If you are looking for a comfortable hernia belt that you can wear all day long or exercise in, good luck! I have been searching for something that I can wear every day, that actually fits my active lifestyle, and have come up empty. I have ordered every hernia belt that I could find online or in stores with absolutely no luck. Apparently, most of the companies who make hernia belts have never had to wear one before, because if they had, they would have never put their product on the market.

There were two different types that I tried. One that was made with an elastic waste band, and had a pad on the front, with a strap that goes around your crotch and hooks to the waist belt, and a few that were incorporated into a pair of briefs.

With both types being extremely uncomfortable, I found the type that is incorporated into the briefs to be the worst. Hernia belt, trussThis might be due to the fact that I am a boxers guy, so I’m not used to having my junk all squeezed up like that. I could literally only stand to wear it for about an hour before I had to take it off. Maybe if you are already used to wearing briefs it might be ok, but for me it was an instant no-go.

The other strap type hernia trusses that I tried were a little better because they gave my junk the freedom that they are used to having in boxers. The belt part, on  every one that I have tried, is made with really thick elastic. Plus all the velcro they use to make them adjustable makes them far too bulky. But the worst part has to be the pad that’s used to put pressure on the hernia itself to keep it from popping out. The thing is so big, and it’s rounded and bulged out on the inside part that goes against your skin. I guess the idea is that it is supposed to push on the hernia enough to keep it inside the hole that it is coming through, but all this does is cause soreness and irritation. I ended up having to take the most comfortable hernia belt that I could find, and shave down the pad with a sander to make it so I could keep it on for more than a few hours.

All this is on land. Try taking these into the ocean or go for a run with it on and it is ten times worse. Laying down on a surfboard was impossible with the huge pad in the way. My surf trunks kept sliding down underneath the belt in the back also, so I would have this big white strap hanging out the back of my shorts while I was paddling out, so that was super annoying. Needless to say that I am not able to wear any of the belts that I’ve tried while surfing.

So for a while, I was wearing the strap type with the front pad sanded down flat, but I know there is a better way! I have been playing around with developing a hernia belt that could be comfortably worn all day long, and works just as well wether you’re running, biking, hiking, or surfing and will keep you guys posted on my progress.

Update 3/26/2018:

Since I wrote this article I have developed my own brand of hernia belt designed for active people called the Comfort-Truss Hernia Belt. If you’re looking for something you can wear all day, every day, no matter what activity you’re doing, check it out!