Because that alone does nothing whatever to strengthen the weakened muscles, or to overcome the muscle lifelessness, the conditions which cause rupture.
No man ever made his arm strong by not using it.
And if a truss does nothing more than hold the rupture in place, the muscles at the rupture opening are never used, get no exercise, so they grow constantly weaker instead of stronger.
We have had cases here at the Institute where, for lack of activity, the muscles around the rupture opening had withered almost completely away. And usually, in addition to lack of use, the deadening, benumbing pressure from a wrong truss was partly responsible for that withered or deadened condition of the muscles.
We can do nothing in cases like that. Neither can an operation or anything else. It is entirely too late.
Like a man whose arm has been broken.
While carried in a sling or plaster cast, the arm tends to lose its strength—loses it through lack of use.
And if, after the bone has knit, the arm is still carried in a sling, never used, its muscles would soon atrophy or become dead, weaken and waste away until useless.
A doctor would insist that the arm be used or exercised as soon as the bone had knit, thus gradually restoring it to strength.
Same way with rupture. It can be cured or made better only by strengthening the weakened muscles, gently exercising them, giving them support which takes the strain off them while helping them do their work until, gradually, they regain their full strength and need no help.