Autumn arrives and some activities at home cannot be avoided. Such as cleaning and rearranging the cupboards, which, for some people, is cause for concern because they fear that a sudden effort such as lifting a heavy object, such as one or more boxes while rearranging the cupboards, could cause hernia. True or false? We asked Dr. Stefano Bona, Head of the General Surgery and Day Surgery Department of the Humanitas General and Digestive Surgery Operational Unit.

“False. The hernia usually develops on the basis of an individual predisposition of the tissues or, at the abdominal level, also as a result of a weakening of the muscles, called laparocele, induced by a previous surgical intervention – explains the expert. Physical efforts such as lifting a heavy box can be a cause, i.e. a cause that is associated with the previous ones, but rarely represent the only factor responsible for the tear of tissues and hence of hernia. However, manual lifting of excessive weights involving a strong abdominal musculature is to be avoided as much as possible. In case of heavy boxes, it is always advisable to get help, or distribute the weight using smaller and therefore less heavy boxes to lift.