Quick question on a possible hernia

[senor_gato]

Okay here's the situation,
I normally finish all my workouts with ab work, I do crunches as well as leg raises. Lately I have been getting this sharp pain on the left side of my abdomen. Right around the left upper quadrant. It feels like a "Charlie Horse" or like a muscle pull. The pain practically bends me over for about 30 seconds and then stops. Is this a hernia? Should I be concerned? I do plan to make a doctor visit but I wanted to get some opinions from the bros first.

Thanx

[eradikate]

hey my friends got the samething right now. he's getting checked soon so ill let you know. hope its not hernia

[PunkRawk]

same problem here as well....but a hernia is when the muscle detachs itself from the tendon....the only true way to tell if you have a abdominal hernia is if you cannot pull your stomach in....most likely you just have a really bad pull just like i do...the dr said there was nothing i could do about it other then rest and stop putting 100 pound plates on my chest while doing situps....

[PunkRawk]

that's some sick ass shit...i had a former co-worker who had that problem...that was intestines sticking out....hmm....wonder if you that effect digestion at all??

[TNT]

First, re-read BigGunz' reply - that's about as good as it gets in terms of an explanation. (As an aside, PunkRawk's statement that "a hernia is when the muscle detachs itself from the tendon" is not correct - no offense, Punk. A hernia is when there is a hole or a tear in the abdominal wall which something can get through.) Now, keeping BigGunz' description, which is quite accurate, in mind . . .

Your guess is a good one - you might have a hernia, but it will take an in-person exam to confirm the suspicion. A few questions that might help clarify your situation:

First, do you feel any kind of lump when you press down on the area? Since a hernia involves a tear in which other tissue (often part of your intestine) is pushing through, do you feel a palpable lump under the skin? (If so, it could be a hernia.)

Second, when it occurs, do you feel more pain standing up than you do sittting down or laying down? In fact, if you lay down and gently massage the area (so that whatever is coming through the whole in the abdominal wall retreats), do you feel some relief? (If so, ditto.)

Third, do you feel the pain at times other than when you are doing crunches and leg raises? (If so, ditto. But if it's only when doing crunches or leg raises, it may simply be that you're overworking the ab muscles.)

So, head over to a doctor - any doctor, including a general practitioner or family physician, can diagnose a hernia. If it is one, as Buig Gunz noted, chances are that you have had it for a long time but it's just starting to act up now. If treatment is warranted, there is only one type of treatment that works for hernias: surgery, in which case you will need to give yourself a crash course in "herniology" (my term) to learn about the different types of procedures and make an informed decision on which one is best for you. One thing I do nnot recommend is simply going to whatever surgeon your doc recommends and blindly letting him do his thing. (Or, more importantly, do your thing. There are a lot of general surgeons out there that do hernias, but they don't do enough of them to be good hernia surgeons.)

By the way, I just had surgery to repair a left inguinal hernia (the most common type, at the lower abdomen). The memories are fading (yeah, right), because the surgery was, let's see . . . three days ago.

I kid you not - I was in zonked out on an operating room table on Monday [it's Thursday as I write this], booted out of the hospital later the same day, and have been hangin' out at home since then. (I'm laying off of driving this week since I'm doing some pain meds and want to wait until my head is clear from them. Sorry, guys, nothing fun - just Darvocet N 100's, but they can still space you out when it comes to reaction time.)

I will be out of the gym for about two weeks (which, as you might imagine, is the biggest drag), then will start back slowly. But as far as getting around, I was out shopping yesterday (48 hours after the surgery) and had no problems. It does take a while to get back to normal, but we're talking about a very common surgery with a fairly quick recovery. So if it turns out that you do have a hernia and that it needs to be repaired, don't sweat it - it'll make a real man out of you.

[tryingtogetbig]

hope your recovery continues to goe well TNT.

good luck senor gato!!

[askingforit]

damn. just seeing this thread makes my abs hurt. I think I may have a hernia too. Doesn't really hurt at all, just feels uncomfy now and then. Going to the doc on Apr 9 to have it checked out. If there's no hernia then my cycle is on....if not then, damnit I don't want to have surgery!

[senor_gato]

Hey TNT, I'm glad your procedure went fine and hope you continue to recover just as well. I knew of your surgery and was actually hoping that you would reply to the thread.

I followed your pointers above to try and determine whether I do have a hernia before I get to the doctor.

I did not feel any lumps or anything like that, however for a day or two I could see that the part that was hurting me stuck out just a little more than the area around it. When I touch the spot I actually feel my ab muscle underneath it. It does not feel soft or anything. It is the same whether I'm standing, sitting or laying down.

Also, the pain is never there, it only happens after or during my usual 3 sets of crunches and leg raises. It does not hurt at any other times. Besides that, I am able to work out heavy without any discomfort at all in that area.

I think I may have overworked my abs somehow bu I guess the doctor will be able to tell me. I sure hope it's not a hernia, I would hate not being able to workout for more than a couple of days.


I thank you all for your replies.

Senor_Gato

[nortrek]

Dear Posters-
I am a lap swimmer, and am a few pounds overweight.
I have a dull pain that comes and goes right below my right rib cage, and I cannot feel any lumps that would indicate a hernia.

I used to drink a few beers after a workout, and at first, I feared a liver disorder, then I began to think about the time on Monday, four days before I wrote this post, that I was touching the end of the pool, and using the ledge to lift me up and turn me around while swimming laps.

Sadly, the pool was Ice Cold, and I should not have been swimming in that damn thing anyway.

In fact, I can even feel a slight pain just below my right shoulder blade as well.

Yes, the only real way to tell is a doctor visit, but I wanted the groups opinions.

Anybody got advise?