Skip main navigation

Military Health System

Clear Your Cache

Health.mil has undergone a recent update. For the best user experience we recommend clearing your browser cache.

Hernias: What Every Service Member Should Know

Image of Military personnel performing a bench press. Senior Airman Thomas McMurray with the 387th Expeditionary Support Squadron Force Protection prepares to perform a bench press at Al Mubarak Air Base, Kuwait, on May 13, 2021. McMurray has competed in two weight-lifting competitions since deploying in Kuwait, placing first with an overall score of 1,800 pounds (Photo by: Airman 1st Class Kaitlyn Ergish, 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs).

This June, the Military Health System celebrates National Men's Health Month, and sheds light on a variety of medical areas that primarily impact men.

June is also Hernia Awareness Month. According to the National Institutes of Health, men are eight to 10 times more likely than women to develop inguinal hernias.

So, what is a hernia? And what do you need to know about diagnosing, treating, and preventing hernias?

Your abdomen is covered in layers of muscle and strong tissue that help you move and protect internal organs. A hernia is a weakness or defect in this muscle wall that allows internal organs or fat to protrude through the abdominal wall causing a bulge, explained Navy Cmdr. (Dr.) Jesse Bandle, vice chairman, Department of General Surgery, Naval Medical Readiness and Training Command in San Diego.

"The most common hernias occur near areas where blood vessels or other structures naturally penetrate, or have penetrated the abdominal wall," Bandle said, such as the umbilical cord in men, women, and infants, and the inguinal canal near the groin, most frequently in men.

Inguinal hernias usually show up as lumps near the groin or testicles, and most often appear on the right side.

Men commonly describe the sensation of an inguinal hernia as feeling as if something "popped" or gave way. The symptoms can also include:

  • A bulge you can see or feel
  • Aching pain in the area
  • A feeling of pressure
  • A tugging sensation of the scrotum around the testicles

Hiatal hernias occur when part of the stomach is pushed up through a hole in the diaphragm.

"Hernias also can occur at the spot where a prior incision for surgery was made," Bandle said.

"The clearest symptom of a hernia is a new bulge in your abdominal wall," Bandle continued. However, "many hernias do not produce pain symptoms, and patients often have mild or subtle discomfort or sensations of pressure, or achy, burning discomfort."

He noted that the bulge often "is only seen or felt when doing strenuous activity or actively increasing intra-abdominal pressure, such as straining to urinate or defecate, or working out."

What are some of the causes of hernias? Increased intra-abdominal pressure over time increases the chances of developing a hernia, Bandle continued. This increased pressure, he added, can come from pregnancy, heavy lifting, chronic coughing, obesity, and straining.

Hernias also may develop "later in life, when the muscles weaken or deteriorate due to aging, strenuous physical activity, after an injury or abdominal surgery, or coughing that accompanies smoking," Bandle said.

Or, they can be congenital, or due to a birth defect.

If you think you have a hernia, Navy Cmdr. (Dr.) Andrew Kung, a general surgeon with the Naval Medical Center - Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, said to make an appointment with your primary care provider for a routine evaluation. The provider also may choose to prescribe a CT scan or ultrasound, he said.

If you have symptoms of a hernia, you should be evaluated by a surgeon, Kung said. For active-duty service members, "some surgeons will recommend surgical repair of the hernia to prevent issues while deployed," even if there are no signs of difficulty.

"A more urgent evaluation would be needed if you are unable to push the bulge back in," Kung said. "This could be a sign of the hernia contents being trapped, or incarcerated. An incarcerated hernia can become strangulated," he explained, "which means that the blood supply is cut off to the tissue that is trapped. A strangulated hernia can become life threatening if it is not treated by surgery."

Kung said emergency surgery may be called for, especially if you have:

  • Sudden pain that quickly worsens
  • Nausea and/or vomiting
  • Fever
  • Difficulty having a bowel movement or passing gas
  • Bloating or distension of your abdomen
  • Red, purple, or dark skin over the bulge

The surgeon will push back the herniated tissue inside the intestinal lining and sew up the surrounding muscle. Sometimes, a mesh fabric piece will be used to reinforce the repair.

There are more than 750,000 hernias in the United States that are operated on each year, Bandle said. Worldwide, he noted, it is estimated that more than 20 million hernias are operated on each year.

How can you prevent a hernia? "You can try to reduce the strain on your abdominal muscles and tissues," Kung advised. This includes:

  • Maintaining a healthy weight
  • Eating a balanced high-fiber diet to prevent constipation and straining
  • Lifting heavy objects carefully or avoiding heavy lifting
  • Quitting or avoiding smoking, which could lead to a chronic cough

Bandle agreed. "Most hernias will slowly evolve over time. There are no clear ways to prevent a natural hernia from forming if your body has an inherent weakness at one of the sites that are prone to hernias," he said. "However, you can modify some of the risk factors for hernias, such as obesity, smoking, and chronic constipation. Stay fit, don't smoke, keep hydrated, and eat fiber."

You also may be interested in...

Report
Jun 1, 2023

MSMR Vol. 30 No. 6 - June 2023

.PDF | 1.55 MB

This annual issue quantifies the impacts of various illnesses and injuries in 2022 among members of the active component of the U.S. Armed Forces as well as the U.S. Coast Guard; health care burden metrics include the total number of medical encounters, including hospitalizations and ambulatory services, as well as numbers and types of individuals ...

Report
Jan 1, 2023

MSMR Vol. 30 No. 1 - January 2023

.PDF | 1.22 MB

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Division. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Incidence and management of chronic insomnia, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2012 to 2021; Changes in the prevalence of overweight and obesity and in the incidence of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes ...

Report
Dec 1, 2022

MSMR Vol. 29 No. 12 - December 2022

.PDF | 2.22 MB

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Division. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Surveillance trends for SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory pathogens among U.S. Military Health System Beneficiaries, Sept. 27, 2020 – Oct. 2,2021; Establishment of SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance within the ...

Report
Nov 1, 2022

MSMR Vol. 29 No. 11 - November 2022

.PDF | 1.30 MB

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Division. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Surveillance trends for SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory pathogens among U.S. Military Health System Beneficiaries, Sept. 27, 2020 – Oct. 2,2021; Establishment of SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance within the ...

Report
Oct 1, 2022

MSMR Vol. 29 No. 10 - October 2022

.PDF | 1.41 MB

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Division. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Surveillance trends for SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory pathogens among U.S. Military Health System Beneficiaries, Sept. 27, 2020 – Oct. 2,2021; Establishment of SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance within the ...

Report
Sep 1, 2022

MSMR Vol. 29 No. 09 - September 2022

.PDF | 2.12 MB

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Division. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Surveillance trends for SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory pathogens among U.S. Military Health System Beneficiaries, Sept. 27, 2020 – Oct. 2,2021; Establishment of SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance within the ...

Report
Jul 1, 2022

MSMR Vol. 29 No. 07 - July 2022

.PDF | 1.67 MB

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Division. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Surveillance trends for SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory pathogens among U.S. Military Health System Beneficiaries, Sept. 27, 2020 – Oct. 2,2021; Establishment of SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance within the ...

Report
Jun 1, 2022

MSMR Vol. 29 No. 06 - June 2022

.PDF | 3.07 MB

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Division. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Absolute and relative morbidity burdens attributable to various illnesses and injuries, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2021; Hospitalizations, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2021; Ambulatory ...

Report
May 1, 2022

MSMR Vol. 29 No. 05 - May 2022

.PDF | 1.25 MB

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Division. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Update: Sexually transmitted infections, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2013–2021; Evaluation of ICD-10-CM-based case definitions of ambulatory encounters for COVID-19 among Department of Defense health ...

Report
Apr 1, 2022

MSMR Vol. 29 No. 04 - April 2022

.PDF | 1.51 MB

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Division. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Exertional heat illness at Fort Benning, GA: Unique insights from the Army Heat Center; Update: Heat illness, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2021; Update: Exertional rhabdomyolysis, active component, U ...

Report
Mar 1, 2022

MSMR Vol. 29 No. 03 - March 2022

.PDF | 1.52 MB

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Division. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Update: Malaria, U.S. Armed Forces, 2021; Obesity prevalence among active component service members prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic, January 2018–July 2021; Brief report: Refractive surgery trends ...

Report
Feb 1, 2022

MSMR Vol. 29 No. 02 - February 2022

.PDF | 1.10 MB

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Division. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Diagnosis of hepatitis C infection and cascade of care in the active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2020; A new approach to categorization of ocular injury among U.S. Armed Forces; Surveillance snapshot: ...

Report
Jan 1, 2022

MSMR Vol. 29 No. 01 - January 2022

.PDF | 1.23 MB

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Division. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Description of a COVID-19 Beta variant outbreak, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA, February–March 2021; COVID-19 and depressive symptoms among active component U.S. service members, January 2019–July 2021; ...

Report
Dec 1, 2021

MSMR Vol. 28 No. 012 - December 2021

.PDF | 1.62 MB

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Division. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Update: Osteoarthritis and spondylosis, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2016–2020; Incident COVID-19 infections, active and reserve components, 1 January 2020–31 August 2021; Surveillance snapshot: ...

Skip subpage navigation
Refine your search
Last Updated: February 25, 2025
Follow us on Instagram Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on YouTube Sign up on GovDelivery