Preoperative Etanercept Before Inguinal Hernia Surgery

76 patients with an inguinal hernia scheduled for surgical repair will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive either subcutaneous etanercept or saline before skin incision. The study will be double-blind (i.e. neither the surgeon, anesthesiologist, nor the person administering the injection will know which group they were assigned to). Group I will receive 50 mg of subcutaneous etanercept mixed in 1 ml sterile water 90-120" before skin incision. Group II will receive 1 ml of sterile water 90-120" before skin incision. The anesthesia and surgical procedures will be standardized. For the next 24 hours, patients will keep a q4 hour pain diary recording their average pain on a 0-10 numerical rating scale. They will also record the number of Percocet tablets they took. All patients will be seen 1 month after their surgery, where their average pain score, work status, and analgesic intake (if any) will be recorded. Patients will then be followed with a telephone follow-up 3, 6 and 12-months post-procedure, where the same variables will be recorded.