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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffMost umbilical hernias close on their own by age 1. Your doctor may even be able to push the bulge back into the abdomen during a physical exam. Don't try this or anything like it on your own, however. Although some people claim a hernia can be fixed by taping a coin down over the bulge, this "fix" doesn't help and germs may accumulate under the tape, causing infection.
For children, surgery is typically reserved for large or painful umbilical hernias or those that:
- Get bigger after age 1 or 2
- Don't disappear by age 4
- Become trapped or block the intestines
For adults, surgery is typically recommended to avoid possible complications — especially if the umbilical hernia gets bigger or becomes painful.
During surgery, a small incision is made at the base of the bellybutton. The herniated tissue is returned to the abdominal cavity, and the opening in the abdominal wall is stitched closed. Most people are able to go home within a few hours after surgery and resume typical activities within two to four weeks. Recurrences are unlikely.
- Abdominal wall hernias. The Merck Manuals: Home Edition for Patients and Caregivers. http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec09/ch132/ch132c.html. Accessed Jan. 26, 2010.
- Stoll BJ. The umbilicus. In: Kliegman RM, et al. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/179974528-5/943858714/1608/337.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2450-7..50107-9--cesec10_2769. Accessed Jan. 26, 2010.
- Brooks DC. Abdominal wall hernias. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 26, 2010.
- Hoecker JL (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Feb. 4, 2010.
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