the story of anthony
Anthony, 60, who worked as a mower contractor, decided in March 2008 that it was time to get back in shape. He renewed his gym subscription and started weights again. Shortly after trying to lift 220 pounds (100 kg) for the first time in 15 years, he developed pain in his right groin, which was diagnosed as an inguinal hernia. Anthony’s doctor booked him for hernia repair surgery, which was to take place in September.
While awaiting surgery, Anthony consulted a homeopath and an osteopath. The osteopath gave Anthony simple exercises to strengthen his transverse abdominal muscles.
Anthony gave up all other forms of exercise, quit his job mowing lawns, and avoided stretching and lifting anything heavier than 4 to 6 pounds for about three months. He ordered a hernia support garment as he was guaranteed to keep the hernia during all activities.
When the hernia first appeared, she would go out 10 times a day, just from walking or standing in the shower. This stopped when Anthony started wearing the hernia brace. In May it flared up again when he tried to do some push-ups without wearing the hernia brace, so he went back to wearing it for a couple of hours a day.
By June, the hernia seemed to be under control, and Anthony felt confident enough to start doing some light aerobics and strength training at home. He also started working on his tractor, which involved some effort. When he did these activities, Anthony wore his hernia brace, which he found gave him a sense of security and took much of the guesswork out of his daily activities.
By September, the hernia had improved so much that Anthony postponed surgery for three months. To check that the hernia was really gone, an ultrasound was done. This showed that there was nothing left but a small enlargement of the deep end of the inguinal canal. The doctor asked him to try as hard as he could; this forced only a small amount of fat into the deep end, but not the intestine, and there was no bulge.
roy’s story
Roy, 58 in 2005, worked as a window cleaner and was also an Ironman athlete. The Ironman Triathlon is one of a series of long-distance races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation, consisting of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile marathon. This grueling event requires months of intensive training and an extraordinary degree of fitness.
Roy had participated in ten Ironman triathlons but unfortunately was unable to do more as he had developed a small inguinal hernia. Roy knew of two people who were still having complications years after their hernia surgery, so he decided not to have the operation.
However, in January 2006, Roy met Craig, who had cured his own hernia through diet, herbs, Pilates exercises, and also wearing a hernia support garment. Roy was eager to see if he could replicate Craig’s success, so in mid-January he began attending Pilates classes with Craig and started wearing the hernia brace.
Roy kept a journal to monitor his progress. After a month, he reported that he felt fitter, healthier, and more toned in the lower abdomen and pelvic area. He decided to run the Dover Half Marathon on February 19 and completed it in 1 hour and 35 minutes, his best time in several years. Roy was so encouraged that he was eager to start training for another Ironman Triathlon.
Swimming is part of the Ironman program, but Roy’s hernia had so far caused discomfort during swimming, a “pulling” sensation in the groin area. By the end of February, he felt confident enough to swim a fairly rough 2,000 meters, while wearing his hernia brace. He was surprised to find that there was no discomfort at all.
So in March, Roy began a grueling 16-week training program in preparation for the Quelle Challenge Triathlon on July 2, 2006. He had to put in 15-20 hours of training per week. As Roy was approaching 60 years of age and hadn’t done an Ironman for two years, he wasn’t sure he could do this training without aggravating his hernia, but he had largely forgotten about that now, as the bulge wasn’t appearing longer. To be on the safe side, he kept up his Pilates exercises and wore his hernia brace.
The Ironman is the largest mass participation triathlon on the planet: 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26.2-mile run. When the day came, Roy started at 7:20am. Here is the report of him:
“The swim was comfortable, but slow. I had a good bike, I was taking it easy and I was ready for the marathon. I ran 4,456 meters. Total time: 13h 2min. I was 1,656 out of about 4,000 participants, 26 in my group of No I don’t think I would have been able to do the training successfully without the help of my Pilates exercises and wearing my hernia brace (although it wasn’t practical to wear it on race day) ten previous Ironmen and didn’t seem to suffer any ill effects.”
In September 2008, Roy reported that he had not worn his hernia brace for some time, was still very active, and had no sign of a hernia. He considers himself completely cured.
A question mark about surgery
Researchers from the US, UK, Sweden, and other countries have measured the rate of long-term complications after hernia repair surgery. It’s not good news. For example, Loos and her colleagues in the Netherlands found that of 1,766 men followed up for three years using a questionnaire, 40.2 percent still had some degree of pain and 1.9 percent experienced severe pain. A fifth of the patients felt that their work or leisure activities were affected.
Some surgeons are very concerned that patients are routinely referred for this surgery even though their hernia may be quite small and painless. The early surgery policy is aimed at preventing a hernia from progressing and avoiding the risk of it becoming “strangulated”, an emergency situation. But now it has been shown that strangulation is not very common. Many surgeons now follow a policy of “watchful waiting” (monitoring) for a hernia rather than offering immediate surgery. In the UK, elective hernia repair surgery has been reclassified as ‘low priority’ by an increasing number of regional health policy makers.
Non-surgical alternatives
What do men like Anthony and Roy who have healed their own inguinal hernias have in common? On websites dedicated to non-surgical alternatives, the most frequently successful alternative system appears to be an exercise program such as Pilates to strengthen the abdominal area. Next in importance is the use of a hernia support garment to keep the hernia “in.” This is crucial. If the hernia is allowed to protrude, it will prevent the gap in the abdominal wall from healing.
Today, most doctors and surgeons do not prescribe trusses and some positively advise against them. Even today, some trusses use metal springs to apply pressure to the hernia, through a pad that can be quite hard and presses on the hernia. This bulge can cause scar tissue to form around the edges of the hernia, preventing them from coming together and healing. To keep the hernia inside, the pad must stay in contact with it at all times and during all activities. Most trusses cannot follow the movement of the body and therefore do not.
A hernia support should fit well, be comfortable, keep the hernia inside at all times, and have no springs or pads that bulge inward. You must have a guarantee to keep a hernia in the snout, even during sports and heavy manual labor, and you must have a money-back guarantee. Also beware of hernia supports with metal components as they can set off alarms at airports. The best type of hernia support is an elastic belt with flat, rigid pads that slide together so that the hernia area is supported at all times.
Curing your own inguinal hernia is not such a new idea. After all, a famous 19th-century German clinic known as the Bilz Clinic considered hernia cures commonplace and recommended simple exercises, mineral baths, and conscientious use of a hernia truss or support until the hernia healed. .