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What is a floating belly button?

A floating belly button, also known medically as an umbilical hernia, is when the belly button protrudes outward due to a weakness or hole in the abdominal wall. This allows abdominal fat or part of the intestines to push through the abdominal wall causing the belly button to “float” or stick out. A floating belly button is relatively common and can affect people of any age, but is most frequently seen in infants, pregnant women, and overweight or obese adults. While rarely serious, a floating belly button may require medical treatment to repair the abdominal wall weakness and prevent complications.

What causes a floating belly button?

There are a few potential causes for a floating belly button:

  • Congenital defect – Some infants are born with a weakness or opening in the abdominal wall at the belly button site that allows tissue to push through. This is called an umbilical hernia and occurs in about 10% of all newborns.
  • Pregnancy – The abdominal wall weakens during pregnancy and this added pressure can cause abdominal contents to push through near the belly button resulting in an umbilical hernia. These occur in around 20% of pregnancies.
  • Obesity – Added weight and fatty tissue increases pressure on the abdominal wall, especially the belly button site, and can cause a hernia to develop. Floating belly buttons are seen in up to 50% of obese individuals.
  • Prior surgery – Abdominal surgery can sometimes cause structural weakness in the abdominal wall that leads to a hernia, often near the belly button.
  • Heavy lifting or straining – Activities that increase abdominal pressure can also cause part of the intestines to be pushed through an existing weak spot in the abdominal wall.

What are the symptoms of a floating belly button?

The most obvious symptom is outward protrusion or bulging of the belly button itself. Other signs and symptoms may include:

  • Pain or discomfort around the belly button, especially when bending over or doing activities that increase abdominal pressure.
  • Redness, swelling, or irritation of the skin around the protruding belly button.
  • A burning, gurgling, or aching sensation at the hernia site.
  • The hernia bulges out more when coughing, straining during bowel movements, or lifting heavy objects.
  • The hernia may reduce in size or disappear when lying down.
  • Incarceration – the hernia becomes lodged in the abdominal wall and can’t be pushed back in. This can be very painful.
  • Strangulation – the blood supply to the trapped intestinal tissue gets cut off. This is a medical emergency requiring immediate treatment.

When should you see a doctor?

See your doctor promptly if you notice any new protrusion or change in your belly button. All umbilical hernias, especially those that cause pain, become irreducible, or show signs of strangulation require medical assessment. Seek emergency care if the hernia becomes lodged, swollen, severely painful, or turns red, purple or dark.

How is a floating belly button diagnosed?

Diagnosing an umbilical hernia is usually straightforward based on physical examination of the abdomen. Imaging tests like CT scans or ultrasounds may be done to confirm the diagnosis and check for complications in some cases.

How is a floating belly button treated?

Treatment depends on the size of the hernia, symptoms, and risk of complications. Options may include:

  • Watchful waiting – no treatment beyond monitoring if the hernia is small and not causing problems.
  • Lifestyle changes – losing weight, not smoking, and avoiding constipation or heavy lifting.
  • Abdominal binder – wearing a supportive binder around the belly.
  • Surgery – hernia repair surgery may be done, often laparoscopically, to close the abdominal wall defect.

Infants may be treated non-surgically as umbilical hernias in babies often resolve on their own by age 1-2 years. Adults generally require surgery to prevent complications like strangulation of the bowel.

Can you push in a floating belly button?

You should never try to push in or “reduce” a floating belly button on your own. While you may be able to gently push the protruding tissue back into the abdomen, this can actually do more harm than good. Forcing an umbilical hernia back through the abdominal wall defect can injure the tissue and lead to dangerous complications. Instead, cover the area with a clean bandage and seek prompt medical treatment if the hernia becomes irreducible.

Are floating belly buttons dangerous?

Umbilical hernias are typically not dangerous or life-threatening in adults. However, complications can occasionally occur including:

  • Incarceration – Part of the intestine becomes trapped in the abdominal wall defect and obstructs the bowel. This requires emergency treatment.
  • Strangulation – The trapped intestine has its blood supply cut off which can cause that segment of the bowel to become gangrenous and die if not treated urgently.
  • Perforation – The trapped, swollen bowel segment causes the overlying skin to thin and burst open allowing bowel contents to spill into the abdomen causing severe infection.

Prompt surgical repair of the hernia is recommended for adults to avoid the risk of these complications arising.

Can an umbilical hernia go away on its own?

In infants, small umbilical hernias frequently go away on their own by age 1-2 years as the abdominal wall defect naturally closes. Waiting and monitoring is usually recommended for infants without complications or very large hernias.

In adults, umbilical hernias typically do not resolve spontaneously and surgery is usually recommended even if the hernia is small and painless. The risk of the hernia becoming incarcerated, strangulated and causing a life-threatening emergency continues to persist and grow over time in adults.

How do you prevent a floating belly button?

To help prevent the development of an umbilical hernia in adults:

  • Maintain a healthy weight and avoid obesity which places added pressure on the abdominal wall.
  • Eat a high-fiber diet and avoid constipation which can increase abdominal pressure from straining.
  • Avoid heavy lifting and strenuous exercise that stresses the abdominal wall.
  • Stop smoking which can cause coughing and lead to herniation.
  • Manage ascites or fluid retention which can distend the abdomen.
  • Treat chronic cough from conditions like COPD that continually raise intra-abdominal pressure.

Pregnant women should take care to avoid heavy lifting and seek medical advice if they notice any protrusion around the belly button. A supportive abdominal binder may help reduce hernia risk during pregnancy.

Can you exercise with an umbilical hernia?

Light, low-impact exercise that avoids straining the abdominal muscles is usually fine with an umbilical hernia as long as it is not causing pain. However, you’ll want to avoid activities that significantly increase abdominal pressure and could make the hernia worse such as:

  • Heavy weight lifting
  • Crunches or sit-ups
  • Pilates
  • Yoga poses that require intense core strength
  • High-impact aerobics or plyometrics
  • Racquet sports that involve forceful swinging
  • Contact sports like football or martial arts

Walking, swimming, light cycling, and other low-impact cardio are typically safe. But always check with your doctor about appropriate exercise with an umbilical hernia based on your individual situation.

What happens if an umbilical hernia is left untreated?

Leaving an umbilical hernia untreated carries serious long-term risks. While the hernia may seem harmless initially, over months and years, the protruding abdominal tissue can get progressively larger and more painful.

More concerning is that the risk of developing a life-threatening complication like incarceration, strangulation, or perforation continues to increase over time the longer the hernia defect persists. This requires emergency surgery which has higher complication rates than having elective surgery to repair the hernia before emergencies occur.

Can a floating belly button burst?

In very rare cases, an umbilical hernia that becomes severely enlarged and swollen can eventually cause the overlying abdominal wall tissue to thin, weaken and burst open. This leads to spillage of bowel contents into the abdomen resulting in severe and life-threatening peritonitis or abdominal infection.

However, most umbilical hernias that become this large and painful will be treated surgically before such rupture and catastrophic complications occur. Seeking medical advice promptly for any symptomatic umbilical hernia can help avoid emergency situations.

Conclusion

A floating or protruding belly button is usually indicative of an underlying umbilical hernia requiring medical assessment. While not always an emergency, repairing the abdominal wall defect before complications arise is recommended, especially in adults. With appropriate treatment and lifestyle changes to reduce pressure on the abdomen, umbilical hernias can be dealt with effectively.