The annual cost of disability payments after operations for hernias in the groin in the United States is unnecessarily high. This is because patients are being advised to limit their physical activity for six to eight weeks postoperatively to prevent recurrence. Although no scientific backing exists for such advice, this common and costly practice persists.

In Britain when patients return to full activity “within a few weeks”*RF 1-4* recurrences are not more common. Troublesome wound soreness is rare seven to 10 days after operation, and immediate return to full activity as soon as the …