what is a hiatal hernia caused from
A hiatal hernia often is caused by weak muscles and tissue within and around the hiatus. In a sliding hiatal hernia, a small part of the stomach pushes through the diaphragm and into the chest.he diaphragm is a sheet of muscle that separates your belly (abdomen) from your chest. The hernia bulges through the diaphragm at a place called the hiatus. This is the opening in the diaphragm that the esophagus passes through. The esophagus is the tube that connects the throat to the stomach.