What should I know about recovery from hernia surgery?

As with any surgery, most patients experience post operative pain in the area of their hernia repair. Most patients will also experience some level of swelling and bruising in the area. We discuss with patients that it is not uncommon to feel occasional pulling, tugging, burning, and other unusual sensations in the groin for weeks or months.

These occasional feelings are considered normal after any surgery, including hernia surgery. Each person will recover differently. The most important aspect of recovery is to listen to your individual body: if it hurts – stop, if it’s sore – ice it and take a day off.

Is there a more specific timeline for my overall recovery?

Absolutely. Through our interactions with 1000’s of patients, we have seen the following as the most common recovery for patients after hernia surgery

Phases of Healing & Activity

• Days 1–4: The Acute Healing Phase
• Clinical Focus: Managing initial inflammation and localized edema.
• Activity: Focus on “Active Rest.” We encourage frequent, short walks around the house or yard to stimulate blood flow.
• Protocol: Continuous icing of the surgical site (20 mins on/off) and strict adherence to the Multimodal Analgesia schedule to maintain a “pain-free window” without narcotics.
• Days 4–7: Resumption of Daily Living
• Clinical Focus: Transition from acute soreness to functional mobility.
• Activity: Most patients return to desk-based work and light household errands. Walking distance should be increased daily.
• Protocol: Driving is typically permitted once the patient is no longer taking any sedative medications and can comfortably perform an emergency braking maneuver.
• Week 2: Increasing Intensity
• Clinical Focus: Stabilization of the repair and collagen deposition.?li>
• Activity: Return to light aerobic exercise such as stationary cycling, brisk walking, or elliptical training.
• Restriction: Avoid “explosive” movements or lifting objects heavier than 20 pounds to prevent strain on the maturing repair.
• Week 3: Light Athletic Clearance
• Clinical Focus: Functional integration of the abdominal wall.
• Activity: Most patients are cleared for light athletic participation not requiring core engagement, including light swimming or jogging.
• Observation: Occasional “tugging” or “pulling” sensations are normal as scar tissue begins to remodel.
• Week 4: Full Functional Restoration
• Clinical Focus: Long-term durability and return to 100% capacity.
• Activity: Resumption of high-impact sports, heavy lifting (squats/deadlifts), and contact activities.
• Authority Signal: Our data, tracked via the ACHQC, demonstrates that patients following our opioid-free recovery reach this 100% milestone with significantly fewer complications.

To learn much more and for the details of recovering from hernia surgery, visit on our ‘About Hernia Recovery‘ page.

When will I be ‘healed’ from my hernia surgery?

Patients often want to know how long it will take to recover from hernia surgery. From a hernia surgery point of view, the advanced hernia repairs that hernia specialists perform are so stable and secure that patients could return to weightlifting and full activities the following day and not cause their hernia to recur. The techniques and products that we use reduce the chance of hernia recurrence both in the short term and the long term to almost zero.

Once the hernia is repaired, there is almost nothing a patient can do even from day one to re-injure the hernia. However, the skin, fat, nerves and muscles around the hernia repair take some time to return to normal and completely ‘heal’. There is always some level of swelling, bruising, inflammation and scar tissue formation. Therefore, even though the hernia is safe immediately after surgery, we ask patients to slowly return to normal activities to give the body time to heal. Plus, most patients have some pain which will require several days to resolve.

How painful is hernia surgery?

Historically, narcotic pain medication was the standard for post-surgical care; however, modern data demonstrates that narcotics can actually delay recovery through side effects such as nausea, constipation, and cognitive impairment. We utilize Multimodal Analgesia, a sophisticated strategy that combines long-acting local anesthetics (in some cases including nerve blocks), non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs), and acetaminophen to interrupt pain signals before they reach the brain.

By day 2-3 most patients are able to return to their normal activities of daily living and working with only occasional reminders of the surgery when they twist suddenly, or stand/sit for extended periods of time. Each day the discomfort should improve to the point of very little pain by weeks 2-3. Patients who had a significant amount of pain with the hernia before the surgery, often have more pain after the surgery.

What medications will I need to control my pain after surgery?

99% of our patients post surgery require ZERO opioid pain pills after surgery with only less than 1% needing an opioid after surgery. This includes patients who have had the following types of surgery:

• laparoscopic inguinal hernia repairs
• open inguinal hernia repair
• ventral or umbilical hernia

In the end, only 1% of ventral, umbilical and laparoscopic hernia repair patients take on opioid pill! The other 99% take zero opioid pills after their surgery. Even patients who do require prescription pain medications, they only utilize them for 2-3 days after their surgery. 100% of patients are not taking prescription medications after the first 2-3 days.

When can I return to work after my surgery?

Recovery is a process that will be different for all patients, but from a surgery healing point of view, there are a few important time-lines. All patients should plan on being off from work for a long weekend, or 2-3 days. Focus on “Active Rest.” We encourage frequent, short walks around the house or yard to stimulate blood flow. Continuous icing of the surgical site (20 mins on/off) and strict adherence to the Multimodal Analgesia schedule to maintain a “pain-free window” without narcotics.

Patients that have heavy lifting requirements at work will need to be on light duty for 3 weeks after surgery. At the end of 3 weeks, patients are cleared to resume all normal work activities as tolerated.

When can I return to sports after my surgery?

This is one of the most common questions for athletes to ask. Just as returning to work will depend somewhat on each patient’s pain after their procedure, returning to sports will be dictated by the ability to recover after the activity. From a surgery healing point of view, there are a few important time-lines to follow.

During the first 1-2 weeks, patients can slowly increase intensity focusing on stabilization of the repair and allowing collagen deposition. During the 2nd and 3rd weeks after surgery patients can return to light aerobic exercise such as stationary cycling, brisk walking, or elliptical training. Patients should avoid “explosive” movements or lifting objects heavier than 20 pounds to prevent strain on the maturing repair. After the 3rd week, patients are able to return to 100% capacity. This includes the resumption of high-impact sports, heavy lifting (squats/deadlifts), and contact activities.

When can I return to sexual activities after hernia surgery?

As soon as patients can engage in sexual activities without pain, they can resume their normal activities. Just as with returning to work and athletic activities, there will be some recovery period before patients feel back to normal. This usually takes at least a week.

We encourage patients to download our ‘Hernia Recovery Chart’ to learn more about what to expect after hernia surgery:

We have created a quick, go to summary for patients who plan to have hernia surgery. The chart explains day by day what most patients experience after their hernia surgery. We encourage patients to download and read our recovery chart so that they can plan accordingly after their surgery.

I’ve heard about chronic pain after hernia surgery. What causes chronic pain and what is the chance this will happen to me?

If you choose a surgeon who has high recurrence rates and increased chronic pain you can expect a higher than average chance of having a poor outcome. The opposite is true if you choose a hernia surgeon who has low recurrence rates and high quality of life ratings. Obviously, the problem that many patients face is how to find a surgeon who falls into the latter category. Fortunately, we’ve chosen to solve this problem for our patients.

Dr. Todd Harris’s commitment to transparent outcomes is rooted in his leadership as an 11-year OCMA Physician of Excellence (2015–2026). The recovery metrics displayed here are the direct result of the protocols established in the NOPIOIDS clinical trial (NCT05929937) and the evidence-based pain management research published by Dr. Harris (PMID: 39724506).