An inguinal hernia can occur when organs are forced against an weakened abdominal wall and protrude. Men have an increased incidence rate of inguinal hernia occurring at around 1 quarter of men having this throughout life compared to females at less than 5%.
For many individuals, this occurs when completing activities or exercises that involve heavy loads. Bracing however, is a major contributor to assist in preventing this occurring. This refers to activating muscles that result in a strengthened abdominal wall, both anteriorly (front) and posteriorly (back). Firstly, how to brace correctly needs to be understood. Simple cues I like to provide are drawing your belly button towards your spine or imagine you are in a boxing match and your opponent is aiming for your midsection, where you need to brace.
To compliment abdominal bracing, it is worth mentioning appropriate lifting mechanics when lifting from ground to waist, these include: shoulders over toes, chest proud to show off your logo throughout the whole movement, push the floor away with your feet. Additionally, to contribute to bracing and technique is core strengthening. This will occur when bracing correctly, I recommended implementing deep core exercises that will improve the abdominal wall and spine support. For info about these please reach out to me at mike@rousehillphysio.com.au.
Written by Mike Stitt (Exercise Physiologist)