Type of Hernia
Inguinal Hernia:
In males, about two months before birth, the testicles descend into the scrotum, passing through a gap in the groin, followed by the spermatic tubes, which later will convey sperm from the testicles to the penis. The gap is normally tightly closed and tensed, just relaxing enough to allow sperm to squeeze through but otherwise fitting pretty snugly together.
An inguinal hernia occurs when the gap weakens, usually from within. This can be caused by a number of superficial factors such as lifting a heavy weight or pulling something or overexerting oneself in sport. But that’s just the straw that breaks the camel’s back. The actual strain is something that develops over a prolonged period. If you read this before you develop an inguinal hernia then you can take steps to prevent it ever happening. If you have an inguinal hernia, knowing what it is can be the first step towards curing it.
The gap is called the 'inguinal canal.' It is 4 cm or about an inch and a half long. Sperm from the testicles passes up and through this gap and into the urethral canal where it is bulked up with extra fluids to help it swim more strongly. As the sperm passes through, the gap momentarily relaxes by a few mm of width, enough to let it pass, then closes tightly again. The outer ring that the sperm pass through is smaller than the internal ring. There are three layers of muscle holding this gap shut, like tightened sheets, ensuring that the gap stays shut when sperm isn’t passing through. These muscles stretch right across the abdomen. Like tent ropes, they are anchored on the ribs and the hips. Their lower end is the inguinal ligament, a strong band that stretches from the hip to the crotch and holds the ends of the muscles down.
Coughing or lifting can strain the gap; the inguinal canal opens a bit and the peritoneum, or intestines, press through. This is the bulge of an inguinal hernia. The inside of the inguinal canal is called the deep inguinal ring and the outer part is called the superficial inguinal ring. When the deep inguinal ring is weakened it allows the intestines to bulge through and this eventually finds its way through the superficial inguinal ring, which cuts through the triple wall of the 3 abdominal muscles mentioned above. These are attached to the conjoint tendon. The deep inguinal ring opens through the transversalis fascia and is attached to the inguinal ligament.
An indirect hernia follows the pathway that the testicles made during fetal development, descending from the abdomen into the scrotum. This pathway normally closes before birth but may remain a possible site for a hernia in later life. Sometimes the hernia sac may protrude into the scrotum. An indirect inguinal hernia may occur at any age.
Direct inguinal hernia:
The direct inguinal hernia occurs slightly to the inside of the site of the indirect hernia, in an area where the abdominal wall is naturally slightly thinner. It rarely will protrude into the scrotum. Unlike the indirect hernia, which can occur at any age, the direct hernia tends to occur in the middle-aged and elderly because their abdominal walls weaken as they age.
Femoral hernia:
The femoral canal is the path through which the femoral artery, vein, and nerve leave the abdominal cavity to enter the thigh. Although normally a tight space, sometimes it becomes large enough to allow abdominal contents (usually intestine) to protrude into the canal. A femoral hernia causes a bulge just below the inguinal crease in roughly the mid-thigh area. Usually occurring in women, femoral hernias are particularly at risk of becoming irreducible (not able to be pushed back into place) and strangulated. Not all hernias that are irreducible are strangulated (have their blood supply cut off ), but all hernias that are irreducible need to be evaluated by a health-care provider.
Umbilical hernia:
These common hernias (10%-30%) are often noted at birth as a protrusion at the bellybutton (the umbilicus). This is caused when an opening in the abdominal wall, which normally closes before birth, doesn't close completely. If small (less than half an inch), this type of hernia usually closes gradually by age 2. Larger hernias and those that do not close by themselves usually require surgery at age 2-4 years. Even if the area is closed at birth, umbilical hernias can appear later in life because this spot may remain a weaker place in the abdominal wall. Umbilical hernias can appear later in life or in women who are pregnant or who have given birth (due to the added stress on the area).
Incisional hernia:
Abdominal surgery causes a flaw in the abdominal wall. This flaw can create an area of weakness in which a hernia may develop. This occurs after 2%-10% of all abdominal surgeries, although some people are more at risk. Even after surgical repair, incisional hernias may return.
These are some of the types of Hernia. There are few others but these types a re mostly occurs.
Hernia Causes
There might be hundread of reason why hernia caused but these are some of the main factors.
Usually, there is no obvious cause of a hernia. Sometimes hernias occur with heavy lifting. Hernias may be present at birth, but the bulging may not be noticeable until later in life. Some patients may have a family history of hernias.
Hernias can be seen in infants and children. This can happen when the lining around the abdominal organs does not close properly before birth. About 5 out of 100 children have inguinal hernias (more boys than girls). Some children may not have symptoms until they are adults. There also some other factors that may causes hernia such as Obesity, Heavy lifting, coughing, etc.
And now i would like to share with you an article by Charles Kassotis that explained more about hernia. You may click on the name to read the articles. There are also some of the useful web that you may read that further explained about hernia like http://www.hernia.org/
reference : http://www.emedicinehealth.com/hernia/page2_em.htm
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