How a Hidden Hernia Almost Ruined My Life

Throwaway because I don’t want medical information tied to my real account.

This is the story of how a hidden hernia nearly derailed my life. I’m sharing it in hopes of encouraging others with similar symptoms to advocate for themselves and explore whether a hidden hernia might be the culprit.

It all began around my 30th birthday. After workouts, I’d notice a strange tugging sensation in my groin. At first, I brushed it off as routine muscle soreness—it always vanished by morning. But over time, the discomfort intensified. What started as a dull ache morphed into a burning pain that radiated from my hip to my lower back, lingering for days. Still, it came and went, so I tried to ignore it.

Then came a new symptom: sharp, pulling pain along my inner thigh during certain movements, like pivoting on one leg. Unlike a muscle strain, I couldn’t reliably trigger it.

Eventually, I saw an orthopedist—and so began my year-long medical odyssey. Living in a country with excellent healthcare, I assumed answers would come quickly. I underwent three MRIs (two hip, one spine) and consulted orthopedists, neurologists, and even a hernia specialist. Yet no one could pinpoint the cause. Everyone told me I was perfectly healthy. The hernia specialist dismissed it outright: no visible bulge, no pain when coughing—so no hernia. By the end, some clinicians hinted it might be “all in my head.”

I resigned myself to a life of constant pain. Exercise became impossible. My only relief came when lying flat on my back, mercifully allowing me to sleep. The agony settled into a relentless cycle: fiery burning in my thigh, occasional stabbing shocks.

Six months in I bought an iPad and downloaded an app to review my MRI scans myself. With an anatomy textbook as my guide, I noticed something: slightly more fat in the inguinal canal on my painful side. Subtle, but noticeable even to my untrained eye. Armed with this clue, I approached another hernia surgeon.

This time, he performed a dynamic ultrasound—a test no one had ordered before. The result? Fat pressing into the inguinal canal. He suspected a spermatic cord lipoma and recommended surgery.

During surgery, the cause for my now almost yearlong pain was finally found: a direct inguinal hernia the size of an apple, hidden laterally in the inguinal canal, compressing nerves and masquerading as leg pain. All those scans and specialists had missed it. They repaired it with a mesh, and within weeks, the pain vanished. Six months later, I’m fully active again.

The takeaway? Hidden hernias exist. They won’t always show up on standard exams. If your gut says something’s wrong, push for a dynamic ultrasound—it could be the key to getting your life back. Especially if your pain is in the area of the ilioinguinal and genitofemoral nerv (groin, upper and inner thigh). I wish you all the best!!

Edit:

Because multiple people asked me in the comments or by DM what anatomy book I used or how exactly I found out it was a hernia, I will go into a little more detail:

First I looked at research for different causes of groin pain, because the specialists I saw weren’t sure, if my groin pain might be muscle or joint related. I reviewed various research articles and learned about a classification system for groin pain in athletes called the Doha Convention (https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/49/12/768). From there, I determined that my groin pain was most likely inguinal-related, since I experienced no pain during resisted hip flexion or adduction. Additionally, I had no tenderness around the pubic symphysis. I then began studying the inguinal region in more detail. I visited a bookstore and flipped through an anatomy book (since I’m not from an English-speaking country, the specific book isn’t relevant here). I also watched this informative YouTube video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eF2i8wxyINE). Through this, I explored the nerves running through the inguinal region and the areas they innervate (including sensation and pain). I concluded that my pain primarily involved the ilioinguinal nerve, the femoral branch of the genitofemoral nerve, and the lateral cutaneous femoral nerve (affected because the hernia extended far laterally). My symptoms — burning, electric shocks and itching — were clearly neuropathic.

Next, I purchased the iPad app Human Anatomy Atlas 2025, which features a 3D model of the body, allowing you to visualize each nerve’s pathway. I cross-referenced the app’s nerve locations with my MRI scans at the same anatomical points. On the scans, I noticed fat in the inguinal canal adjacent to the spermatic cord (visible due to fluid contrast). I also researched how MRI interpretations vary—for example, fat appears white on some sequences but black on fat-suppressed images.

What confirmed my suspicion of ilioinguinal nerve compression was pain at the adductor longus origin (upper inner thigh) without discomfort during resisted adduction, which would suggest muscle injury. The ilioinguinal nerve often has a small branch innervating the upper inner thigh’s skin (though this varies from person to person as a neurologist I consulted noted).

For context, here are misdiagnoses I received that matched my symptoms but were incorrect:

  • Hip impingement
  • Hip labral tear
  • Adductor tendinopathy
  • Herniated disc

Disclaimer: I have no medical training. This is purely my personal research—take it with a grain of salt.

Lastly, if you’re preparing for hernia surgery: Please don’t panic. It’s an extremely common procedure, with over 1 million performed annually in the U.S. While some on this sub share negative experiences (and I really feel for those people), remember that post-op pain—even for months—is normal and in almost all cases resolves. I had open mesh surgery; most pain faded by 3 months, and at 6 months post-op, I’m pain-free. Occasional twinges during workouts remain, but they’ve diminished significantly and are very manageable.