Perioperative Rehab for Inguinal Hernia Repair

NCT07680777 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: Pro00165111
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 98
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Despite how common inguinal hernia repair (IHR) surgery is, there is little research on how best to prepare people for this operation. Surgeons' advice to patients about exercise and physical activity are inconsistent and usually based on their clinical opinion. Some surgeons recommend exercise to help prepare for the operation while others say to rest. Research is needed to help know whether exercise is helpful before and after IHR surgery. This study will observe the effects of education and exercise before and immediately after IHR surgery. Half of the participants will be randomized to an education and exercise group and the other half to a non-exercise, care as usual group. Participant outcomes will be measured up to 3 months after their surgery. It is expected that participants in the education and exercise group will have: 1) less pain at follow-up, 2) better hernia-related outcomes, 3) quicker return to activity and work, and 4) improved overall experience surrounding IHR surgery. This project will help in developing clear guidelines for pre- and post-operation to better prepare patients for IHR surgery.

Conditions

Inguinal Hernia

Keywords

rehabilitation; prehabilitation

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Self-reported pain due to hernia

  Pain as measured on the Pain Disability Index, scored 0-10, with 0 being no pain and 10 being the worst pain.

  From enrollment to 12 weeks post-op

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Hernia Recurrence

  At 12 weeks post-op

• Return to regular work/activity

  From enrollment to 12 weeks post-op

• Surgical experience

  From enrollment to 12 weeks post-op

Study Arms (2)

Intervention Group

EXPERIMENTAL

49 participants will be randomly selected to the intervention group. These participants will receive six weeks of pre-operative exercise and education, as well as six weeks of graduated post-operative exercise instruction, beginning at three weeks post-op with the surgeon's clearance.

Other: Rehabilitation

Control Group

NO INTERVENTION

49 participants will be randomly selected to the control group. These participants will receive pre-operative education in the form of educational videos. They will not receive exercise instruction.

Interventions

Rehabilitation OTHER

Pre- and post-operative exercise and education.

Intervention Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• scheduled to undergo first time elective inguinal hernia repair
• willing to participate in a 6-week exercise program before and after surgery
• internet access: ability to communicate via email and Zoom
• at least 18 years of age
• no medical contraindications to exercise

You may not qualify if:

• recurrent hernia
• poorly controlled comorbidities that may prevent safe participation in exercise
• use of opiates and/or opioids

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Alberta: lead

Study Sites (1)

University of Alberta

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Location

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MeSH Terms

Conditions

Hernia, Inguinal

Interventions

Rehabilitation

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Hernia, Abdominal; Hernia; Pathological Conditions, Anatomical; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Aftercare; Continuity of Patient Care; Patient Care; Therapeutics; Health Services; Health Care Facilities Workforce and Services

Study Officials

• Douglas Gross

  University of Alberta

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Anna Shologan

CONTACT

780-492-2690; asholo@ualberta.ca

Douglas Gross

CONTACT

780-492-2690; dgross@ualberta.ca

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Masking Details: The nature of this exercise-based intervention does not allow for masking.
• Purpose: HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: 2-arm parallel group randomized controlled trial

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 19, 2026
• First Posted: July 2, 2026
• Study Start (Estimated): September 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2027
• Last Updated: July 2, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-06

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

CA (1)