Post-Op Care & Rehabilitation

The patient is monitored in the postoperative recovery room. A scrotal support is placed. Ice is applied to the groin. Laxatives are given. The patient is discharged to home after urinating. Dressings are removed that evening. The patient can shower at any time. The patient is warned about possible bruising and swelling. There are no dietary restrictions. A follow up appointment is arranged for one week.

Six-Week Rehabilitation Program

Before you begin, keep in mind three points over the six-week program:

1. Remember, everybody, heals at a different pace. You will heal. Be patient.
2. Listen to your body. If you experience pain or weakness, do not think twice about delaying your rehabilitation by a few days or even a week or two.
3. Don’t feel like you’re in your rehabilitation alone. Work with your doctor and/or therapist.

This recovery program has been modified from the British Hernia Society Consensus Statement.

Week 1: Take it easy

• Rest. Give your wounds a chance to begin the healing process
• Walking, climbing stairs and carrying up to 20 lbs (10 Kg) is perfectly acceptable if you can tolerate them
• Resume normal daily activities

Week 2: The sports hernia rehabilitation program starts

• Begin isometric abdominal exercise, working transversalis and oblique muscles
• Add isometric hip exercise of flexors, extensors, abductors, and adductors

Week 3: Gently ramp up week 2’s exercises

• Increase walking using time as a limiting factor, increasing by 5 minutes each day
• Increase the resistance and repetitions of your isometrics exercises. Provided you’re experiencing no unusual pain
• Initiate active-assisted Cliniband isokinetic work.

Week 4: Mix in functional rehabilitation activities

• Do mobility work, both active and passive
• Do stability work
• Do cardiovascular exercises
• Swimming is okay
• Cycling is okay
• Initiate a running program, progressing from aerobic to anaerobic over the next three weeks
• Do submaximal to maximal isometric hip work

Additional functional rehabilitation activities can include those unique or complementary to your sport. Again, if you’re unsure, check with your doctor or therapist.

Week 5: Re-educate your muscles

• Return to active assisted work to re-educate concentric/eccentric functional pattern
• Progress your week four rehabilitation work
• Begin early sport/occupation-specific rehabilitation phase (for runners, this could involve running forward, backward. (cutting and sprinting)

Week 6: Return to play and work according to your functional ability

• Add a concentric and eccentric lower limb muscle workout
• Continue with manual, Cliniband and isokinetics
• Do general weights work with an abdominal belt and lumbar support
• Soccer players enter full soccer-specific rehabilitation

Do not hesitate to contact Dr. Nguyen if you have questions by email or call (408) 358-1855.