Diagnosis
If pain in the groin region makes the doctor think of an inguinal hernia, he or she will first ask about possible trigger factors in a medical consultation. As such, for example, a violent cough or the lifting of heavy loads should be mentioned. However, patients cannot always remember such concrete events.
Furthermore, the patient will be asked about his pain. Pulling pain in the groin area and its surroundings can give the doctor an indication of a possible hernia. However, the information whether pain exists can only contribute to the diagnosis.
For this purpose, a thorough physical examination must be carried out. This includes an assessment of a possibly visible swelling, as well as palpation of the groin region, and in the case of the man of the scrotum and the woman of the labia. The examination is usually carried out in a standing position, as it is easier to palpate an existing inguinal hernia.
In addition, an examination while lying down can also provide further information. It is possible that the doctor will ask the patient to cough or press, since the increase in pressure in the abdomen often causes an initially non-palpable inguinal hernia to appear and can be detected. If there is a visible or palpable swelling, the doctor will try to push back the hernia contents (so-called reduction).
This measure serves to reposition and assess the hernia and should only be carried out by the physician to avoid the hernia being trapped by the layperson. As a rule, the diagnosis or exclusion of an inguinal hernia is possible by physical examination alone. In addition, in unclear cases, or to determine the content of the hernia more precisely, ultrasound examination of the groin region can still be performed.
If an inguinal hernia causes pain, it is usually a pulling pain. The pain can radiate from the affected side of the groin to the labia majora in women or to the scrotum in men. A transmission of pain to other parts of the body has not been described so far. In the case of an incarceration it can lead to so-called ischemic pain. An organ that becomes ischemic means an interruption of the blood supply and thus a lack of oxygen, which can ultimately lead to the death of the tissue.Ischemic pain is very unpleasant and can spread over a large area around the undersupplied area.
