Open Surgery for Sportsman's Hernia a Retrospective Study

Area of Science:

• Sports medicine
• Surgical innovation
• Hernia repair

Background:

• Sportsman's hernia causes significant inguinal pain, hindering athletic activity.
• While minimally invasive approaches are common, open techniques warrant evaluation for outpatient management.
• Inguinal wall defects are a common finding in athletes presenting with groin pain.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the safety and effectiveness of open surgical techniques for sportsman's hernia.
• To evaluate the feasibility of outpatient management for this condition using open repair.
• To compare outcomes between two different open surgical methods for groin pain syndrome.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study involving 34 patients with sportsman's hernia from October 2017 to July 2019.
• Two open surgical techniques were employed: Lichtenstein with transversalis fascia plication and mesh fixation with fibrin glue (14 patients), and preperitoneal mesh placement (20 patients).
• All procedures were conducted in day surgery facilities, with outcomes assessed for complications, pain relief, and return to sport.

Main Results:

• No early or late postoperative complications were observed in either surgical group.
• All 34 patients successfully returned to sport, with 32 experiencing complete pain relief and 2 reporting mild residual pain.
• The average time to return to sport was approximately 34 days, and return to play was approximately 54 days, with no significant differences in postoperative pain between techniques.

Conclusions:

• Open surgical techniques for sportsman's hernia are safe and effective, facilitating rapid recovery and return to athletic activities.
• Both evaluated open methods demonstrated good outcomes for groin pain syndrome, supporting their use in an outpatient setting.
• Surgical intervention for sportsman's hernia should be considered after conservative treatment failure, with open repair offering a viable and efficient option.