Chronic Pain After Hernia Surgery

Chronic groin pain is a serious problem after hernia repair. Nerve injury, entrapment, or reaction to mesh and scar may be the cause of severe pain syndromes. Proper nerve handling at the time of initial hernia repair is crucial to decrease the incidence of chronic pain. In cases of refractory pain, reoperation to address nerve entrapment or mesh-related complications is often needed.

Each case is individualized and we employ a thorough and methodical approach to this complex problem. Non-operative measures are promoted and our UCLA interventional pain doctors have specific expertise in the non-operative management of this challenging condition. In cases that are unresponsive to conservative measures, inguinal neurectomy, mesh removal and reoperation are all tailored to the individual patient. We have published extensively on this challenging problem and continue to refine operative technique to address the many different subtleties and complexities associated with inguinodynia. We have an ongoing clinical trial to help quantify pain and measure the improvement achieved with operative management. Our ongoing academic mission is to educate surgeons on proper nerve handling to decrease the incidence of this problem and continue our research to better treat patients with chronic post-herniorrhaphy pain.

Parviz Amid, MD, is a world-renowned expert on the causes, prevention and surgical treatment of post-herniorrhaphy chronic pain and has treated more than 500 patients with these problems. He also has written and lectured widely on the subject. David C. Chen, MD, has directly trained under Dr. Amid's mentorship and has partnered with him to continue this specialized clinical program to treat patients with this debilitating problem.