The signs and symptoms of a hernia can be as simple as detecting a painless lump or as severe as discovering a sensitive, painful and inflamed protrusion of tissue that cannot be pushed back into the abdomen (an incarcerated strangulated hernia).
Reducible Hernia
- It might hurt, but it is not painful to the touch.
- It could show up in the groin or another area in the abdomen.
- Occasionally, pain comes before finding the lump
- The lump gets bigger when standing or when there is abdominal pressure, such as that associated with coughing.
- It can be reduced (pushed back inside the abdomen) except when it is extremely large.
Irreducible hernia
- An irreducible hernia is also called an incarcerated hernia.
- It can be an aching enlargement of a formerly reducible hernia that is unable to be returned into the abdomen by itself or by pushing it.
- Some might be persistent, but painless
- Symptoms of bowel obstruction might present themselves, such as vomiting and nausea.
- It might result in strangulation, in which the bloods supply is cut off to the tissue in the hernia.
Strangulated Hernia
- The individual might seem ill and a fever may or may not be present.
- There is pain, then soreness and occasionally there are symptoms of bowel obstruction (vomiting and nausea).
- This is an irreducible hernia where the entrapped intestine has its supply of blood cut off.
- This constitutes a medical emergency requiring surgery.