How to tell the difference between Femoral and Inguinal Hernia

[dan]

So i got a ultrasound done on my right side and it looks like i have a hernia… Except it doesn’t tell me which type of hernia it is. And my GP seems to be clueless as well. He gave me a reference to shouldice (i pretty much live right across it). But from what i’ve read, it’s hard to figure out between femoral and inguinal hernia just with physical examination alone. Especially if there is no bulge (which is what my hernia is). It seems like shouldice just does physical exam and doesn’t use ultrasounds. I am sure they are good at what they do but i want to make sure because depending on which hernia it is, i will choose watchful waiting instead.

One thing to note is that i have a dull and aching pain in my testicles. If that’s the case, i can safely assume that it’s likely an inguinal hernia right? I can’t find any instance of femoral hernia cause testicle pain. But i could be wrong here. Any reliable way to figure it out?

Also, anyone have experience with shouldice physical exam?

• This topic was modified 1 week, 5 days ago by dan.

[Good intentions]

Is watchful waiting different for a femoral hernia compared to an inguinal hernia?

From what I’ve read Shouldice will not repair a hernia unless there is a bulge. If you see a mesh repair surgeon they will operate no matter what type it is because the “state of the art” is to cover all of the possible hernia spots with one large piece of mesh. They would probably take a look at the other side and implant mesh there also.

Will Shouldice give you an examination? I would go there first just for the education. They might do only one type of repair but they should know how to diagnose your condition.

Good luck.

[drtowfigh]

– you are correct. Femoral hernias do not cause testicular pain
– unfortunately most ultrasounds are done poorly, so it’s not unexpected that they didn’t provide detailed information about what type of hernia
– watchful waiting is acceptable for asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic inguinal hernias but not femoral hernias
– Shouldice does not operate on non palpable hernias.

[dan]

I heard that smaller hernias are much more likely to get incarcerated. Except i haven’t seen a study confirming this. It seems to be like something that has become widely considered as truth simply due to it being repeated often. Not sure if you can confirm or not

[Author]

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