Secondary outcomes
hernia, NRS, pain
RECURRENCES, MINOR
The degree of pain was estimated with the numeric rating scale (NRS) assessed at rest, when coughing and during physical activity. The mean NRS score at rest was low pre-operatively and at post-operative follow-up (A group 0.79–0.21, P group 0.97–0.34). At exercise, the mean NRS score was significantly improved at 1- and 3-month follow-up compared to the pre-operative state, after which it remained quite stable (Fig. NRS scores (mean) during exercise preoperatively and at follow-up, A, Adhesix™; P, Progrip™Patients with NRS 0 have no pain, whereas NRS 1–3 describe mild pain, NRS 4–6 intermediate pain, and NRS 7–10 severe pain. At 1-year follow-up, most patients (87.3%) had no pain at rest, additionally 10.7% of all patients suffered from mild pain (NRS 1–3), with no significant difference between the groups. In the A group, none of the patients had moderate (NRS 4–6) or severe pain (NRS 7–10) at rest, and in the P group, 4 patients (3.7%) reported moderate pain (The frequency of pain in the inguinal region was determined by a three-step scale; never, rarely, or frequently. Only 2 patients (1.0%) reported frequent pain at 1-year follow-up, while 80 patients (40%) rarely suffered from pain in the inguinal region. There was no significant difference between groups.Similarly, the questions regarding pain in the RAND-36-Item Health Survey showed significantly less pain up until 3 months post-operatively (A 88.7, P 82.6) compared to the preoperative (A 70.8, P 63.0) and early post-operative state (A 72.5, P 63.7). After that time point, the severity of pain was stable without differences between the groups (A 87.1, P 82.5).The dimensions in RAND-36 affected by pain are physical functioning and role limitations due to physical problems. At 1-year follow-up, both groups have high ratings in physical functioning (A 94.4, P 91.6) and only minor limitations due to physical problems (A 91.8, P 85.5). The RAND-36 survey results during follow-up are presented in Fig. RAND 36-Item Health Survey before and after surgery (mean values, scored on a 0–100 range). Two hernia recurrences (