Short convalescence after inguinal herniorrhaphy with standardised recommendations: duration and reasons for delayed return to work

Objective: To provide a detailed description of post‐herniorrhaphy convalescence. Design: Prospective, descriptive, consecutive questionnaire case series. Setting: Public university hospital. Denmark. Patients: 100 consecutive patients treated for inguinal hernia. Intervention: Elective open inguinal herniorrhaphy under local anaesthesia. One day convalescence for light/ moderate and three weeks for strenuous physical activity was recommended. Main outcome measure: Duration of absence from work or main recreational activity. Results: Overall median absence (including the day of operation) was 6 days (interquartile range 1–16). For unemployed patients it was 1 day (0–7), for patients with a light or moderate workload 6 days (3–12), and for those with a heavy workload 25 days (21–37). Among the 64 patients, who did not follow the recommendations, pain was contributory in 33 and advice from the general practitioner in 12. Pain was the main cause of impairment of activities of daily living. Conclusion: Well‐defined recommendations for convalescence may, together with improved management of postoperative pain, shorten convalescence; they are essential in the evaluation of effects of different surgical techniques of herniorrhaphy on convalescence. Copyright © 1999 Taylor and Francis Ltd.