I seem to be in a rare situation. I was diagnosed with an inguinal hernia, but was advised against surgery. My summary chart reads something like “small inguinal hernia present during physical exam,
reducible, asymptomatic. Surgery not recommended. CT scan not recommended.” I was then told that I can continue training in 2 weeks, but to “keep the weights low from now on”.
(I know she means keep the intensity low) I got the hernia during a heavy rack pull session. I felt a sharp pain near my groin, stopped immediately and scheduled a doctor visit. Doc said I have a very
small inguinal hernia on my left side that may not even show up on a CT scan, but I can schedule one just to see if I’d like. She also advised against surgery since the risk of complications outweigh
any benefits since I am asymptomatic. She even said “no surgeon would consider operating on moral grounds” when I asked about surgery as a preventative measure. Is this due to the lawsuits about hernia mesh
failures? Are they that bad?
Everything I can find on the internet is about training before surgery or training post surgery. Everyone advised against training with an inguinal hernia at all. Am I a rare case or did I get rare advice?
Should I stop deadlifting/squatting or can I follow through on the “keep the weights low” advice? Is there anything to the “stomach vacuum” technique I’m finding on some forums?