Find all the information you’ll need before coming to Hospital for treatment. Learn more about making an appointment, our luxurious accommodation and our exceptional facilities.
About Us
Founded in 1856, St John & St Elizabeth Hospital is one of the UK’s largest independent charitable hospitals. Our commitment to our patients is in the quality of our care, the range of our services and the quality of our consultants and staff.
Contact Us
Make an appointment, find our contact details and have your say by providing feedback. You’ll also find information on where to find us and how to get here.
Health Professionals
Find the useful information for Medical Practitioners, including information on patient referrals, careers, education and more.
Services
St John & St Elizabeth Hospital is renowned for its highly specialised clinics that provide exemplary care for patients. Our expert Consultants cover the full range of specialties and are able to treat almost any medical condition.
Consultants
We’re proud to be the chosen Hospital for some of the world’s leading Consultants. Our specialist Consultants cover a wide range of specialisms and are committed to our values as a Hospital.
Search
What to expect from a Hernia
The most common Hernia type is an inguinal Hernia which roughly accounts for about 70% of all occurrences, making it one of the most common procedures under general surgery.
Unlike other hernia centres, at London Hernia our team of expert Consultants include specialists that dedicate themselves solely to the treatment of hernias.
We speak to General and Vascular Surgeon, Mr Syed Tahir Hussain, to discuss our most common hernia questions.
Mr Hussain, tell us about your background in treating hernias?
I graduated from the University of London (St George’s Hospital) and undertook my higher surgical training at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford and am a professor at the Royal College of Surgeons. I’ve been a general surgery Consultant for over 18 years and throughout this time I’ve been treating hernias privately. My main area of focus is day case local anaesthetic repair, as hernia surgeons we try to avoid general anaesthetic, as it’s easier and smoother to do under local.
Which people are most at risk from suffering with a hernia?
Hernia repairs are one of the most common procedures to perform in this country and around the world. 1 in 3 of the population will develop a hernia over their lifetime, with hernia’s being far more common in men than in women. Hernia’s cause pain, discomfort and severely impact on the quality of life. They very rarely become strangulated but if they do patients suffer from peritonitis which is a major operation to perform – for this reason hernias should be fixed when they are initially discovered.
What is the most common type?
The most common is inguinal hernia – this is a hernia in the groin area, which is more common in men than women.
Would you say that the Open Mesh repair is the most effective repair for an inguinal hernia? And if so, why?
I would say it’s the most effective repair method. The NICE guideline indicates that the Open Mesh repair method provides the lowest incidents of complications along with the lowest instances of recurrence.
What is the difference between a sports hernia and an inguinal hernia?
Young men often get groin pain which can seem like a hernia, however, it often is not a hernia but a groin muscle strain. If a patient with sports hernia has a mesh repair it’ll make it worse, so this is avoided. Once you suspect a sports hernia you should seek specialist advice to exclude a hernia, with the best treatment option being physiotherapy.
How soon after a hernia operation can a patient expect to return to normal activities?
Patients can expect to resume 90% of regular daily activities within 5 days; the last 10% which would include exercises takes several weeks.
What is the benefit to a patient being seen at a specialist repair centre such as London Hernia?
The advantage is that the surgeons specialise in the repair, therefore ensuring an early return to activities with low complications and a high success rate.
Book an appointment
If you would like to book an appointment with Mr Syed Tahir Hussain at London Hernia, contact us on [email protected] or call 020 3370 1014.
