The process of rehabilitation after inguinal hernia surgery in men is considered an integral part of the post-treatment period. By itself, a hernia is not a pleasant phenomenon. Initially, inguinal hernias appear as a bulge in the groin. The elements of the pathological sac can be abdominal organs: parts of the greater omentum, peritoneum, intestinal loops. Due to the nature of the anatomical structure, a hernia develops more often in men than in women.
Inguinal Canal
The inguinal canal in men is a slit-like space between the muscle layers of the abdomen. Normally, it contains the spermatic cord and nerve endings. With the development of pathological disorders, the inguinal canal begins to expand, with the formation of a direct or oblique inguinal hernia.
Unfortunately, this pathology is quite common today. Therefore, it would not be superfluous for any young man to know, at least in general terms, how an inguinal hernia in men is treated.
Hernia Therapy
There are many conservative methods of treating this anomaly of the body. But there are also radical ways to solve the problem, including the operational method. Nevertheless, surgical treatment remains the most effective. Most often, laparoscopy of an inguinal hernia is performed in men.
Hernia removal is performed under general or local anesthesia. In the course of surgical manipulations, the hernial sac is removed, the inguinal canal is strengthened, plastic surgery is performed using muscle tissue or artificial polypropylene grafts (the so-called "mesh"). In case of successful completion of the operable intervention, the rehabilitation process begins next. After an inguinal hernia operation in men, some restorative and preventive measures are provided to maintain the normal viability of the patient. This includes the outpatient period, diet, exercise therapy.
Duration of the recovery process
The duration of the recovery period depends on many factors, the main of which is the selection of the type of anesthesia. With local anesthesia, recovery is faster, and if the patient does not experience complications, some medical institutions can let the patient go home after a few hours.
In the future, rehabilitation after surgical treatment, patients undergo outpatient observation. They always come to the doctor's office, where dressings are performed. The specialist monitors the course of the postoperative period, in case of complications, takesappropriate measures to address them.
If for some reason the patient had to be operated under general anesthesia, the initial stage of the rehabilitation period is extended. In this case, the patient spends 3-5 days in the hospital. After an operation to remove such a neoplasm in men, doctors pay attention to the presence of swelling, the general condition of the patient, and the presence of complications. If the wound in the area of the surgical suture hurts, painkillers are prescribed.
Rehabilitation after inguinal hernia surgery for men in the outpatient clinic
The outpatient period after surgical removal of an inguinal hernia in men lasts, as a rule, a couple of weeks. At this time, it is extremely important to follow the diet, sleep, dosed and carefully increase physical activity and physical activity.
The recovery process usually goes without complications if the patient visits a specialist on time and follows his recommendations. The doctor monitors the course of rehabilitation, gives medical recommendations, in case of complications, hospitalizes or prescribes additional therapy for recovery after inguinal hernia surgery.
What does a patient need to know?
In the first week after surgery to cut the inguinal hernia, a man will have pain in the postoperative suture, and this is considered normal. To eliminate excessive pain sensitivity, the patient must take painkillers prescribed by the doctor. List of mainrecommendations to follow for the postoperative patient:
- you can not lift more than 5 kg - you need to increase the motor load gradually, after 7 days after the operation;
- conduct a course of light physical therapy exercises on the recommendation of a specialist;
- if the patient is scheduled to wear a bandage, then a special postoperative belt should be purchased;
- carefully monitor the hygiene of the postoperative suture, which is processed in the hospital under the supervision of a doctor immediately after the surgical procedure to remove the hernia;
- compliance with the diet, which should be balanced, diarrhea and constipation are not allowed.
It is noteworthy that it is best to eat in small quantities, 4-5 times a day. The diet should be enriched with protein, which is contained in the required volume in dairy products, chicken meat, mushrooms, and fish. Due to the protein content in food, the process of tissue regeneration occurs faster after surgery to remove a hernia in the groin.
In the case of an operation using a polypropylene mesh implant, it is not recommended to wear a bandage.
Possible complications after surgery
The negative consequences of a hernia operation in the groin in men develop due to the individual characteristics of the patient and non-compliance with medical requirements in the postoperative period. In rare cases, such an effect can be provoked by surgeons' errors (iatrogeniccomplications).
Iatrogenic complications include some of the most common medical errors.
- Injury to the spermatic cord. This phenomenon occurs due to the negligence of the operating surgeon, when the testes are accidentally damaged during tissue resection and extraction of the hernial sac. In the future, this can provoke a weakening of male potency, a violation of spermatogenesis and hormonal levels, which threatens testicular atrophy and irreversible infertility.
- Wound infection. It is a very dangerous complication, since it can threaten the occurrence of sepsis. In such cases, antibacterial drugs are prescribed.
- Injury to a certain section of the intestine during surgery.
- Bleeding, which often causes many serious pathologies.
Other consequences
There may be other complications after inguinal hernia surgery due to any other reasons, not including the negligence of doctors.
- Deep vein thrombosis of the lower extremity (most often develops in men in old age and in sedentary patients). This pathological phenomenon is accompanied by pain in the calf muscles, leg fatigue. To prevent such consequences, anticoagulants and thrombolytics are prescribed.
- Dropsy testis. It can be both one-sided and develop from two sides. Pathology is detected quite easily, since an increase in the scrotum is observed, and thisrequires new surgery.
- Swelling of the testicle, which is usually observed after surgical therapy and is accompanied by pain in the testicle.
- Re-development of hernial swelling due to violation of the regimen by the patient during the rehabilitation period. This is facilitated by high physical activity, heavy lifting, sudden movements.
- The entry of infectious pathogens into the area of the postoperative suture.
- Hematoma formation. To avoid such a complication, immediately after surgery, ice must be applied to the suture area.
To prevent the occurrence of complications, the patient is recommended to observe a sparing regimen, follow medical recommendations.
Very useful exercise therapy (exercise) after inguinal hernia surgery in men.
Physical activity in the postoperative period, exercise therapy
Physical activity is excluded for a month after the operation. Further, the patient can be offered a set of gentle exercises to restore the muscles of the groin and abdomen, as well as morning exercises.
Proper exercise is important.
At first, classes should be conducted under the supervision of a specialist or instructor, following their recommendations. In no case should you exceed the threshold of permissible loads during exercise therapy after inguinal hernia surgery in men, as this can be dangerous to he alth and cause unwanted complications. Therapeutic physical culture should help the processremission rather than exacerbate postoperative complications.
Let's give a few elementary exercises from the complex of therapeutic physical culture for hernia.
- Sitting on a chair, spread your legs shoulder-width apart to maintain your own balance. Raise your right hand and make a slow tilt to the right side, then do the same manipulations with your left hand. You need to do 10-15 repetitions on each side. This will help strengthen the lateral abdominal muscles.
- Lie on the floor, stretch your arms along the body, press your lower back to the floor. Hold a small ball between your legs. Make 10-15 leg raises to a height of 15-20 cm from the floor. This will make it possible to strengthen the muscles of the lower press.
- Do 10-15 repetitions of the well-known “mill” exercise: starting position in a position with feet shoulder-width apart, tilted in a right angle with respect to the floor, swing your arms alternately, while trying to reach the toe with the fingers of your right hand left foot, and the fingers of the left hand to the toe on the right foot.
- In the initial position on a chair with a straight back in a sitting position, pull your knees up to your chest and stomach 10-15 times. This exercise strengthens the abdominal muscles.
It must be remembered that all exercises are done exclusively in a support bandage.
Diet after removal of a hernia in the groin in men
At the rehabilitation stage, you need to follow simple requirements when choosing food. The nutritional regimen itself after the operation should be balanced by including the necessary substances and trace elements. Eat small meals oftenportions. The main component of nutrition that will allow the patient to recover after cutting out a hernia is protein. Therefore, in the rehabilitation period, the patient should consume low-fat cottage cheese, dairy products, buckwheat porridge, eggs, chicken meat, fish dishes, vegetables.
Nutrition after inguinal hernia surgery in men is aimed at stabilizing the functioning of the digestive organs, foods that provoke constipation, diarrhea, and flatulence are not allowed. At first, experts prescribe a special diet, highlighting foods such as low-fat soups, thin cereals, boiled fish, mashed potatoes and meat.
What to exclude?
Must be excluded from the diet:
- sweets;
- legumes;
- fruit;
- spicy food, smoked meats;
- rye bread, sweet pastries;
- yogurt, dairy products.
It is strictly forbidden to smoke and drink alcohol after the operation. Coffee and carbonated drinks should be used with caution.
Post-Surgery Patch
Recovery after surgery to remove a hernia in the groin largely depends on medical support and sterility. Suture patches securely hold damaged tissues, preventing the seams from opening, protect against infection and moisture. Impregnation of the adhesive base promotes wound healing and smoothes scars. The patient recovers faster after surgery.
Sterile postoperativeThe patch is applied directly to the seam. It can be gel or bactericidal. The usual roll-on adhesive plaster on a fabric, paper and silk basis can be used to fix the dressing. These patches adhere well to the skin, allow air to pass through, do not get wet, and are removed easily and painlessly.
After the operation, a waterproof patch containing painkillers and antiseptics is applied to the suture. From the outside, it looks like a napkin soaked in medicine, framed with an adhesive composition. The size of the patch is selected 5 cm more than the postoperative suture. The adhesive strip should be placed on the skin and in no case touch the wound.
Care of the postoperative suture
The first days of suture care is carried out in the hospital where the operation was performed. The doctor daily removes the sterile gauze bandage, which is first saturated with ichor, treats the seam with brilliant green (iodine is not used, given allergic reactions), after which he again applies the bandage and fixes it with a plaster. At this time, the patient is not recommended to wash, so that water does not get on the wound area.
If the recovery period goes well and there are no negative complications, on the 5th day after treating the wound with peroxide and brilliant green, the specialist can remove the bandage. At this stage, the patient can already swim, but it is still not recommended to wet the seam. After water procedures, you need to slightly blot the seam area with sterile gauze, and then, soaking a cotton swab in a solution of brilliant green or alcohol,treat the edges of the wound with it.
Seams after a few days, it is recommended to start washing with soap, which contains an antiseptic. After that, the seam is wetted with gauze, but nothing is processed if this is not necessary
The skin suture is usually removed by the 7th-14th day, having previously treated it with an alcohol solution. A person is discharged for outpatient treatment, recommending not to wet the suture strongly, to treat it with alcohol or fucorcin once a day. To accelerate healing, it is allowed to use water-soluble ointments, such as Levomekol, Bepanten, Dioxyzol.
To treat a seam at home, you need to purchase 3% hydrogen peroxide, sterile gauze, brilliant green, alcohol, cotton swabs, and a paper band-aid. An old bandage can be sprinkled with peroxide to facilitate removal. After that, with the help of a cotton swab with alcohol, the edges of the wound are treated, the same is done using brilliant green. Only then a new sterile dressing is applied. The patch to some extent helps to minimize the risk of complications during the rehabilitation period after inguinal hernia surgery in men.
