Expert advice on how to avoid hernias

WHO gets hernias? Well, Madonna has had one, weightlifters and builders get them, and US wrestler Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson famously tweeted about his in 2013.

But it’s not just people with physical lifestyles who suffer from hernias. We are all susceptible — and in winter, the risk is even higher. Our expert offers advice on how to avoid them, and what to do if you find one.

WHAT IS A HERNIA? Hernias can appear as bulges on the body and are caused when an organ or tissue protrudes through a weak area of muscle or tissue that normally keeps it in place. Hernias most often develop in the abdomen, when the intestine bulges through the abdominal wall.