Hernias do not go away on their own, and only surgery can repair a hernia. Over time, hernias tend to get bigger as the muscle wall gets weaker and more tissue gets through. An incarcerated hernia can quickly become a strangulated hernia. This strangulation of the blood supply leads to necrosis (death) of this piece of bowel and spillage of the bowel contents, leading to sepsis and even death. To avoid these complications, hernias are usually surgically repaired.