Pain and its effects on physical activity and quality of life before operation in patients undergoing elective inguinal and ventral hernia repair

Background

Pain is the most common symptom associated with hernias. The aim was to assess the frequency of pain and its effects on physical activity and quality of life in patients with inguinal and ventral hernias.

Methods

All patients undergoing elective inguinal or ventral hernia repair over a 16-month period were asked to complete a questionnaire including a 4-point Verbal Rating Scale, Visual Analog Scale, and Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) to assess pain severity and interference.

Results

One hundred twenty-four patients (72 inguinal, 52 ventral) completed the questionnaire and 75% registered pain on the BPI. There was good correlation between scoring systems (correlation coefficient >.8). Ventral hernia patients had more pain (P = .037), interference with mood (P = .027), sleep (P = .004), relation with other people (P = .019), and enjoyment of life (P = .029) than their inguinal hernia counterparts.

Conclusions

The BPI is an easy and effective way of assessing pain and its impact on physical activity and quality of life in patients with an inguinal or ventral hernia with most experiencing mild to moderate chronic pain and disability.