Patient's question:
I am a retired sprinter who also had excellent performance in the women's team. When my child was very young, I wanted her to pursue sports in the future. I am wondering if inguinal hernia surgery affects participation in sports.Doctor's answer:
Hello! Pediatric inguinal hernia is one of the most common diseases in pediatric surgery and hernia surgery, mainly including congenital inguinal hernia and umbilical hernia. The main factors causing pediatric hernia are congenital factors. Inguinal hernia is mainly caused by the failure of the processus vaginalis to close, while umbilical hernia occurs due to the inability of the umbilical ring to shrink and close promptly, often in premature infants and low birth weight infants due to incomplete growth and development at birth. Inguinal hernias in children over one year old cannot heal on their own. If a child with an umbilical hernia is over 4 years old or has an umbilical ring diameter of 2–3 cm, surgery should be considered. After treatment for pediatric hernia, it generally does not recur and will not affect future sports activities.