The recovery time for incisional hernia surgery is dependent on the severity of your injury. This article will discuss some things that may affect your incisional hernia recovery time and how long it takes to recover from incisional hernia surgery.
What is an incisional hernia?
An incisional hernia is an area where the layers of muscle that were stitched together during a surgery come apart, allowing some stomach matter to push through the weakened muscles. Although it may sound like something no one would want to recover from, surgery to fix this issue is actually very common. The symptoms of an incisional hernia may include swelling, bulging, and even pain after surgery or during daily activities. An incisional hernia can develop if the stitches are not put in correctly during a surgery, which is why it’s so important to have a qualified surgeon perform the hernia repair. Incisional hernia surgeries are common, and, in some cases, a second surgery is necessary for a complete recovery.
How long does it take to recover from incisional hernia surgery?
Incisional hernia surgery recovery time can be anywhere from a few days to many weeks, depending on how quickly you heal and what type of activity level you are expected to maintain during this time. It can take anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks maximum for an incisional hernia patient to recover from their surgery. The recovery time after a hernia repair depends on what kind of hernia a patient has, as well as the type of surgery performed. Although recovery from an incisional hernia can be challenging, taking care to follow physician’s orders will help increase the chances for a successful recovery. In addition to the physical recovery from surgery, it’s also important for patients to watch out for the signs of too much strain on their incisions. When it comes to getting back to normal activities, most experts recommend sitting comfortably in a chair within the first week after surgery and standing up for short periods of time during weeks two and three. By the end of two weeks after surgery, many individuals are able to walk around their neighborhood or take a short car ride. By the end of four weeks, it’s common for incisional hernia patients to exercise on a stationary bike and lift weights.
Learn more: Can A Hernia Go Away on Its Own?
Precautions and tips to take:
- It’s normal to see swelling and bruising around the incision site after a hernia repair. However, if the swelling is noticeable or lasts for more than a few days, your doctor of incisional hernia repair in Huntington station should be contacted.
- An incisional hernia patient may have very mild pain, tenderness, or burning around the surgery site after they’ve been discharged from the hospital. In most cases, these symptoms will progressively go away within a few days. If this is not the case and pain becomes severe instead of better or new symptoms develop, a doctor should be contacted.
- In addition to pain, incisional hernia patients may also experience numbness around their incision site. But, again, this numbness is a normal part of the healing process and will go away on its own with time.
- An incisional hernia patient should wear their abdominal binder for no more than four hours each day to keep pressure off of the surgical site.
- Hernia patients should not lift anything over 10 pounds until their doctor gives them the green light.
- It’s important to follow all physician orders when it comes to diet after hernia surgery, exercise, and other activities after an incisional hernia repair.
- In most cases, incisional hernia patients can return to work about four weeks after the surgery as long as their job doesn’t require too much strenuous activity or heavy lifting. The recovery time can vary based on the person’s health, age, and other factors. The average length of recovery is about 6 weeks. Hopefully, this has provided some insight into what to expect after your surgery!
