5. The Troubling Connection: Obesity and Femoral Hernia
If you’re carrying extra pounds, it’s not just your heart and joints that are at risk. Your likelihood of developing a femoral hernia also increases with obesity. The mechanics are quite straightforward: the more weight you carry, the more pressure you put on your abdominal wall and pelvic region.
You might be surprised to learn that obesity can act as both a cause and a complication in femoral hernia. Excess weight increases abdominal pressure, which in turn, can cause a femoral hernia. The vicious cycle continues as the hernia itself can exacerbate obesity-related health issues.
It’s not just about numbers on the scale. The distribution of fat plays a critical role. Abdominal obesity, characterized by excess fat around the belly, is more likely to cause a femoral hernia than fat distributed elsewhere. This is because abdominal fat directly presses upon the femoral canal, creating the ideal conditions for a hernia to form. (5)
