Reducing the risk of hernia recurrence

Patients sometimes ask me what it is they can do to improve chances of their hernia operation being successful. i.e. reducing the chances of hernia recurrence and failure. I would divide these factors into two: things that patients can do before the operation and things that they can do after.

The two most important things that patients can do before surgery are weight loss and reducing (or quitting) the consumption of tobacco products. These are factors that have been found in the past to be associated with hernia recurrence. The more tobacco products a patient uses and the more excess weight that they put on, the higher the likelihood of wound complications after surgery, and the higher the risk of hernia recurrence.

In terms of the things that patients can do after surgery, I would advise patients to take it easy in the first couple of days or so after surgery, but that's mainly because of the discomfort that patients can be in after the operation. But generally speaking, if the patient is comfortable performing an activity or a manoeuvre, then it's absolutely fine to perform that. For example, getting out of bed, standing up, sitting down, walking, carrying light objects (in the early days), driving, and even cycling (after a week or two) after the operation should be absolutely fine if the patient does not complain of pain. But obviously, if the patient feels discomfort or pain when performing a certain activity or manoeuvre, then that is a warning signal from the body and my advice is to take a step back and not continue with that activity, but maybe repeat it again in a week or two.

So these are the factors that I believe a patient can look out for and potentially modify to improve their chances of a successful hernia operation.