Skip to main content
Will a Hernia Go Away on Its Own?

You are listening to Health Library:

Will a Hernia Go Away on Its Own?

Oct 28, 2021

If you have a hernia and it’s causing you pain, you need to get it treated. Hernias will not go away on their own. Learn what treatment options are available from surgeon Dr. Rodney Barker in 60 seconds on this Health Minute.

Yoko Matsuoka McClain Oral History Interview, March 22, 2008 [full interview]
Yoko Matusoka McClain was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1924. Her maternal grandfather was the write Natsume Soseki (1867-1916), well known for his novels, short stories and poetry. Yoko lived in Tokyo during World War II and graduated from Tsuda College, a women's college, in 1945. She worked as a translator during the American Occupation following World War II. She received a Government Account for Relief in Occupied Areas (GARIOA) grant, now called a Fulbright, and traveled to the United States for her university studies. McClain graduated with a BA in French in 1956 and an MA in Comparative Literature in 1967 from the University of Oregon (UO). She taught Japanese at the University of Oregon from 1964 to 1994, when she became Professor Emerita. McClain has written extensively and frequently lectures in Japan, Europe, an the U.S. Her husband, Robert McClain, collected Japanese prints; the McClain Printmaking Supplies continues to be a leading supplier of printmaking materials. Yoko has donated Japanese prints to the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at the University of Oregon in the memory of her husband.She was interviewed by Elizabeth Uhlig for the Japanese-American Association of Lane County, Oregon Oral History Collection (OH 15), Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Oregon State University Libraries.
00:00
01:48:08
Seek 10 seconds backwards
Play
Seek 10 seconds forward
Mute

Episode Transcript

Interviewer: Will a hernia go away on its own? Dr. Rodney Barker is a hernia expert. So do hernias eventually heal without surgery?

Dr. Barker: No, they don't. It's a defect in the abdominal wall. It's a mechanical issue, and it needs a mechanical fix. Physical therapy, medication won't do anything for it.

Interviewer: If a person has a hernia, should they go in and get it fixed right away?

Dr. Barker: Not necessarily right away. They should have it checked and make sure that's what it is and it's not some other diagnosis. The repair will be a discussion between them and the surgeon as to when it's most desirable to do it.

Interviewer: And sometimes, if somebody notices a small bump that's not giving them any problem that's a hernia, do you ever take a wait-and-see approach?

Dr. Barker: We do. Again, we want to confirm that small bump is a hernia and not an enlarged lymph node or something else. But watchful waiting is an appropriate response.

updated: October 28, 2021
originally published: August 21, 2019

Will a Hernia Go Away on Its Own?

If you have a hernia and it’s causing you pain, you need to get it treated. Hernias will not go away on their own. Learn what treatment options are available from surgeon Dr. Rodney Barker in 60 seconds on this Health Minute.

Read / Listen

Could That Lump Be a Hernia?

Hernias are extremely common—any person of any age or gender can form one for a variety of reasons. You may even have one and not even know it. Dr. Rodney Barker talks about how you can identify a hernia and the treatments available.

Read / Listen

ER or Not: Hernias

You’re helping friends move some heavy furniture and suddenly feel a pop in your abdomen. Maybe you have a small protrusion and think it could be a hernia. ER physician Dr. Troy Madsen talks about when it’s serious enough to seek immediate help.

Read / Listen