Muscles of our abdomen are strong enough to keep organs, intestines and their contents in proper positions. But, due to some reasons, these intra-abdominal contents can get pushed out from a wakened spot in a muscle giving rise to what we call Hernia.

Femoral Hernia is defined as a bulge of tissue through the wall of femoral canal which contains femoral veins, arteries and nerves, just below the inguinal ligament.

With a very low incidence (5% of all hernias) and a significant female predominance, most femoral hernias do not cause any symptom until they progress to a quite greater extent.

Development of Hernia, do not necessarily take place due to a direct cause whereas, indirect etiologies like Prematurity iscan give rise to tissue protrusion as a result of various developmental issues of muscles and tissues of infants.

The commonest cause for hernia has identified to be a raised pressure inside the body together with a pre-existing weak area in the tissue or muscle wall, creating a potential site for a bulging  to take place.

Increased abdominal pressure can be a result of various external factors. Long-term activities like frequent heavy weight lifting associated with certain jobs, strenuous exercises and long term straining due to childbirth, chronic constipation, chronic cough, obesity, difficulty in urination due to an enlarged prostate are among the commonest. Weakened abdominal walls as a result of injuries to abdominal wall, sports and sudden, high-impact movements can also give rise to hernia formation in certain individuals.

Femoral Hernias, do not cause any obvious signs and symptoms until a certain stage of severity and in many cases you may not even see a bulging in the groin area. On the other hand, large hernias will be more visible with a bulge visible in the groin area near the upper thigh, giving rise to a discomfort. More importantly, this can result in a pain when you stand up, lift heavy objects and strain.

Femoral hernias are irreducible and cannot be pushed back or returned to the abdominal cavity on its own or even when a force is given.

Additionally, femoral hernias are usually located very close to the hip bone which is why it is thought to be the main reason for hip pain, complained by most patients affected by large femoral hernia.

It is very important to know that some patients have the risk of complication as a consequence to a significant obstruction of the intestines, caused by the underlying hernia, resulting in cut-down of blood supply.

Commonly, presenting with a sudden, severe abdominal and groin pain, nausea and vomiting this is a very serious scenario known as Strangulation which can lead to the death of intestinal and bowel tissue and can obviously put your life in danger.

Therefore, it is highly advisable to seek immediate medical advice by hernia specialist in case you experience above symptoms suggesting femoral hernia because prompt care could definitely avoid complications and save the life.