Background: Increased awareness of post-hernia repair pain motivated a study of pain and rehabilitation after day surgery.
Material and methods: Forty male patients were prospectively randomized to conventional (McVay) or open mesh repair. Self-assessment of postoperative pain was based on a four-step verbal scale. Patients and the physicians conducting the study were blinded to the surgical method. Clinical follow-up was performed twice, after four weeks and median 21 months.
Results: The open mesh technique generated less pain during the first postoperative week. Chronic light to moderate pain occurred in 20% of patients irrespective of surgical method. A sick leave of one to three weeks was sufficient in 20 out of 27 patients.
Interpretation: The study showed no clinical advantage of a tension-free method in terms of rehabilitation and post-hernia repair after the first postoperative week. Because of the relatively high incidence of late treatment-related pain, non-symptomatic adult patients should not be referred for inguinal hernia surgery. The primary sick leave period should not exceed three weeks.