A hernia happens when a part of your bowel pushes through a weak area or gap in the muscles of your belly. It is called a groin hernia when it happens in the groin. The groin is the area where the legs join the lower body.
A groin hernia can become a serious problem if your bowel gets trapped in the gap. Then blood can’t get to that part of your bowel and that part may die. This can make you very sick.
A hernia may be caused by anything that causes the bowel to push against a weak area in the belly. Some people are born with a weakness in their groin muscles. But a groin hernia can happen to anyone. It can happen when you:
Men with a large prostate can sometimes get a hernia from pushing too hard to urinate.
Symptoms you may have are:
A lump that cannot be pushed back in can be a very bad problem. The bowel may get caught in the gap. This could cut off its blood supply. Or bowel movement might be blocked and not able to move through the bowel. This is an emergency.
The main treatment is surgery to repair the opening in the muscle wall. The surgeon closes the weak spot. Sometimes, before closing the skin, the surgeon will sew a piece of mesh over the weak spot and under the skin. This makes the area stronger.