The level of discomfort and suffering encountered by men who underwent surgery for hernia was found to be similar to that of those who underwent delayed surgeries and felt almost no symptoms, after a period of 2 years. The physical pain felt by both categories were also reported to be the same. Most men who suffer from the common type of hernia, inguinal hernia, are either minimally symptomatic or asymptomatic. They usually wait until the pain or discomfort becomes acute before they go in for hernia repair.
Surgical repair which is usually safe, involves long-term possibilities like hernia recurrence, discomfort, and pain. The Creighton University’s Robert J. Fitzgibbons along with his colleagues studied the physical function, pain, and other outcomes with regard to patients who suffered from symptomatic inguinal and asymptomatic hernias. The survey involved a total of 720 men, and the developments were followed up for a period of between 2 to 4.5 years. A 6 month follow up period was adopted in the case of watchful waiting patients, while in the case of surgical repair patients, the follow up was between 3 and 6 months, in addition to annual follow ups.The most common reason for surgical repair was quoted to be the pain related to the condition. In the case of watchful waiting patients, hernia complications were not very common. A watchful waiting strategy is considered an option which is both acceptable and safe in the case of men who suffer from minimally symptomatic inguinal and asymptomatic hernias. The chances of acute hernia incarcerations occurring is presumed to be very rare.
