In 2003 I had a groin hernia, or exactly even a scrotal hernia since I've waited too long with surgery. The left side of my scrotum was nearly like a fist. I opted for the Shouldice method, since I didn't like to get a mesh inserted. Local anesthesia wasn't possible anymore because of the size of the hernia. If possible I try to avoid general anesthesia and asked for spinal anesthesia which was done.
After surgery I had to cool down the area with ice bags for two days. After surgery and back in my room the same day in the evening the painkillers went down and I was watching a comedy show. I couldn't stop laughing and this was so painful that I had to turn off my TV set. It seems hilarious that laughing can cause pain but this happened. The first week my groin area was very painful too. My wife tried to wash me there and as she touched it slightly ... ouch!!!
The scar area was numb for some months and later tingling for two years.
For this reason nobody can answer your question exactly. It depends on the kind of surgery: Open surgery as Shouldice without mesh, Lichtenstein with mesh, both possible with local anesthesia if the hernia is still small or (third possibility) minimally invasive with inserting a mesh during a laparoscopy which requires general anesthesia.
You should read some websites as here
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/inguinal-hernia/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20351553or here
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/inguinal-hernia-repair/or here
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/13677240/There are lot's of information on the methods of inguinal hernia surgery on the net. For older patients or in case of a recurrent hernia a mesh is recommended. I'm no physician and thus this is not medical advice but only my experience with my kind of surgery (open and without mesh = Shouldice).
Ask your surgeon and your anesthesiologist a lot of questions on the whole topic.
Good luck!