This site uses many images to help explain the procedures. Please be patient during your visit. A hernia is a protrusion of usually a loop of bowel or a tissue through an opening in the wall of the abdominal cavity in which the bowel lies. Hernias can occur in men and women of all ages and in children. Hernias can develop around the navel, in the groin, or any place where you may have had a surgical incision.
Some hernias are present at birth.
Others develop slowly over a period of months or years. Hernias may also come on quite suddenly. The groin is one of the natural weak areas in the abdominal wall. It is the most common site for abdominal herniation. The abdominal wall is made up of three layers of muscle, fat and other tissue that surround the abdomen.