Hiatal Hernia Symptoms
A Hiatal hernia will happen when a small region of the stomach is pushing its way through the diaphragm. This is a small, sheet like muscle that sets between the lungs and the abdomen. In most people it will not cause any symptoms – however it is able to increase their risk of suffering from acid reflux. This is when the stomach acid will back up into the esophagus.
In normal cases the diaphragm is above everything that is held within the stomach. The esophagus will travel through the opening in the diaphragm through what is known the hiatus before it reaches the stomach. The Hiatal hernia will form when the tissues that surround the hiatus are weakened. There are three types of Hiatal hernias; small, large, and strangulated.
Small Hiatal Hernias
A small Hiatal hernia does not cause any symptoms and because of this usually does not need to be treated. If heartburn is the only thing that you experience than you will only need acid reducers or acid blockers to treat it.
Large Hiatal Hernias
The larger Hiatal hernias usually cause the stomach acids to back up into the esophagus. When this occurs the person will experience heartburn, belching, nausea, and chest pain. These symptoms will become worse when you are leaning forward, straining, lifting heavy objects, or lying down.
Strangulated Hiatal Hernias
Any hernia when not treated and when it is allowed to develop can become strangulated. This is what happens when the parts of the stomach that are inside of the chest cavity have become twisted and the blood supply is cut off. This will cause extreme chest pain, obstruction of the esophagus, and difficulty in swallowing. This is a severe condition and needs to be treated immediately.
Written by admin on August 24th, 2009 with
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