Who this leaflet is for

This leaflet is for anyone who is recovering from, or is about to undergo, surgery to have their groin hernia repaired.

The technical term for your operation is an inguinal hernia repair, which is how your surgeon and other health professionals who are helping you may refer to it. It should be read in conjunction with any other information you have already been given about your procedure.

The following information is designed to help you make decisions about your recovery. Your surgeon, general practitioner (GP) and other healthcare professionals will offer you a lot of very good advice – but ultimately it’s you that has to make the decisions.

Most patients who have this operation will be in and out of hospital on the same day. The advice in this leaflet offers broad guidelines for people who do not have any complications with their surgery or other specific medical circumstances, such as a long-term condition. Obviously, every individual has different needs and recovers in different ways – so not all the advice in this leaflet will be suitable for everybody. When you’re weighing up how to make the decision that’s right for you, talk with your occupational health service at work or hernia nurse specialist, if you have one. Otherwise, talk with your GP. Each will help you to make the right choices for a safe and speedy recovery.