Can inguinal hernia repair nerve damage?

Yes: Nerve injuries are rare complications of open & laparoscopic hernia repair. In open surgery, the nerve that innervates the skin of the groin & thigh is prone to injury, leading to numbness or pain. In laparoscopic repair, a tack holding the mesh can irritate branches of the same nerve, or, more rarely, catch a nerve to the leg. Chronic pain responds to injecting the nerve, if necessary.

Yes: One of the risk of inguinal hernia repair is nerve damage, primarily the nerve that gives feeling to the scrotum/vulva on the side of the operation.