Risks if Umbilical Hernia Not Fixed?

You may want to try core strengthening exercises but sometimes any strain can make hernia worse.
There are three stages of a hernia:

Reducible: contents slide in and out of hernia. Pain comes and goes.
Incarcerated: contents get stuck in hernia and often cause constant ache
Strangulated: contents are constricted and blood supply is compromised causing tissue death and possible bowel rupture.

Because hernias may progress from 1 to 2 to 3, we repair them at an early stage. However, some hernias may never progress.

Hello! Umbilical hernias can be dangerous. If bowel slides into the hernia and get trapped, the result is death of the bowel, which can lead to severe illness. Since the hernia is straight forward to fix, I recommend having it repaired. There is no exercise that will make the hernia disappear on its own. Best wishes!Matthew C Camp M.D.

Thank you for your question regarding your umbilical hernia and the picture you attached. Yes, there are risks involved if you do not get your umbilical hernia fixed. An umbilical hernia is a small hole in the peritoneal wall. This allows a small piece of intestine or intestinal fat to leak through the hole. The problem is that a piece of fat, or small intestine can get trapped in this hole. If the fat or intestine gets trapped, it can become strangulated and even die. If a piece of small bowel dies, you can get extremely sick and can even die. I do not mean to scare you, but hernias should be fixed. Hernias like this should be fixed on an elective basis. I would suggest you get this fixed within the next six months while you are young and healthy. It is not a good idea to let these things go with time. In regards to training your belly button to go “in”, this is not possible. You cannot train your belly button to go in. I hope this answers your questions regarding an umbilical hernia. When considering an umbilical hernia, please seek an experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon who has performed hundreds of umbilical hernia repairs. If you have any more questions regarding umbilical hernias or plastic surgery, call my office.

Sincerely, Dr. Katzen

There is no exercise or anything you can do to help your belly button to go back in, other than to have the hernia fixed.Your hernia may not cause any problems now, but it may become an issue or even an emergency if left alone.The incision used can be very small and made around the lower or upper portion of the belly button.  In most cases there is not a need to place any mesh if the hernia is small enough.  If you wait and the hernia gets bigger over time, then a mesh would likely be required.Hope that helps.

Thank you for your pictures and questions. The only significant risk of this type of hernia is if the intestinal contents can herniate out into the defect and get stuck there, this can cause strangulation and is a surgical emergency. Luckily this is a fairly rare occurrence with a hernia like yours. You can always go see a surgeon in your area to discuss your options for elective repair. Good luck!

Your problem is very common, especially in women who have given birth.  The umbilical hernia results from a small hole in the fascia - the tough fibrous tissue that makes up your abdominal wall - in the area of the belly button.  A small piece of the underlying fat that exists within the abdominal cavity, overlying the intestines, protrudes through this hole.  In most cases, this does not create anything more than the protrusion visible in your photograph; in a few, however, this protruding tissue can become stuck ("incarcerated") within the hole, and its blood supply strangulated and cut off.  This results in a great deal of pain, and requires emergent surgery to correct.  In order to prevent such an occurrence, elective repair of the hernia is generally recommended.  Unfortunately, there are no exercises or non-operative treatments that can rectify this structural problem.