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Hernia and Training, What the Heck Do I Do?

Injuries and Rehab
#1

Alright so I’ve been training for a little over two years and have gone from a little 100 pound little man to a decently strong 150lbs and really loving the gym lifestyle, especially high intensity squats and heavy deadlifts. Everything had been going great, been training hard and making progress, then I go in for a sports physical and of course, an inguinal hernia. I don’t know if it’s ok to train but I’m probably going to go insane if I cant get under a squat rack at least twice a week. My worst fear is that ill have to take all the time off to heal and end up losing everything I’ve worked for. Future’s not looking too bright, just wondering if anyone else has an experience with a hernia and if its really detrimental to training. How long did it take to get back to crushing squats? Man, its just really depressing.

Thanks

#2

I thought I had gotten a hernia a few months back, I got back from the gym took my shirt off and saw in the mirror had a fist sized bruise right on the edge ov the V on your core muscles… it has a one inch long, centimeter wide lump in the middle of it. they weren’t sure if it was a hernia or a partial tear, they insisted it was partial tear. honestly I kept lifting I just kept weight around 60% or so and kept core bracing to a minimum… 2 weeks later the lump was gone and the bruising was gone. not definitely a hernia but similar issue I suppose. I would just keep bracing to a minimum

#3

I had an umbilical hernia 2 years ago. I bounced back stronger than ever. I couldn’t squat for 4 months post op. It took 2 months to lift anything over 90 lbs. I didn’t deadlift for 4 months +. I got it repaired as soon as it happened. See a specialist, get mesh.

My hernia happened in my first year of training too. Now I’m deadlifting 410, squatting 315, benching 255. I strain like crazy but my core still suffers a weakness. I recommend an Inzer belt. Be patient.

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#4

Do not train with a hernia, it’ll just prolong your recovery.

#5

I’ve gone through 2 open ing. hernia surgeries (left and right). It took quite a while to recover - for at least 2 months after each I could not think about push-ups, pull-ups or anything straining my abs, but still I kept being active - brisk walking, light dumbbells, muscle isolating machines (ask your doctor).
I completely understand how you feel because I’ve also been there.
I would advise you to do the surgery, put the mesh, stay active and go back to the gym stronger and smarter than ever. Think about it long term - you’ll be set back from the big goal for a while but it’s not the end of the world.
It’s also a good time to think about mobility, pre-hab, stretching and anything else that we skip during a training cycle for lack of time, especially shoulders, knees, back, posture, etc.

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