8 July 2021
Umbilical Hernia needs surgery
Chuck Odette, who did his first 8b+/c last year at age 64, shares his story of getting umbilical hernia after a weird fall.
โThe fall was diagonal, moving right to left, on semi steep terrain. Maybe 20-25 degrees over hanging. In was about 8 feet past the crux bolt. I stuck the hard move but my left hand popped off a small hold and my body corkscrewed outward so I was facing away from the rock. I fell about 20 feet sideways. At the end of the fall my harness waist belt rode up into my lower left rib area with heavy impact. This caused the torn connective tissue damage on my left side.
I continued climbing but eventually had to stop due to the pain and discomfort of both injuries. Two weeks later now, my side is still healing and super sore. I can push the hernia back into place but it pops back out with any exertion. Evan a sneeze or cough will pop it back out.
I'll be better after surgery for the hernia which happens on 12 July. Off for a couple of weeks of recovery after surgery then some rehab (2-4 weeks) and I will be back in action.
Turns out umbilical hernias are common among climbers of all ages. They're only fixable with surgery. Left neglected they can get worse and become life threatening. The surgery is minor if done early after diagnosis. I've encountered a few climbers who have been dealing with this injury for a while. Not good. Might be good to get this message out.
Symptoms of abdominal hernia are a lump near the navel. Hernias can also appear in the upper and lower abdominal area as well as the groin. It's basically a section of small intestine being forced out through the abdominal muscles creating a permanent hole or weakness, thus the need for minor surgery. The condition is more uncomfortable than painful. However, if untreated, can become incredibly painful obviously.โ
โThe fall was diagonal, moving right to left, on semi steep terrain. Maybe 20-25 degrees over hanging. In was about 8 feet past the crux bolt. I stuck the hard move but my left hand popped off a small hold and my body corkscrewed outward so I was facing away from the rock. I fell about 20 feet sideways. At the end of the fall my harness waist belt rode up into my lower left rib area with heavy impact. This caused the torn connective tissue damage on my left side.
I continued climbing but eventually had to stop due to the pain and discomfort of both injuries. Two weeks later now, my side is still healing and super sore. I can push the hernia back into place but it pops back out with any exertion. Evan a sneeze or cough will pop it back out.
I'll be better after surgery for the hernia which happens on 12 July. Off for a couple of weeks of recovery after surgery then some rehab (2-4 weeks) and I will be back in action.
Turns out umbilical hernias are common among climbers of all ages. They're only fixable with surgery. Left neglected they can get worse and become life threatening. The surgery is minor if done early after diagnosis. I've encountered a few climbers who have been dealing with this injury for a while. Not good. Might be good to get this message out.
Symptoms of abdominal hernia are a lump near the navel. Hernias can also appear in the upper and lower abdominal area as well as the groin. It's basically a section of small intestine being forced out through the abdominal muscles creating a permanent hole or weakness, thus the need for minor surgery. The condition is more uncomfortable than painful. However, if untreated, can become incredibly painful obviously.โ
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