The text book definition of a hernia is “A bulging of an organ or tissue through an abnormal opening”, occurring mostly in the intestinal region. However, this is not the definition of a hernia according to Ayurveda.
Ayurveda describes a hernia as a swelling of the intestine, due to the presence of a sub clinical infection inside it.
This swelling overtime causes the abdominal wall to weaken and eventually the intestine swells up so much that the weak abdominal wall cannot hold the pressure and gives in. This means that the weakest link on the abdominal wall is the point where someone would get a hernia. That is why in Ayurveda, all hernias are classified to be similar in nature – as they are all swelling of the intestine.