Umbilical Hernia Treatment near Detroit, MI

Umbilical Hernia and Rectus Diastasis Treatment

Umbilical Hernias (Belly Button Hernias) are one of the most common hernias.  They are often very small and may not even be noticed except by your hernia specialist during a physical examination. If they are small and painless they often do not require any treatment. Occasionally, even small umbilical hernias have features that may make them more risky for complications. A consultation with our experienced hernia surgeons at our convenient location near Detroit and Ann Arbor is always advised.

If you are suffering from an umbilical hernia, then Contact Us today at 248-551-9090.

Robotic Umbilical Hernia Repair Results

Umbilical hernias may be any size. They always start out very small but can grow to a varying size and may get to a point where they are “stuck” in the “out” position. As they grow larger they may begin to cause more pain or discomfort.

Smaller umbilical hernias are often treated in an outpatient surgery setting using relatively simple surgical techniques. These hernias may not always require the use of mesh and the recovery time is usually only a few days with resumption or near normal activity within a few weeks.

A hernia may or may not cause pain regardless of its size. However, as a hernia gets larger it becomes more important to discuss potential treatment options with an experienced surgeon.

No one ever wants to have to have surgery but it is sometimes important to have a hernia fixed, even if it is not causing pain at the time, because it may have an increased potential to cause complications to internal organs.

Additionally, as hernias get larger, the operation to most safely correct them often gets more complex as well.  Very large Umbilical hernias require advanced surgical techniques for successful repair and are nearly uniformly treated with mesh in order to reduce the risk of the hernia coming back. Very large hernias require several hours of operating time and a several day hospital stay. Resumption of normal activities may take several months.

Diastasis Recti

Diastasis is a common source of concern and confusion for both patients and doctors. Diastasis refers to a stretching of the connective tissue that normally holds each side of your “six pack” muscles together. This band of tissue called the Linea alba(white line) is generally relatively thin and firm. The white line may be weak in some individuals as a normal anatomical variant or, more commonly, it can be stretched out after large fluctuations in weight gain and loss, such as pregnancy.

Diastasis affects both men and women. Most commonly, a patient will notice an “Alien” coming from the abdomen between the rib cage and the belly button when they try to do a sit up. The area is rarely painful and almost is never seen except when doing “sit up” type movements.

Diastasis is NOT a hernia. It is almost always a completely benign, painless condition that does not require any treatment. The most common complaint associated with Diastasis Recti is that it is UGLY. Since the condition is largely cosmetic, it usually does not require surgery to correct it.

Rarely, a Diastasis will cause symptoms very similar to a true hernia such as significant pain and limitations to activities of daily living, movement, and exercise. In this uncommon scenario a surgical procedure for correction may be advisable. More commonly, surgery is only indicated when there is a “real” hernia near the Diastasis that needs to be repaired. In that scenario it is important to have an informed discussion with an experienced surgeon about the type of hernia repair  that may be required and if the Diastasis should, or will be addressed at the same time (see below).

Can I get rid of a Diastasis with exercise and a core strengthening program?

In general, exercise, sit-ups and crunches will not eliminate a Diastasis. Sometimes aggressive strengthening of the Rectus Muscles (six-pack) can improve the contour, but it generally will not make your belly completely flat since it is the tissue between the muscles that is stretched and damaged and that cannot be strengthened with any amount of sit-ups.

Exercise and activity is recommended for overall general health improvement and will not hurt a Diastasis or make it bigger.

Diastasis Recti and Umbilical “bellybutton” hernias often occur together. The belly button hernia is most commonly the source of any pain that you may be experiencing. Belly button hernias do require surgical repair fairly commonly and it is important to consider what type of repair is appropriate when a patient has a diastasis recti also.

A belly button hernia may generally be repaired through a small cut around the belly button using only a couple of pieces of string and or a small mesh. However, since the tissue near a Diastasis is abnormally stretched out, it is very important to consider how the Diastasis may affect the repair of the belly button hernia itself and whether or not the Diastasis will also be treated in order to increase the chances of success of the hernia repair.

Each individual patient is different and only an experienced hernia surgeon can guide you to which surgical intervention is the medically correct one for you, given your individual medical condition and postoperative activity needs and expectations.