The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › General Hot Yoga Discussion › Hot Yoga *faq* › Can yoga cause/cure a hernia?
The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › General Hot Yoga Discussion › Hot Yoga *faq* › Can yoga cause/cure a hernia?
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Just recently, an internist has advised me that I have the beginnings of an inguinal hernia on my left side. Since my only strenuous activity has been yoga the past 9 years, I’m guessing that yoga must have caused the break in the muscle wall… perhaps particular yoga postures or transitions… Do you believe that that might be possible?
My holistic chiropractor has warned against surgical mesh repairs, and he’s suggested that I talk to a local “holistic coach” Elli who may be able to teach me exercises to strengthen my lower abdominal muscles and thereby avoid abdominal surgery. Elli was trained as a physical therapist in Germany and also teaches yoga workshops here in the USA, so I’m hopeful.
Reading some online medical info sites, hernia surgery seems more problematic than my internist suggested — I certainly don’t want to do yoga/activities that would cause the hernia to progress! Trusses (even modern ones) seem to have risks, according to those sites, but elastic sports underwear seems to be encouraged… can you offer any opinions?
Again, I’ll be extremely grateful for any help!
John
Are you feeling discomfort in that area in any particular posture? I had an uncomfortable feeling in the abdomen during floor bow, and wondered to myself if it was possible to cause a hernia from that. I talked to my teachers. One told me that it is possible to get greater height with the legs in that position by pushing against the floor with the abdomen, but that is not what you should do…instead the focus should be in the back muscles. Another instructor mentioned that the 80/20 breathing is important in part because it maintains tension in the core muscles….if you exhale completely in that posture, you may feel a relaxing of the abdominal wall. In fact, I had noticed that, and also noticed losing strength and “lift” if I exhaled too much.
After receiving this feedback, I was mindful about those issues particularly during floor bow, and have not re-experienced that odd sensation.
I will be curious to hear what others have to say on this topic. As for the ability to cure a hernia, I’m afraid I have no input there. Good luck and good healing!
– kristin
Thanks, Kristin —
Up to this point, a very early stage of the hernia, I have experienced no discomfort — the only symptom is a slightly raised area about the size of the last joint of my thumb, and it’s there only part of the time and is easily pushed back flat. So, I can’t use pain to identify the cause of the hernia with any particular posture or transition.
What’s complicating my analysis is the diverse nature of my yoga practice — in addition to the Bikram series, I enjoy Jivamukti, ashtanga, anusara, Baptiste, kundalini, yin, various flow classes and workshops for inversions and arm balances… 4 or more times each week for 9+ years… Which posture(s) is the cause?
Your suggestion that floor-bow might be a cause is interesting — I hadn’t considered that relaxing abdominal muscles might be more of a concern than tightening! To me, the 80/20 breathing just seems to happen naturally(?). My thinking was that standing-head-to-knee or slow straight-leg transitions to/from headstand might be possible causes.
The medical websites state that 15% of men and a smaller percentage of women experience such hernias, so I expect/hope that many in this Forum will have useful experience to share!
John
I am sure Gabriella will have more insight from a technical standpoint than I. The mix of different styles of yoga does complicate it (for me anyway).
The only reason I mentioned floor bow was from my own experience. The message I got was to maintain the core stability in that posture, rather than pushing against the floor with the abdomen, if that makes sense. I will definitely be interested to hear input from others on this topic.
Hi John
My understanding of hernias would be that firstly if you have a hernia then no strengthening of the muscles around it is going to repair it. It indicates an underlying weakness and regardless of activity would need to be repaired.
I would love it if someone would post who has personally had a hernia and has repaired it through exercise. If that’s possible then I want to know about it (from the person is best rather than as a third party anecdote if possible).
I don’t think it helps you at all to try to work out WHICH pose may have done the damage. It presupposes that it was actually the yoga that did it when in fact you would never know.
The hernia has developed due to a weakness in the peritoneum or supporting connective tissue in the area. This happens.
@Kristin: I do understand that the idea of ‘pushing the abdominal muscles’ into the floor is a flawed approach. Largely because it can be misinterpreted. It is ambiguous. As such a better description is required. One can still hold the core muscles engaged while creating some pressure on the floor. You are correct though, if you can focus on back muscle use your results will be better.
However, 80/20 breathing is IMHO a concept that is highly flawed and misleading. Firstly no matter how hard you try you will never, ever empty the lungs. The maximal emptying you can have NEVER creates a vacuum. There will always be liters of air left in there because that is part of the physiological mechanism.
To breathe effectively one needs to discard any sense of formula or calculation. One cannot decide to breathe and stop exhaling at a particular percentage. Physiological capacity changes with different poses due to physical constraints. One would be better to breathe deeply to the extent the pose allows (depending on physical, mental, emotional resources) and couple that with either abdomino-diaphragmatic breath or chest breathing or a combination of the 2. This is a pose-dependent scenario that should, if one is sufficiently mindful, be totally automatic. It helps to tune into the differences in different poses and how the breathing adapts to the constraints, to make those distinctions. In that way you can let go of certain muscles and tensions in particular positions/poses and breathe to your best ability.
If that needs more explanation then ask, and indeed another place to get that info is from my free video that is about breathing.
John, while the hernia is a concern there will be poses you need to be careful with (usually the entry to a couple of them). Have you a sense of which poses you would need to monitor intra-abdominal pressure?
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Thanks, Gabrielle —
Perhaps you are correct, that I will have no alternative and will have to have surgery and a mesh stitched across the weak/broken muscles. I’m certain that many in this Forum have resorted to similar surgery, and I hope that they will tell of their efforts to avoid the surgery and of any complications.
I expect that many here will be able to suggest which postures and which transitions are likely to aggravate the hernia and cause it to progress. Yes, I will study the Forum threads discussing hot yoga after hernia repair surgery to see if there’s any help there.
I am still hoping that someone here will be able to report that they were able to strengthen the abdominal muscles and avoid surgery, even if that meant a significant modification of their yoga practice. And, I hope that someone will be able to advise whether the stretchy athletic underwear is helpful.
Tomorrow, I will meet with Elli, the “holistic coach”. I advised her of the problem and she suggested a 1-hour appointment. I know her and don’t believe that she would suggest the appointment unless she thought that she could help — perhaps she has helped others with similar problems in the past. I’m hopeful!
Please let me hear from others in this Forum!
John
Today, I met with Elli, my new “holistic coach”, for my first session. Among other tests, she had me do a crunch-type sit-up and concluded that my abdominal muscles are strong (except for the oblique ones), but my abdominal muscles do not tuck tightly into my stomach as they should during a sit-up.
Apparently, my years of traditional yoga deep breathing, with lots of belly, encouraged a failure to keep my abdominal muscles in proper alignment. She wants me to over-correct with a flat (or recessed) stomach, which seems to limit me to more upper chest breathing than I’ve been doing. My first homework (before she trains my oblique muscles) is to do 3 sets of forearm plank, daily, with a focus on pulling in my abdominal muscles, especially the circular ones (name?) around the navel.
Another instruction was to put an array of athletic/sports tape over the hernia area before I go to a yoga class — two anchor bars and parallel strips connecting them. The idea is that I will feel the skin pulled by the tape when my abdomen is in an unhealthy position… and thereby learn which postures to modify or avoid. The posture she told me to totally avoid was any posture raising both legs straight when on my back.
So, tonight (after shaving an area I don’t normally shave), I taped up and went to a slow hatha-type Jivamukti class and cautiously worked into each posture. Immediately, I realized that ANY backbend pulled the tape — up-dog, extreme warrior I, wheel, fish, etc. — except for floor-bow… and my usual straight-leg entry to headstand had me concerned, so I modified that to a bent-knee entry.
A difficult instruction from Elli was/is to avoid/modify hip openers and hot yoga! Her thinking is that hot yoga will encourage me to go too deeply into a posture and cause damage, without realizing it at the time. I went through the Bikram postures at home with the array of athletic tape still on, and it seems that the backbend of half-moon, dancer, stick, camel, and perhaps sit-up would be the main concerns.
Every style of yoga seems to be obsessed with hip openers…!
Bottom line — I’m encouraged! Elli tells me she believes I can continue with yoga and keep the hernia from being a problem… if I do my homework! perhaps 6-8 weeks! But, she did say something about more success if I gave up yoga completely and rested (with other exercises/training) for 8 weeks…
Please let me know your thoughts! Does this seem like a good thing to try before calling the surgeons?
John
It is now one week after my first session with my “holistic coach” Elli. I’ll meet with her this afternoon for more instruction. Yoga practice without back-bending and hip-opening postures wasn’t much fun, so I’ve skipped yoga classes and done only the forearm planks during the past week.
My stomach muscles seem to be getting stronger (and there’s some muscle soreness after the planks), but my body is getting soft (and out of muscle balance) and I’m concerned about potential weight gain due to the change in my metabolism. I expect that Elli will instruct me to do new exercises when I meet with her today… those exercises should help.
When I talk to people about this, the response is always the same — “you CAN’T cure a hernia through exercise”. If I’m successful with this exercise approach, I’ll be the first! I’m giving it 8 weeks, during that time I’ll try my best… but, I’ve already scheduled a consultation appointment with a surgeon immediately after that, as a Plan B.
In fairness to everyone here, I want you to know that I’m no longer convinced that my (nearly 10 years) yoga practice caused the hernia! Instead, I believe that my recent and diligent efforts to play trumpet (after nearly 50 years’ hiatus) may be the problem — too much straining to play those high notes!
If you have any suggestions, please let me hear from you!
Hi John
I for one am just waiting patiently for the results of your diligent work. Very eager to be told that it worked! :cheese: I would be very happy for that.
AND … now that you say it could be the trumpet that sounds feasible. However, it ‘could’ have been something you did in yoga or anywhere else. And, it kinda doesn’t matter except of course, you don’t want to do it again! Ha
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Thanks, Gabrielle, for your comments —
Elli put me through some new abdominal exercises today, but she refused to give them to me as homework! Disappointing — another week of forearm plank… with only something called pendulum added today. She thinks there are so many breathing and form issues for me to get corrected that I shouldn’t try to work on the new abdominal exercises just by myself… not yet.
Over my 9+ years of yoga practice, I’ve trained myself to do wonderful slow deep breathing through my nose, and Elli wants me to exercise with shallow chest breathing with exhales through my mouth, much like blowing out a candle… keeping my stomach and lower ribs pulled in. She thinks that pilates might be a good idea, temporarily, since pilates breathing is closer to that than yoga breathing.
I want to identify the cause of the hernia so that I can omit/modify only that activity and continue with the other activities that I enjoy. If the cause is my trumpet playing, I may be able omit that and return to my vigorous yoga practice… AFTER I strengthen my abdominal muscles enough to stabilize the internal organs. There seems to be a well-known connection between trumpet playing and hernia issues.
John
I had my 3rd session with Elli on Monday… it’s now Sunday, and I’ll have my 4th session with Elli tomorrow.
We met at the training room of a Wellness Center. Elli put me on the elliptical machine for a warmup, about 10 minutes, then she led me through some stretching with a rope and rubber tube before she started me on a series of 7 exercises that I’m to do 2-3 sets of 3 days a week, on alternate days.
These are the 7 exercises —
1- Sit-ups while reclined on a large, inflated exercise ball, with pelvis tucked, 15-25 times, with a series of crunches at the end… focusing on keeping my abdominals pulled in.
2- Forearm plank with forearms on the exercise ball… 10-15 breaths.
3- Chop-type side-to-side straight-arm motion pulling against a rubber tube, both sides… 50 times.
4- Straight-arm opening motion on the rowing machine with the cables crossed and arms at shoulder height… 10-15 times.
5- Wide-arm assisted pull-ups on machine… 10-15 times.
6- Pulling with straight arms, from shoulder-height in front, downward to outward-at-my-side, on a machine giving cabled resistance, the cables crossed… 10-15 times.
7- Rowing motion on the rowing machine, sitting in fixed position, pulling from straight arms in front to bent-elbows behind me… 10-15 times.On Alternate days, I was instructed to do exercise classes in the swimming pool, swim, or do a pilates mat class… or maybe a modified yoga class.
That was on Monday. Tuesday, I observed a water class. Wednesday, I did the above-prescribed routine doing the 7 exercises, the sequence 2 times. Thursday, I went to Aqua Action — a water class using foam dumbbells and foam noodles. Friday, I did the full routine with the 7 exercises, the sequence 3 times. Yesterday, I went to Aqua Action again. Today, I may try another water class.
The water classes are attended by over-weight 70-year old women… quite a change from the 20’s and 30’s of my old yoga classes!
I believe that there’s been some improvement! My metabolism and digestion seem to be more like they used to be — I hope to lose some of the 10 pounds of non-muscle that I added since I stopped my yoga practice. And, it seems less frequent that the hernia swelling is noticeable — certainly, it hasn’t become worse… and there’s still no pain.
So, I’m encouraged… not sure what Elli’s instruction will be when I meet with her tomorrow.
Do any of you have comments or suggestions?
Another week… still awaiting comments from Gabrielle and all you forum members!
I met with Elli this past Monday (now it’s Saturday)… she observed my proper form and added 4 more machine exercises. I’m to continue machines for an hour (plus or minus) on alternate days, with water aerobics in the pool or yoga (still not hot yoga, and limiting back bends and hip openers) on the other days… with one day off a week.
The machine exercises are boring! The new machine exercises are a lateral leg raise for my hips, a squat machine exercise, and a leg curl machine (it hurts and feels as though I’m hyper-extending my knee, although I’m very careful), and there’s also a shoulder rotator cuff exercise using a rubber tube that Elli says I can do on the aerobics/yoga days. Since Monday, I’ve been skipping the new exercises except the squat machine. (Well, I can’t remember the details for the rotator cuff exercise accurately.)
I’m still encouraged! True, when I over-do things (e.g., water aerobics and yoga on the same day, contrary to Elli’s instructions), I occasionally feel a slight softness where the bulge of the hernia used to be… and I can push the softness back to flat… but, it’s not a big deal… and, I still haven’t experienced any pain. To be honest — I’m probably not pulling in my stomach and breathing into my side ribs as Elli instructed me to do… especially when I over-do things…
My abdominal muscles seem stronger, and Elli says that my posture has improved. I’ve returned to “normal” not hot yoga classes… but I still haven’t eliminated the 9 pounds I gained when I stopped all exercise a month ago (my metabolism went crazy then).
Next week is Christmas — Elli won’t be available to meet with me for a session, and the Wellness center will be closed for a couple days. Still, I plan to carry on, when the Wellness center is open…
And, where’s my feedback from this forum?!! Is all this attempt to avoid hernia surgery only silliness? Should I just schedule the mesh surgery and progress through physical therapy and, later, living with the mesh?
Thanks!
JohnHi John
Hahaha Waiting for comments from me? 😆 Well, it is VERY busy this time of year (and there are still 3 dozen forum posts that I have to answer in my so-called “spare time”) AND [strong]you seem to be going VERY well[/strong]. It does appear that pursuing Elli’s advice is paying dividends. I know I would be very happy if it were me. 😉
There’s not much to say on my part except to keep encouraging you. If you do other things that anyone else suggests then you may never know if the advice you are currently being given is working or not! So keep it pure, follow directions.
I am really enjoying reading your updates, so PLEASE keep ’em coming. They’re great, informative and inspiring.
So, no, don’t organise the mesh surgery until you’re absolutely positive you need it.
Happy holidays
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hi Gabrielle —
Only one more week of my 8-week regimen — one week from today, I’ll meet with the laproscopic surgeon to evaluate the need for surgery.
I’ve been continuing the machine exercises, as instructed by Elli, on alternate days… with the squat and lateral leg raise machines added to the original 7 exercises… two sets of each, with an extra set of forearm plank and sit-ups using the inflated ball… and some stretching.
And, I’ve been doing a water exercise class in the pool, or pilates mat or yoga classes on the alternate days… recently moving into more hardcore yoga (bird-of-paradise, revolved triangle, revolved half moon, flying crow, inversions, twists, wheel, etc.) without trying hot Bikram classes, yet.
Things are going well — my abs feel much stronger and with more control… still no pain… a little swelling occurs occasionally (perhaps every couple days) but generally isn’t noticed, and it disappears when I contract my abs a little.
Perhaps I’ve reached a plateau — if I keep away from playing high notes on my trumpet and live with an occasional superficial small raised area, I could avoid surgery? I don’t expect much change between now and next week — I’m anxious to learn what the surgeon will say —
John
Me too John, I am ‘watching this space’ with interest and anticipation!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hi, Gabrielle —
So… I completed my 8-week regimen and met with the laproscopic surgeon 2 days ago.It was an informative meeting… and the doctor was more impressive than I had expected — he’s a young guy from Macon, Georgia who studied medicine at a med school founded only 20 years ago and designed to train family doctors for rural Georgia… I was puzzled why my internist referrred me to him — I don’t live in rural Georgia…
The doctor said he’s done 500 hernia repairs here, apparently 2nd most of doctors in town (most of those surgeries were by laproscope)… that my hernia was small, and a conservative “wait and see” approach was reasonable. He didn’t push me to surgery but said that he’s “fixed” hernias that are as small as mine. He didn’t think that there was much risk of an emergency if I planned to travel out of the country, etc.
I’m thinking that I’ll continue with my present progression — I continually expand to new types of classes and lots of time in the sauna (prep for hot yoga)… Pilates classes (with mat, large ball, or foam roller), fitness classes, more extreme yoga classes, and now a few Zumba classes… usually 2 or even 3 classes a day. And, I’m continuing with the 9 exercises using machines on alternate days…
I’m not sure how soon I will try to return to a Bikram class. Elli’s concern was about back bending and hip-opening — both deepened by the extreme heat of the local Bikram studio. I may be able to modify the postures (using your suggested language about “working” to get to proper form), but I’m also concerned about my unusual problem of excess sweating and rising blood pressure (another thread).
On most days, I view my result as a cure — no evidence of any hernia… but, on other days, a small vestigal sign of the hernia appears, until I press it lightly or pull in with my abdominal muscles.
Again, thanks for all your help!
Love to you —
JohnHi, again —
It’s been more than 2 weeks since my last post…I’ve been a little lax with the boring machine exercises — I still fit in a couple sessions each week, but they aren’t always on the every-other-day schedule, and sometimes I cut them a little short… e.g., today…
But, I’ve been continuing the exercise classes — aqua aerobics (only occasionally), a fitness class (small dumbbells, mat and large inflated ball), pilates (mat, large inflated ball and foam roller classes), a mix of yoga classes (everything except hot yoga — vinyasa, Jivamukti, traditional hatha, inversions, etc.), and enough Zumba classes to get my knees to tell me to take a rest from Zumba. Usually 2 or 3 classes a day, followed by a long session in the sauna. And, just a few days ago, I tested my hernia site with an afternoon of digging out a tree stump with a mattock (pick axe).
Even with all this activity, it’s been SEVERAL days since I saw even the slightest indication of the hernia! The muscles seem to be more uniform — there doesn’t seem to be a weak spot, as before.
I’m enjoying my present mix of activities… without hot yoga… and I’m looking forward to a yoga workshop next weekend with Desiree Rumbaugh. (There’s also a partner yoga workshop on Valentine’s Day that would be fun, but I need a partner for that.)
Soon, I want to return to hot yoga… perhaps in another week, after the yoga workshop.
John
Hi Gabrielle —
Today, I returned to a Bikram class!!! the first time since August — more than 6 months!
My plan was to tell the instructor in advance that I would be modifying several poses to avoid stress on my abdomen/hernia, and that I would consciously avoid “pike” transitions (being careful to curl up and down), and that I would go really easy with the back-bends (half-moon, standing & floor bow, fixed-firm and camel.) Also, I had planned to do a modified pilates type of breathing (keeping my abs tight and breathing sideways with my chest.)
Well, as soon as class started, I totally “forgot” about all my “plans”!!! I just went ahead and did my “usual” do-it-all practice… no modifications, no conscious change of breathing… oh well!
My balance, strength, flexibility and stamina were about what they were when I stopped the hot yoga 6 months ago! I believe that shows that Elli’s instructions for machine exercises and pilates classes prepared me very well. And, my occasional traditional yoga classes helped maintain my flexibility.
What’s more significant, I seem to have no evidence of my hernia! There is no raised area and, surprisingly, there doesn’t even seem to be a softer or less firm area — my lower abdominal muscles seem to be uniformly tight! Occasionally, during the past couple weeks, I thought that I had noticed that the hernia area was a little soft and “weak”, but tonight I don’t see any evidence of that. And, I’ve been rather lazy with the machine exercises the past couple weeks…
I believe that it’s too early to claim that I’ve been cured of the hernia. I hope to continue with a mix of traditional yoga and other exercises (without any trumpet playing) to see how my abdominal muscles hold up. Because the local Bikram studio seems to be too hot for me (see my thread about high BP), I plan to do hot yoga only a couple times a week.
If there’s any change, I’ll be sure to let you know. Thanks for your encouragement —
JohnHi Gabrielle —
It’s been another month, and perhaps I’ve reached a plateau…
I’ve discontinued the machine exercises and the forearm plank, and the pilates classes — not because they don’t help, but because they’re boring and because I’m getting lazy. I prefer my mix of yoga classes.
My conclusion is that I have not actually cured my inquinal hernia. Although there is no swelling or bulge in my abdomen, there is a weakness that I can feel when I press that area. And, sometimes when my bladder (and occasionally my intestines) are stretched to full capacity, I can feel a very slight discomfort in the herniated area — but it’s not painful or at all bothersome.
So, I’m pleased with the result. There may be a time when I will wish that I had gone ahead with the mesh surgery, but, as of now, I’m happy with my choice to try to strengthen my abdominal muscles and put off any surgery. And, my neighbors are happy that I have stopped playing trumpet late at night.
I’ll let you know if I change my mind and decide to get the surgery.
Namaste —
JohnHi John
I think it’s good news. Maybe not for the lack of trumpeting for you! But to have that amount of progress is very positive.
I wonder if Elli considers your progress as positive, or even consider that your hernia is cured. Does she suggest any healing of the actual breach of the connective tissue corset would occur?
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Yes, Gabrielle, I should schedule a meeting with Elli to tell her my progress/plateau. Perhaps she will tell me whether she considers my present condition a “cure” and whether she believes that I can make further progress. It has been several weeks since I have spoken to her.
Perhaps I’m accepting an outcome that is short of what can be achieved. As of now, I’m believing the standard medical conclusion that a hernia is a tearing of tissue that can’t be healed by exercise — apparently, I’ve strengthened the adjacent muscles but the tear is still present.
I’ll meet with Elli and post a report.
John
Hey John and Gabrielle,
I am just discovering this thread. John, thank you SO MUCH for describing your whole journey with this.
It’s very helpful for me, because I just discovered I have an inguinal hernia, too. Your symptoms seem to mirror mine almost exactly: no pain, only occasional swelling, and very small. It’s definitely in the initial stages.
I’ve been doing a lot of hot yoga before coming down with this, and I’m already missing it, big-time. Yoga seems to be one of the few things I need to be vee-e-ry careful resuming because of how it stretches the body.
Since I’m a fitness fanatic and can’t stand to NOT do anything physical, I have tried to see what I can and can’t do. Light jogging seems like it’s okay. For instance, I jogged today at a very slow pace for 2 miles, and although that groin area felt weak and even a little bit sore toward the end, it did not seem to do any damage and there was no swelling afterward.
I’ve also jumped rope a few times and that’s been fine, too.
My conclusions, based on seeing a hernia specialist and doing a lot of reading is that:
1) It’s not something fixable through mere exercise. I do think the mesh surgery will be necessary. But it seems so routine and effective that I don’t know why anyone would be hesitant in getting it done. The doctor assures me that area will be as strong as before and I will be able to do all the activities I was doing till now (which include basketball and tennis.)
2) There’s no telling what caused it, but congenital reasons are not to be ruled out, apparently.
Anyway, John, do you have an update for me? Looks like it’s been a couple months since your last post. Please tell me how you’re doing and if you have found anything else out.
Thanks!
Billy
Hi Billy & Gabrielle —
I’m interested to hear how you view my journey and how you choose to go forward.These past 2 months, I’ve been lazy. I’ve continued my yoga practice — now only about 4 times a week — and have skipped the boring machines, the forearm planks and the pilates. Yoga has been a mix of Bikram and vinyasa style classes, mostly Bikram, and I’ve been doing some Zumba and some digging in the yard with a pick, etc.
I haven’t met with Elli — perhaps I’m embarrassed by my lack of diligence.
Two months ago, I was concerned that the hernia area seemed squishy and weak, and I believed that I’d wasted my time delaying surgery… I suspected at that time that I’d probably eventually get the mesh surgery. I had no real pain, but occasionally, with a full digestive tract, I could sense the weakness.
Now, after the 2 months, I realize that I’ve almost completely forgotten that I have a hernia! The area seems stronger, without even an occasional bulging, and I don’t have a sensation of weakness. When I probe with finger pressure, I can sense that the area is only slightly weaker than the opposite side!
So, this is quite the turnaround!
My current thinking is that the cause of my hernia was the trumpet playing, not the yoga practice. I haven’t modified any of my yoga practice except for one thing — when I transition in and out of headstand, I don’t hold a pike (straight leg) position anymore. I miss the trumpet playing, but my neighbors are much happier.
Billy, please keep me posted regarding your decision and progress. I’ll be anxious to learn what the surgery is like and how the recovery time affects your activities. Is the surgery as trivial as the doctors say it is?
John
Hey John,
Thanks for the reply! I’m amazed how similar your symptoms are to mine — what I mean by that is that my hernia appears to be as minor as yours.
I’m very encouraged by the fact that you’ve been able to resume hot yoga. Last time I did hot yoga, it aggravated my hernia somewhat (made it bulge and a little sore), so I decided to back off and just rest it. That was nearly two weeks ago, and my groin area currently has no bulge, but it is a little squishy to the touch sometimes.
It feels like just resting it has healed it somewhat. However, until I’m proven wrong, I do not believe that simply leaving it alone, or doing certain strengthening exercise, will fully heal it. Would love to be wrong on that, of course. Even though it feels fine right now, I can still FEEL it in there a little bit. I don’t think that’s going away. My doctor put it like this: It’s like a tooth cavity … it’s not going to go away and it will only get worse over time.
However, I find your experience very interesting because yours appears to be getting better. Which is very encouraging.
The other thing he told me was this: “Your hernia is at a very early stage, and if you were, say, an accountant sitting in a chair all day long and you never exercised, then I would tell you that you could wait one to two years before getting it fixed. But since you’re playing all sorts of sports, you should get it fixed.”
As for the surgery itself, yes, I do believe it’s completely routine. Not sure I would use the word “trivial,” but yeah, that’s how I’m looking at it. As Bill Walton once said, “Minor” surgery is when they’re doing it on someone else!”
The doc said the procedure takes 35 minutes and I will be able to resume ALL activities I was doing before the surgery after waiting 3-4 weeks to heal. He said it will absolutely be the same and, in fact, the groin area will actually be STRONGER because that mesh will be in there. (Your skin grows into the mesh over time and it becomes part of you.) I forgot to ask him about this, but my suspicion is that the only downside is that perhaps the groin will be less flexible, but I really don’t know for sure. He said the recurrence rate is less than 1%.
Like I said, I’ve jogged a couple times and jumped rope twice. No side effects to those activities, so tomorrow I think I will go to my hot yoga class and see how it goes. (I go to a yoga place here in San Diego called CorePowerYoga, and they do a hot class that’s almost identical to Bikram.)
Anyway, I will keep you posted. Congrats on your situation, as it appears to be getting better. I wouldn’t get down on yourself for being “lazy” (as you put it), or for delaying surgery. Sounds to me like you’re just doing what you can. I really don’t think there is any downside to delaying surgery UNLESS your symptoms were getting worse, which they’re not in your case. The only real danger with a hernia is strangulation, in which the bulge gets so huge that the protruding intestine can get strangulated and blood flow is cut off to the organs and then you’re in an immediate emergency type situation. But you’re obviously nowhere near that and you’re being cautious, which is good.
I think your theory that it may have been caused by the trumpet playing is very possible. That makes sense to me, based on what I have learned about hernias and their causes. But there’s really no way to know for sure.
Anyway, thanks again for the post and I will keep you apprised of my progress. An interesting side note to my own situation is that I would have already gotten the surgery if it wasn’t for the fact that I happen to be in the middle of switching health insurance plans and I CAN’T do the surgery now, unless I want to pay $3,400 out of pocket. If I wait till my new plan kicks in (in a month or two), then it will only cost me $250.
So that’s why I’m waiting and trying to figure out what I can do physically and what I can’t do. I certainly don’t want to make it worse while I wait for surgery, but sitting on my butt doing nothing is not an option! I don’t feel like myself unless I can do exercise of some kind, so I’m going to continue to see what I can do safely.
I would actually consider never getting the surgery, but I do not want to give up playing tennis and basketball, and those activities I’m sure would aggravate the hernia. Plus, I do not want to spend the rest of my life never being able to lift a heavy object, do some weight lifting, and tip-toeing around the groin sensitivity. But we shall see.
Update: I’m happy to report that I’ve done hot yoga two days in a row now with no problems! No after-effects, no soreness, no swelling.
Yes, I did take it easy on some of the poses, but for the most part I just practiced as usual.
I’m very encouraged about this! I still think I have a hernia and I still think it will need to be repaired by surgery, but it’s good to know I can still exercise without making it worse for now.
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