Can an inguinal hernia cause bowel obstruction?

Yes: If the hernia becomes incarcerate the loop of bowel is trapped in the hernia and may be twisted as is its blood supply. This usually requires emergent attention and probable surgery. Do not delay as the trapped bowel could become ischemic from lack of blood flow and then you have a much more serious and complicated problem.

Yes.: A hernia is said to be incarcerated when a structure within the abdominal cavity gets "stuck" within the hernia. If this happens to be a loop of intestine, this can cause an obstruction and lead to the blood supply of the intestine being cut-off; we call this a strangulated hernia. If one has a large, tender lump in the groin that cannot be pushed back in, this requires emergency md attention.

Bowel obstruction: Most definitely. Hernias are the second most common cause for a small bowel obstruction. Inguinal hernias often allow loops of small bowel to slip in and out of them. When a loop gets stuck, or incarcerated, it may then cause a kinking of the bowel, resulting in a small bowel obstruction.