A hernia occurs when an internal part of the body pushes through a weakness in the muscle or surrounding tissue wall.
Usually, your muscles are strong and tight enough to keep your intestines and organs in place. However, sometimes they are not, and this causes a hernia.
A femoral hernia appears as a painful lump the size of a large grape in the inner upper part of the thigh or groin. The lump can often be pushed back in or will disappear when you lie down. Coughing or straining may make the lump appear.
What causes a femoral hernia?
A femoral hernia usually occurs when fatty tissue or a part of your bowel, such as the intestine, pokes through into your groin at the top of your inner thigh.
It pushes through a weak spot in the surrounding muscle wall (abdominal wall) into the femoral canal. The femoral canal is a channel through which blood vessels pass to and from your leg.
Straining, for example when on the toilet, increases pressure inside the abdomen and can trigger a hernia. Other triggers include:
Femoral hernias occur far more frequently in women, particularly older women, because of the wider shape of the female pelvis. They rarely occur in children.
Why is surgery needed?
A femoral hernia repair is an operation to push the bulge back into place and to strengthen the abdominal wall. The operation is necessary as a femoral hernia is a potentially dangerous condition. The section of bowel can become:
- stuck in the femoral canal, causing an obstruction – this causes nausea, vomiting and stomach pain, as well as a painful lump in the groin
- trapped and have its blood supply cut off (known as a strangulated hernia) – emergency surgery within hours is essential to release the trapped tissue and restore its blood supply so it does not die
Surgery will get rid of the hernia and prevent you from having any serious complications that a hernia can cause.
How is the surgery performed?
There are two ways that a femoral hernia repair can be performed:
- open surgery – where one large cut is made to allow the surgeon to push the lump back into the abdomen
- keyhole surgery – a less invasive but more difficult technique where several smaller cuts are made, allowing the surgeon to use various instruments
There are advantages and disadvantages to both methods. The type of surgery you have will depend on which method suits you and your surgeon’s experience. Read more information about how a femoral hernia repair is performed.
When recovering from a femoral hernia repair, you should be able to go home the same day or the day. However, it's important to follow the hospital's instructions on how to look after yourself. This includes eating a good diet to avoid constipation, caring for the wound and not straining yourself too soon.
Are there any risks from the operation?
Femoral hernia repair is a routine operation with very few risks, although around 1% of femoral hernias will return after the operation.
Although complications due to a femoral hernia repair are rare, they can include:
- developing a lump under the wound
- difficulty passing urine
- injury or narrowing of the femoral vein (which passes through the femoral canal)
- injury to the bowel
- temporary weakness of the leg
- injury to the nerves, causing pain or numbness in the groin area
For information on other types of hernia see:
