Hernia Questions

[MR .T]

My union made a rule that no employee can lift more than 40lbs. they say it is to prevent a hernia. How the hell does a hernia happen anyway? This sucks I think this rule is to stop the old fat guys from feeling old and fat.

 

[mrxplosive]

Hernias happen when a weakness is present in the abdominal wall, or other areas for that matter although most occur in the abdominal region. The weakness is typically present from birth, and just eventually gives one day. I just had one operated on and my surgeon told me the heavy weights did nothing other than maybe make it come out a little quicker than it would have normally.

Did your union rule people can't get up from a seated position? Anyone getting up would be lifting way more than 40 pounds just by standing up. Ignorant rule IMO.

 

[dump truck]

Thats the way companies are trying to save every penny.

 

[STEELADDICTION]

40 lbs!! I wish they had that rule where I work! Everytime there is something big to be lifted it's, hey, you like lifting those weights, wana give me a hand. ASS HOLES!

 

[stealthmeister]

hernias

Well, hernias are just something popping out where it shouldn't. Most commonly this refers to inguinal hernias. The abdominal wall is weakened in the inguinal region (between about your hip bone and pubic hair, sort of at the top of your hip flexors). This causes a small tear and something pops out, through the abdominal wall. Usually that something is a bit of fat or tissue, but can even be a loop of bowel or contents going through the inguinal canal. There are indirect and direct hernias there, depending exactly where it pops out. Usually it's just a little fullness there that can usually be pushed back in ("reducible" hernia), but can be dangerous when a loop of bowel gets stuck out there (incarcerated hernia). If the hernia ring is tight / small enough, that loop of bowel may lose it's blood supply and start to die off (strangulated hernia)...that requires urgent surgery.

Other hernias occur....femoral hernias are near the inguinal ones and mostly occur in women. You can also herniate through the midline of your abdominal wall (ventral hernia). The term is also used when things like the soft part of your intervertebral disk (nucleous pulposis) herniates out of it's fibrous ring and pushes on the nearby nerves in the spine....a "slipped" or "ruptured" disk.

Lifting alone likely will not cause a hernia unless there is a bit of an underlying weakness there.

Hope that helps.

 

[Andrew]

post hernia schedule

Mr. Explosive, how long did you have to stop lifting after you discovered your hernia until it was healed?

Hernias happen when a weakness is present in the abdominal wall, or other areas for that matter although most occur in the abdominal region. The weakness is typically present from birth, and just eventually gives one day. I just had one operated on and my surgeon told me the heavy weights did nothing other than maybe make it come out a little quicker than it would have normally.

Did your union rule people can't get up from a seated position? Anyone getting up would be lifting way more than 40 pounds just by standing up. Ignorant rule IMO.

 

[mrxplosive]

I kept lifting all the way up until the day of the surgery, which was about 5-6 weeks after I discovered it. I did have to lighten up the weights, especially on squats. But I saw the surgeon a couple of weeks after I noticed it, and he said go ahead and lift as much as I want as long as its not causing any pain. I was completely off working out after the surgery for 4 weeks, then I started back real slow the first week, upped it a bit the second, and now its 7 weeks later and I'm good as new as far as the hernia is concerned.

Of course, everybody is different and my case was not too bad. So I would say see a doc ASAP, you wanna make sure its not in need of immediate surgery if you have a more serious case. If you do have part of your intestines or internal organs pushing out and being strangulated, putting it off could make it 100 times more serious than it presently is. Usually the bulge is really large in those cases, but let your doc make the decision.

 

[MR .T]

Thanks guys I thought that if I was going to get one I would have by now. Its a dumb rule because if you want to move a 50lb piece of steel you have to use a crane. I got caught carring 120lbs accross the shop and got told.