Belly Button

Often female patients come with belly button pain or pain around belly button. There are many causes. Commonest cause is muscle stretching. In India its generally common in females  because of multiple pregnancies, obesity, poor muscle tone & lifting heavy weight. The navel gets so stretched that it starts to tear and the contents which are suppose to be inside start protruding out. The belly button everts & protrudes out This is called herniation. Often due to obesity this protrusion is not recognized and the patients continues to experience pain and not realize the swelling in the belly button. Gradually these small defects grow to bigger defects. Most of these muscle defects in and around the navel can be repaired laparoscopically. Its a short procedure. The defect if very small can simply be closed by few stitches  A synthetic material (mesh) is often used to reinforce the repair. This minimizes the chance of recurrence. So please report to your doctor if you experience a belly button or navel pain. One easy was to check if you are developing a hernia is by placing your tip of finger on your belly and coughing in standing position. If there is an expansile impulse or feeling that something is protruding out, there are chances that you may be developing an umbilical hernia. Report to your doctor. If diagnosed early, it can be repaired very easily. To prevent suchumbilical (paraumbilical) hernia avoid lifting very heavy weights, do regular exercises especially after delivery and avoid obesity.