A hernia is defined as an area of weakness or complete disruption of the fibromuscular tissues of the bodywall. Structures arising from the cavity contained by the body wall can pass through or herniate, through such a defect. While the definition is straight forward, the terminology is often mispresented. It should be clear that hernia refers to the actual anatomic weakness or defect and hernia contents describe those structures that pass through the defect. Hernias are among the oldest known afflictions of humankind, and surgical repair of the inguinal hernia is the most common general surgery procedure performed today. Despite the high incidence, the technical aspects of hernia repair continue to evolve. When the modern techniques for inguinal hernia repair were described in 19th century, recurrence was the problem. All conventional tissue repairs have a common problem in suture line tension. This tension is the prime cause for tissue or suture disruption causing hernia recurrence. The advent of synthetic mesh made possible the bridging of large gaps in the tissues without tension, making it possible to cure every hernia, irrespective of its size or shape. The "Lichtenstein" introduced his concept of "tension - free" repair of inguinal hernias using synthetic polypropylene mesh. The introduction of laproscopic techniques opened a new era in inguinal hernia repair. Although groin hernia repair is associated with excellent short and large term outcomes, complications of the procedure exist and must be recognized.