Interesting subject to me presently. Last Thanksgiving, doing some admittedly heavy yardwork, I suffered a classic stumble, over compensating attempt not to fall, then fall. Wound up with a badly pulled right groin and inguinal hernia. The groin healed pretty quick but this hernia, not so much. Did not really effect lifting things but by the end of a shift of ladder work and stretching overhead pulling on wrenches it felt like my belly was about to burst open. Pretty (expletive deleted) painful.
I got a referral to a specialist and after the exam he predicted that I could go five years until a surgical repair would be required. Provided I don't do anything stupid in the meantime, of course.
I think my inguinal canal is fairly stable now with no pain and I wear a prescribed hernia belt for anything remotely strenuous. However if I get any groin pain I immediately stop and reassess what I'm doing wrong. All this has had no adverse effect on my cycling by the way.
Hopefully by the time I need the repair they will have some new tech available besides stitching a piece of window screen in my groin. I already have enough titanium and cadaver bone in me.