What Causes Swelling Around The Incision Post After Inguinal Hernia Repair?

Posted on Tue, 17 Feb 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 17 Feb 2015 Answered on

Sat, 14 Mar 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : I am a female that had I open incision inguinal hernia repair on my right side, 3 and a half weeks ago. The incision has healed fine. Have minimal swelling around the incision. My problem I am having is my right foot is swelling when on it for awhile. Feels better when elevated. Wondering if this is normal or is something else going on.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Yogesh D (22 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
It's not normal. Your description fits obstruction to lymphatics.

Detailed Answer:
Hello XXXX

Thanks for writing in with your question.

From your description, I suspect injury to the lymphatic vessels. There are many lymphatic vessels in the groin/inguinal region and they receive the lymph from the lower limbs(A clear fluid that is usually left over by the blood vessels). So a surgical procedure in the region is bound to cause some amount of damage to these lymphatic vessels.

The good news is that, collateral channels will develop soon and you do not need any treatment for this condition.

If you are still in doubt, you may want to consult your surgeon and get her/him to have a look.

I hope I have been able to answer your query, please do feel free to write back to me if you have additional concerns.

Kind regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad