direct hernia includes:
- Having a family history of people with a hernia
- Being a man, even though women can also get a hernia
- Smoking
- Having a low body max index
- Having a condition that causes you to cough seriously
- Having collagen vascular disease.
Although it has been noted that weightlifters who do not engage in proper weightlifting usually report having a hernia, it remains unclear whether a heavy lifting actually increases the chances that people will develop a hernia.
In the case of indirect hernia, there is no significant risk factor apart from being a man. It has been found that a male is nine times more likely to develop an indirect hernia than a female.
Diagnosis Of Direct And Indirect Hernia
Doctors usually diagnose hernia by physical examination. Your doctor may be able to feel a bulge in the groin and identify it as a hernia.
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It may be difficult to tell the difference between direct and indirect hernia. Most individuals who have hernia and are in their early twenties or younger are most likely to have indirect inguinal hernia.
If the doctor finds that a man’s hernia has spread to his scrotum, the diagnosis will be indirect hernia most of the time. A direct hernia never follows the opening of the inguinal ring to the scrotum of a person.
What this means is that any hernia that forms on one side or the other of the groin is likely to be a direct hernia.
There are cases where indirect hernia may cause intestinal obstruction. This can occur when a part of the intestine slips into the inguinal ring and swells in the abdomen.
The condition can get worse and get into a phase called “strangulation” that can affect the flow of blood in the intestine. It is extremely rare for direct hernia to cause intestinal strangulation.
Treatment Of Direct And Indirect Hernia
If the hernia you have is mild and causes no symptoms, you may not need to do anything except wait. Hernias are not like other conditions that heal on their own, so in the future, whether a hernia is direct or indirect, you have to undergo surgery.
Surgeries performed to fix indirect hernias in infants and young children are safe most of the time. In fact, this is an outpatient procedure. The doctor removes the hernia sac from any sensitive part or scrotum and proceeds to close it with the sutures.
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Some of the children who have indirect hernia on one side may develop on the other side as well. This is an ongoing debate in the medical community about the need to investigate the possibility of a second hernia. If you have any questions about the benefits and risks of the procedure, talk to a surgeon in advance.
In adults, open surgery is performed to correct a direct hernia. The surgeon makes a large incision and then moves the hernia back to its place. After the hernia has been moved back to its place, the surgeon repairs the abdominal wall by sometimes adding a small mesh to provide added strength to the wall.
Laparoscopic surgery, including hernia surgery, is a growing option for different types of abdominal surgery. In order to perform this procedure, the doctor must make a few small incisions through which the instruments to be used are inserted.
One of the instruments to be inserted is a small camera that allows the surgeon to see and fix the problem.
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Laparoscopic surgery is the best option for recurrent hernia, as it involves less scarring of the abdominal muscles.
Prevention Of Hernia
You can prevent the condition of your hernia from getting worse by avoiding heavy lifting, smoking, and other activities that will strain your abdominal muscles.
Hernia surgery is usually successful, but it will take a few weeks for you to get back to living your life as usual.