Hernia is a very common illness that affects millions of people worldwide. Both men and women, or young and old persons can get one of the hernia types, and more and more cases are encountered each year.

Hernia appears when the muscular tissue that is around one of the organs becomes weakened and a small tear appears in it. The organ will then protrude through that tear and create a small bulge, that can get bigger in time.

Many people live with their hernia and it doesn’t bother them. In some cases the bulge is very small and un-noticeable, but in other cases it’s big and painful. Once you suspect that you have hernia you should consult a doctor and he will tell you if you need surgery or not. You may need surgery even if you don’t feel pain, so don’t delay the visit to the doctor because untreated hernias can cause severe complications.

Most hernia surgeries are done laparoscopically. The laparoscope is an instrument that is used in many operations, and it enables the doctor to perform the surgery without making a big incision in the skin. It has a very tiny camera inside it and the doctor makes a very small incision through which the laparoscope gets inside the body. The video camera is used to guide the surgical instruments that are used in the surgery and that enter the body through other small incisions. Each incision that the doctor makes will be less than half a centimeter in size, so they will be barely noticeable after they heal.

During the hernia surgery the doctor pushes the organ that protrudes back where it should be, and sews the muscles so that it doesn’t occur again.

In some rare cases, for example when the patient has an infection, laparoscopy can’t be performed and traditional surgery is required. This involves a big incision through which the doctor does his job.