Is it a hernia? A 2-minute self-check
A few questions to help you understand what you're feeling and what a reasonable next step looks like. Educational only. This is not a diagnosis and doesn't replace an exam.
Written and reviewed by Carlos Rodriguez, DO, MBA, FACS. Last reviewed October 1, 2026.
This tool provides general education based on common hernia symptoms. It cannot examine you, and it can't rule a hernia in or out. When in doubt, call the office at (817) 250-7030; we'd rather you call than have you wait on an urgent issue.
How this self-check works
The questions it asks
- First, any of these right now? A bulge that is suddenly very painful, firm, or red; a bulge that won't push back in; severe belly pain with vomiting; or fever with abdominal pain after recent surgery.
- Do you notice a bulge or lump? In the groin, at or near the navel, or along a scar from a prior operation, often easier to see when standing, coughing, or straining.
- Does the bulge change with position or effort? For example: more obvious when standing, lifting, or coughing, and smaller or gone when lying down.
- Does the discomfort follow effort? An ache, pressure, or pulling in the groin or abdomen that shows up with lifting, coughing, straining, or long periods of standing.
What your answers can mean
Go to the emergency room now
A bulge that is suddenly very painful, firm, red, or won't push back in, or severe belly pain with vomiting, can mean the tissue is trapped or losing blood supply (incarceration or strangulation). That is treated as an emergency.
Do not wait for an appointment. Go to the nearest ER, or call 911 if you cannot get there safely.
What you describe fits the classic pattern of a hernia
A bulge that appears with standing or straining and flattens when you lie down is the textbook presentation. Hernias don't heal on their own, and an exam is how you find out what you're dealing with and whether it can simply be watched.
Next step: call my office at (817) 250-7030, or call your primary care provider, for an evaluation. In the meantime, read the guide for your area: groin, navel, or prior incision.
It could still be a hernia. An exam will tell.
Not every hernia produces an obvious bulge. This is especially true in women, where groin hernias are smaller, harder to feel, and often blamed on other causes first, and where femoral hernias carry more risk if missed.
Next step: call my office at (817) 250-7030, or call your primary care provider, and ask to be evaluated for a hernia. See also: groin pain that is not always a hernia and inguinal hernia in women.
This does not sound like a hernia
Based on your answers, there's no bulge and your discomfort does not follow effort. Groin and belly discomfort has many other causes.
Next step: contact your primary care provider so the cause can be found. If you notice a bulge, call my office at (817) 250-7030. You can also read about groin pain that is not a hernia.
Nothing here needs an exam today
With no bulge and no discomfort, there is nothing to check right now. A hernia usually shows up as a bulge in the groin, at the belly button, or near a scar, often larger when you stand or strain.
If you notice a bulge or new discomfort, call your primary care provider or my office at (817) 250-7030.