Massage therapy · Kitchener–WaterlooHiatus Hernia

A hiatus hernia is when part of your stomach pushes up through your diaphragm into your chest (NHS, 2024). The diaphragm is the sheet of muscle that separates your chest from your tummy (abdomen) (MedlinePlus, 2025). It has a small opening, called the hiatus, where your food pipe (oesophagus) passes through to join your stomach. Part of the stomach can push up through this opening, causing the hernia.

In most cases, a hiatus hernia does not cause any problems, and you might not even know you have one unless a doctor finds it when looking for something else (NHS, 2024; MedlinePlus, 2025). Hiatus hernias are very common in people over 50 (NHS, 2024).

A hiatus hernia can allow stomach acid to come back up into your oesophagus, causing heartburn (a painful burning feeling in your chest, often after eating) and acid reflux (bringing up small amounts of food or bitter-tasting fluid). These are the symptoms of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) (NHS, 2024). Self-help measures and medicines often help to relieve these symptoms, and surgery is usually only considered if other treatments have not worked (NHS, 2024).

Hiatus Hernia Anatomy

The abdomen is the space in the body between the chest (thorax) and the pelvis. The diaphragm forms the top of the abdomen and separates it from the chest (MedlinePlus, 2025). At the level of the pelvic bones, the abdomen ends and the pelvis begins. Your abdomen holds your digestive organs, such as the stomach, pancreas, gallbladder, liver, and small and large intestines, as well as your spleen. The organs are held together by connecting tissues that allow them to expand and slide against one another. Your food pipe runs down through the chest and passes through the opening in the diaphragm to reach the stomach. In a hiatus hernia, part of the stomach slides up through this opening into the chest (MedlinePlus, 2025).

How to Treat a Hiatus Hernia

Treatments you may want to discuss with your family doctor or nurse practitioner

Tips

• Eat smaller, more frequent meals rather than a few large meals (NHS, 2024).
• Avoid food and drink that trigger your symptoms. Common triggers include coffee, tomatoes, alcohol, chocolate, and fatty or spicy foods (NHS, 2023).
• Do not eat within 3 or 4 hours of going to bed (NHS, 2024).
• Raise the head end of your bed by 10 to 20cm so your chest and head are above the level of your waist (NHS, 2024). Do not use extra pillows to do this, as they can increase pressure on your tummy (NHS, 2023).
• If you are overweight, try to lose weight. Hiatus hernias are more common in people who are overweight (NHS, 2024; MedlinePlus, 2025).
• Do not drink too much alcohol (NHS, 2024).
• If you are a smoker, stop (NHS, 2024; MedlinePlus, 2025).
• Avoid lying down or bending over straight after a meal (MedlinePlus, 2025).
• Do not wear clothes that are tight around your waist, and try to find ways to relax (NHS, 2024).
• Do not stop taking any prescribed medicine without speaking to a doctor first (NHS, 2024).

1. MedlinePlus (US National Library of Medicine) (2025) Hiatal hernia. Available at: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/001137.htm (Accessed: 7 October 2026).
2. NHS (2023) Heartburn and acid reflux. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/heartburn-and-acid-reflux/ (Accessed: 7 October 2026).
3. NHS (2024) Hiatus hernia. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hiatus-hernia/ (Accessed: 7 October 2026).