Hernia mesh: source of chronic pain

Chronic pain from hernia mesh complications is debilitating and may make it difficult for patients to work and complete daily activities.

Hernias occur when muscles in the body cannot keep tissues where they should be. This results in a bulge through the muscle as tissues and even organs pass through the weakened spot. To repair hernias, many surgeons use mesh products designed to “patch” the weakness and prevent hernias from reoccurring.

Unfortunately, hernia mesh may be associated with serious side effects such as chronic pain. Chronic pain is any ongoing physical pain that lasts longer than six months. In patients with hernia mesh, chronic pain may be linked to complications such as adhesion, mesh shrinkage, mesh migration, infections, organ perforation, fluid pockets, and other mesh failures.

Several doctors joined forces in a 2018 research paper published in the Annals of Surgery to discuss chronic groin pain after hernia mesh repair. According to the researchers, the use of mesh in the repair of groin hernias causes significant damage to nerves and muscles in the area. As a result, patients may experience “severe pain,” sexual dysfunction, and other symptoms.

After reviewing medical files of hernia repair patients, the researchers also concluded that non-mesh repairs may cause fewer adverse side effects. Specifically, severe, burning pain during sex was found in only 0.04% of reviewed patients whose hernias were repaired with tissue instead of mesh. In contrast, hernia patients repaired with mesh suffered from this pain in 3.1% of reviewed cases — 77.5% more than non-mesh repair patients.

These severe pain symptoms may lead patients to seek a revision surgery — a surgical removal of the implanted hernia repair mesh. However, even if revision surgery removes the mesh successfully, patients may not recover. Although many patients report an improvement in their symptoms after mesh removal, other patients may suffer from hernia mesh chronic pain and other symptoms after surgeons remove the mesh.

Unfortunately, even if doctors do their best during hernia mesh revision surgery, they may not be able to get every piece of mesh — which may contribute to ongoing symptoms. According to Dr. Robert Bendavid, a Toronto doctor who performed non-mesh hernia repairs at Shouldice Hernia Center and co-author of the 2018 Annals of Surgery study, the process often leaves pieces of mesh behind.

“It’s very difficult to go back in and remove every single strand of mesh,” Dr. Bendavid told Harper’s before his death in 2019.  “It breaks up into fibrils. How do you remove it when the fibers spread out and erode into the adjacent tissues?”

Filing a hernia mesh lawsuit

A growing number of people are coming forward with claims that their hernia mesh device has caused them serious injuries, from chronic pain to mesh rejection to organ perforation.

If you suffered from chronic pain due to hernia mesh complications, you may be eligible to take legal action against the mesh manufacturer. Manufacturers that failed to warn patients and doctors of hernia mesh complications could be held liable for resulting injuries. A number of hernia meshes have also been recalled.

A hernia mesh lawsuit could recover compensation for medical bills, disability, pain and suffering, and more.

Filing a lawsuit can be a daunting prospect, so Top Class Actions has laid the groundwork for you by connecting you with an experienced attorney. Consulting an attorney can help you determine if you have a claim, navigate the complexities of litigation, and maximize your potential compensation.