When watching a basketball game on television, you may hear coaches and announcers say the star player is missing time with a hernia.

A sports hernia is different than a hernia suffered in everyday life, says Raman Kumar, MD, a colorectal surgeon and general surgeon at OSF HealthCare. But each should be taken seriously.

Hernia

Dr. Kumar says a hernia is when an internal organ or piece of fat goes through a hole in the abdominal wall. The most common type – around 80%  – is an inguinal hernia, when a part of the intestine pushes through the abdominal wall in the lower belly (also called the groin). Anyone can get a hernia, even newborns. But Dr. Kumar says they are seen more in older men. Symptoms include a bulge or swelling in the abdominal area and pain when moving.

“A lot of chronic heavy lifting,” can cause hernias, Dr. Kumar says. “Other things weaken the abdominal wall such as diabetes and smoking. Being obese causes a lot of weight hanging down on the abdominal wall. If you’ve had surgery in the past, that’s also a risk factor.”

So be mindful when lifting objects, Dr. Kumar advises. Lift with your knees, not your back, and don’t try to lift heavy items. Get a cart or a partner to help. Eat healthy and exercise to avoid obesity and diabetes. Avoid alcohol and cigarettes.

Dr. Kumar says an exterior wrap known as a hernia belt or abdominal binder can be a short-term solution. But surgery is often the endgame.

“If you have a hole or defect, it needs to be closed,” Dr. Kumar says. “The reason we fix hernias is because we don’t want a loop of intestine or bowel to get into the hernia, twist off and die.”

That would make a person very sick and possibly threaten their life, Dr. Kumar says.

Sports hernia

Dr. Kumar says a sports hernia is a muscle tear in the groin area. They’re seen in athletes due to all the twisting, turning and bending that comes with competition.

“Stretch before you do any type of activity. Work and develop your core muscles, including your abdominal and hip muscles.” Dr. Kumar says. “If the muscles are strong, they are less likely to tear.”

Athletes who complain of groin pain should immediately leave the competition and get checked out by a trainer or doctor. Resting and icing the groin will help, but a combination of medication, physical therapy or surgery will likely be needed to fully heal.

Be proactive

If you have symptoms of a hernia or sports hernia, see a health care provider right away.

“Nine times out of 10, we can determine you have a hernia just based on a physical exam,” Dr. Kumar says.

But for more complicated cases, your doctor may order an ultrasound or CT scan. Then, the provider will develop a treatment plan.

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Hernias: More common than you think

As dinner plates get filled this holiday season, it’s important to decide what to, and what not to add to your meal.

Health experts say moderation is key.

“Make sure you choose a little bit of everything you want and savor those foods you enjoy. Don’t fill your plate with foods you don’t like to eat,” says OSF HealthCare registered dietitian Sara Umphfleet. “When referring to moderation, also think about alcohol. It’s typically one drink for women and two drinks for men is the definition of moderation. It’s important that if you’re going to have alcohol, to have a glass of water every time you have a drink, because alcohol can really dehydrate you.”

Surrounded by holiday staples like turkey, casseroles, stuffing and more, it’s an easy time to overeat and break any healthy eating habits. Umphfleet shares some ways you can combat this.

“If you know it’s going to be some time after breakfast before you have a Thanksgiving meal, I recommend people have a healthy snack,” Umphfleet says. “Something like yogurt or nuts and some fruit to go with it. Then you’re not overeating at your Thanksgiving meal.”

Umphfleet says healthy eating choices on Thanksgiving Day need to start in the morning.

“You have to have a balanced breakfast with protein and carbohydrates. This can be something like whole grain toast with peanut butter. Choose a hard-boiled egg or scrambled eggs and have some berries,” Umphfleet says. “We know people tend to overeat if they don’t have breakfast in the morning.”

While that relative you haven’t seen since last Thanksgiving might have whipped up that casserole dish you secretly dislike, Umphfleet says it’s important to only fill up your plate with foods you do like.

“I don’t necessarily focus on what we shouldn’t be eating, but what we should be eating. It’s good to survey your table before you sit down and eat. Take a look at what is on the table, especially if you’re doing a buffet, potluck style. Choose healthier options like extra vegetables, corn, peas and potatoes. Make sure you have appropriate portion sizes. Also fill your plate up with a meat product,” she says.

The battle for healthy eating doesn’t end at the conclusion of the Thanksgiving feast. Now you have a new problem on your hands, leftovers. And while you may usually use the eye and smell test for leftovers in the fridge, there are some important safety tips to keep in mind.

“It’s very important that leftovers should only be saved roughly three to four days. They need to be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees,” Umphfleet says. “One in 6 Americans each year get food borne illness or food poisoning according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).”

The holidays are also a common time for kitchen fires. For Thanksgiving, you may be using the stove, microwave and oven simultaneously.

“With stovetop fires, you’ll want to take a lid and cover the fire and turn the stovetop off,” Umphfleet says. “It’s important that if you’re cooking things on the stove or in the oven, that you don’t leave them. You need to be attentive and stay nearby. Make sure you don’t have things out and about next to your stove such as potholders, oven mitts and wrappings. You need to move everything out of the way when you’re cooking. If you have something like an oven fire, you need to turn the oven off and keep the door closed. It’s the same with your microwaves, turn it off and keep the door closed until everything cools.”

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You visit a health care provider for a minor ailment, and you leave with a plan to get better. It could be medication or changing habits, combined with follow-up appointments.

But the issues in the background don’t go away. You might say to yourself:

•  I don’t have a car or childcare. How am I going to get back for the important follow-up?
   
•  A gas station is the only place around me to get food. I can’t go for walks because it’s unsafe. How am I going to start living healthier?
   
•  I can’t afford a new mattress. What will stop my back from hurting in the morning?

These outside, non-medical factors are called social determinants of health. Health care providers everywhere are trained to ask people about them and link them with resources.

Lucas Edwards, PA, is a primary care provider at OSF HealthCare in Godfrey, Illinois. He sees social determinants of health come into play frequently.

“[Some] patients don’t have a car or someone they can depend on for consistent rides,” Edwards says. “They might have something that’s going on that’s medically urgent, and they can’t get to where they need to go. And so they put things off until it gets to the point where things get a little bit out of control.”

In those cases, people usually end up in the emergency department – nobody’s idea of a pleasant day and a more costly way to receive care.

To keep social determinants of health in mind, Edwards says to speak up when you make first contact with your provider’s office – whether that’s on the phone, checking in on a tablet at the front desk or with a medical assistant in an exam room. Tell the person about your circumstances and be willing to answer when asked about the same.

The provider will see you for what brought you there, of course. But they might also direct you to programs within the health system or in the community to help. For example:

•  An upcoming visit may be changed to virtual, an option that became more common during the pandemic.
   
•  You might be able to get care at a reduced cost.
   
•  You could be referred to a social worker.

Edwards also says a simple conversation may enlighten.

“Some patients may not have had the same access to education. They don’t understand that they have this wound on their leg, and if they don’t keep it clean, it can get worse,” Edwards says.

“The provider and the patient need to be on the same wavelength. They need to understand why I want them to do something,” Edwards adds.

There’s one last player in the social determinants of health world: the people responsible for a community’s infrastructure and other daily things we often take for granted.

For example, your doctor can treat an infection. But if you go home and drink the same contaminated water, you’re back to square one.

Or, things cost more at the grocery store than they used to.

“We work with patients who have financial constraints. They have a fixed income, and they can only spend X amount on some object,” Edwards explains. “You need to go to the grocery store and get your bare necessities. So a lot of times, their health care dollars they have budgeted get dwindled.”

“It takes a village,” to keep everyone healthy, Edwards adds.

OSF HealthCare is proactive on social determinants of health. An ongoing effort aims to have people coming to medical offices fill out a social determinants of health screen at least once a year, either through their online patient portal or on a tablet at the office. Among patients screened so far, around two-thirds identified a social need.

Learn more about social determinants of health on the World Health Organization website.

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OSF Newsroom stories on social determinants of health

OSF HealthCare blog: Caring for patients beyond the health care setting