Groin pain or a Groin strain may be due to stress or a rupture to any of the following 5 structures:
- The hip adductor or inner thigh muscles – most commonly the ‘adductor longus’
- The Iliopsoas or hip flexer muscles, which bend the hip forward on either the left or right side
- The hip joint or it’s ligaments
- The abdominal wall
- The pubic bone
Athletes who compete in sports that involve repetitive turning, twisting, kicking and sprinting can experience Groin pain and so it is very common amongst soccer players.
Groin pain also affects participants in other sports like hockey, rugby, tennis, basketball and running.
What are the symptoms of Groin pain?
Groin pain can range from a dull ache to a sharp pain, particularly when one or more of the aforementioned structures are expected to function or stretch. If any of these fail, Groin pain begins to manifest as mild or occasional pain. Depending on each individual presentation, pain may improve with warming up or may become progressively worse when continuing with an activity.
What causes Groin pain?
Injuries to the groin are mainly a consequence of cumulative overuse and minor injuries that ultimately become complex or chronic. Its more common for Groin pain to become chronic over a period of time, but if it happens very suddenly a haematoma (bruising or bleeding) can become apparent. The underlying injury in this case is most often a tendon strain at the tendinous insertion of the inner thigh muscles to the bone.
What is my best course of action?
As the pelvis and hip complex forms an integral part of human activities, even mild cases of groin pain can become chronic if not attended to. Accurate diagnosis of the source of the Groin pain/dysfunction is essential. While Groin pain is most commonly associated with stress to any of these structures, it can also be experienced from a hernia or other possible origins. Your Physiotherapist will conduct a clinical examination to identify the involved structures along with that which may have predisposed you to the excessive injury and decide if an MRI or ultrasound will be useful to determinate the location and extent of the injury. If a structural hernia is suspected or an MRI is required, you may be referred to a Doctor or orthopaedic surgeon.
Every component of how the hip functions needs to be assessed and any injuries treated. The treatment in this case needs to be holistic, targeting every facet of this complex structural system. Contact us directly to get you back on track, or the sports field, as soon as possible and better equipped to prevent future incidents.