There are all different types of abdominal wall hernias. These can include things like inguinal hernias (which are hernias located in your groin), ventral hernias (which are hernias that occur anywhere around your abdominal cavity), umbilical Hernias (which are hernias in your belly button), there are incisional hernias (which are hernias that develop from a previous incision). When you look at all of those, they're all generally the same in that they are defects or holes in the abdominal wall, and the hole is allowing something to bulge out and either cause pain or to cause a visible bulge. There is a different type of hernia called a hiatal hernia, which is a completely different entity from the other hernias that I've mentioned. This involves the stomach and the esophagus and heartburn and reflux and has nothing to do with the typical hernias that we talk about when we think about a bulge from our abdominal wall. The most common symptoms of a hernia (regardless of the location) are usually pain or discomfort or a bulge that is visible.