What are the issues with diving after a hernia repair

[rbahr]

I am starting with some Tech diving, so depths will be 150+ft. Are there any additional risks due to hernia repairs.

TIA

Ray

 

[kombiguy]

I had an umbilical hernia repair, still tech dive. I'm really careful about what I lift and how, though.

 

[TSandM]

If the hernia repair is remote (more than six months ago) then there should be no issues, if the repair is solid. If the repair is more recent, handling dive gear will stress it. Heavy lifting is prohibited for at last six weeks after repair, but repetitive lifting of really heavy objects probably ought to be avoided for longer.

 

[fisheater]

Inguinal and abdominal repairs here. After the lifting restrictions ended, I dove / dived normally.


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[drbill]

I resumed diving 6 weeks after mine, but definitely was careful about lifting my gear. It has now been a year and no problems (but I still use it as an excuse to get the lovely lady-go-divers to act as my dive sherpas!).

 

[Rayallyn]

I have a Stoma that is herniated and dive to 120 ft. no problem. I do protect the hernia though by a special belt and will most probably continue the belt even after the VA gets around to fixing it. If you feel any pulling or tension on the area of the hernia you might want to consider a hernia belt to protect it while lifting gear and diving.

 

[kwinter]

I am not planning to have my abdominal hernia repaired until December, so I'm trying to be careful about lifting. But I sure could use some kind of restrictive belt for a little more help. Any ideas?


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[clownfishsydney]

I did not dive for 6 weeks, and even then I did not lift dive gear for another couple of weeks, my friends would put it on and off the boat and I would take off in the water before it was lifted out.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

Been there, done that, like others above. Give the repair time to heal and return to normal activity over time. Over time will vary with the seriousness of the tear and the method of repair used, as well as your age (younger is better- isn't it always?) I let my hernia persist too long before repair and it was a substantial surgery with mesh and stitching up to fix it. Still (and I was younger then) I was at 100% within 6 months.
DivemasterDennis

 

[Doctorfish]

If you have had a recent repair, a belt or truss will rub on the incision, may hurt and give you a false sense of security when lifting.
Most hernia repairs will achieve about 80% 0f tensile strength by 6 weeks and the rest over a year. There is no constraint to diving post hernia surgery to my knowledge, but would avoid heavy lifting to prevent tear, recurrence.
Repeat surgery is much more difficult and less successful then the first time around.