The wall of your abdomen contains several areas of possible weakness. These areas include nural spaces and thin tissue, such as the umbilical ring around the navel and internal ring in the groin. These weak areas may give way to a hernia. There are many different kinds of inguinal hernias. These are diagnosed and described depending on the area they affect.
Incisional hernias occur at the site of previous abdominal surgical incisions.
Umbilical hernias occur in the umbilical ring, a weak spot around the navel. Direct inguinal hernias occur near the internal ring, a weak spot in the groin. Femoral hernias occur in the area of weakness just below the groin. Indirect inguinal hernias occurs at the internal ring, a weak spot in the groin. Recurrent hernias occur at the previous hernia site.