Sometimes fatty tissues or an organ of the body tends to squeeze out through a weak spot present in the muscle surrounding it or connective tissue causing a hernia. The most frquent known hernias include hiatal (upper stomach), femoral (outer groin), inguinal (inner groin), incisional, and umbilical (belly button).

The symptoms of a hernia include:
-Bulge or lump.
-Sensation of something heavy while coughing, standing, or bending.
- In a baby, you may be able to see and feel it when your baby cries.
-Pain,discomfort, burning or gurgling sensation in the affected area
-Feeling of pressure, heaviness, or weakness, in the abdomen
-Acid reflux
-Chest pain
-Swallowing difficulty
-Lack of any symptoms.

Mainly a combination of weakness of muscles and repeated strain causes hernia. This combination may occur due to the following:
-Birth defects
-Age
-Long-standing cough
-Surgical injury causing damage or surgery
-Pregnancy developing pressure on abdomen
-Constipation
-Weight lifting
-Ascites (fluid accumulation in the abdomen)
-Sudden gain in weight

Diagnosis of hernia will be made based on the following steps:
-Physical examination of the suspected area by the physician.
-Asking the patient to cough when standing, which makes the hernia more notable.
-Eventually imaging tests might be prescribed which include MRI, CT scan or an abdominal ultrasound.

Surgery can be avoided until your hernia is not disturbing daily routine, painless or small. However, with time, it tends to get bigger with the belly muscle wall getting weaker, causing more tissue to bulge through it.