So I had inguinal hernia surgery back on 12/17/2010 (I am 37 year old male and reasonably fit). Full incision, NOT laproscopic. All went fine according to doctor. Did not do much for a month or two (just lazy) but was out playing competitive soccer by March and felt fine. Did this through April and felt fine - even with all the sprinting, cutting, changing direction etc.
Come end of April/early May I start riding again. Put in 3 weeks now of 120, 150, and now 170 mile weeks all on the road bike. Longest ride to date was yesterday - 4 hours, 70 miles.
ISSUE IS THIS: I have a dull ache in my left testicle (same side as my hernia surgery) and groin area. It does NOT hurt while I ride, but afterward the ache kind of comes and goes. Sometimes I notice it and sometimes I dont. Almost feels at times like I was gently hit in the nuts. The area around the scar itself feels OK, but I occasionally find it feeling a bit “off” as if I am pulling on something in there (the mesh???). I am a bit worried now.
Anybody have experience like this? How long until your hernia area felt “normal” again? Is this consistent with what anybody else dealt with? Would ab work be beneficial to strengthen things?
I had the exact same surgery just before Thanksgiving last year. I was out for about a month then slowly started running and biking.
I had the same feeling on the same side as my incision about 6-8 weeks ago. I had upped my cycling mileage and intensity a bit. I just felt off. I had a little discomfort around my incision as well.
Feel fine now though. The discomfort lasted about 10 days for me. From other folks I know that had the same surgery, they had small boughts of discomfort up to a year after their procedure.
It is pretty common for people to have nerve and pain issues following hernia surgeries, especially younger men. Nothing to get worried about, and it should go away. It also could be that when you work-out i.e. a long time in the saddle, you get a little venous congestion (which everyone gets). So for you it could cause and ache because you have the hernia surgery and a “new” internal ring most likely. Your body should adjust to it, and it is not a complication or anything.
As far as doing abs etc, that wont help because your muscles actually have nothing to do with hernias. It is the fascia that is a problem, or in you case not a problem because now you have mesh in place of the fascial defect.
The feeling of a bit “off” is normal too, likely scar tissue that will smooth out and remodel over time.
All this being said…go and see your surgeon and ask him these questions, I am sure he will give you much the same answers.