A hernia occurs when an organ pushes through the muscle or tissue that holds it in place. Learn about hiatal hernia, treatment, diagnosis, pregnancy, and more. A hernia occurs when part of your insides bulges through an opening or weakness in the muscle or tissue that contains it.

Understanding the Context

Most hernias involve one of your abdominal organs pushing through one of the walls of your abdominal cavity. A hernia is a gap in this muscular wall that allows the contents inside the abdomen to protrude outward. There are different types of hernias, but the most common hernias occur in the belly or groin areas. How to Tell If You Have a Hernia - Johns Hopkins Medicine What is a hernia?

Key Insights

Discover more about many types of hernias, from inguinal and incisional, to umbilical, hiatal, and femoral hernias. Learn when hernia repair is essential, how pain varies by type, and key preventative steps. Seek help for symptoms and explore surgical options. Hernias might manifest with pain in the area, a noticeable lump, or less specific symptoms caused by pressure on an organ stuck within the hernia, potentially leading to organ dysfunction. Typically, fatty tissue is the initial entrant into a hernia, but it might also involve an organ.

Final Thoughts

Learn hernia symptoms, types, surgery and nonsurgical treatments, and causes (can you get a hernia from coughing). Discover which surgeons repair the most common abdominal hernias: inguinal hernia, hiatal hernia, and umbilical hernia.