What is the normal course of recovery after a hernia surgery?

Depends: It depends on what type of hernia it was, how big it was, and how extensive the surgery was. If it was an operation on a recurrent hernia, those are usually bigger surgeries. In general, you should be able to do your usual activities in a day or two. Most light duty jobs could be back as soon as a week. Lifting restrictions are surgeon dependent.

Days to weeks...: Recovery from hernia surgery is dependent upon the type of hernia, type of repair, and health of the patient. A healthy adult recovering from a typical inguinal (groin) hernia would go home the same day of surgery, need 2-4 days of pain meds, and be back to a desk job within 1-2 weeks. Most people would expect to be fully recovered in 2-4 weeks.

It depends..: There are many different kinds of hernias and even more types of hernia repairs. Generally speaking, most hernias are repaired as an outpatient, or with a short hospital stay. You should expect to be sore for the first week, with limited ability to do much more than move around the house. The second week should have you have improved pain control. Full recovery is generally 6 weeks.