If a groin injury occurs in an athlete, it often happens during sudden movements like kicking or pivoting. Falls, lifting heavy objects, stress from over-exercising, previous injury to the groin, and/or lack of proper conditioning can also contribute to an increased likelihood of getting an adductor strain.
A lower-grade strain can be relatively pain free with everyday activities and walking, but aggravated with quick movements of the legs such as cutting, kicking, performing sit-ups, or sprinting/running. Higher-grade strains can cause the muscles to feel tight or weak.
Manual treatment can improve recovery, as will a home exercise programme. If the tear is high on the adductor tendon, recovery can be significantly slower and take approximately 12-16 weeks. A tear to the mid-belly of the muscle will typically take between 4 and 12 weeks to heal depending on the severity of the tear.
Rest and protect your injured or sore groin area for 1 to 2 weeks. Stop, change, or take a break from any activity that may be causing your pain or soreness. Do not do intense activities while you still have pain. Put ice or a cold pack on your groin area for 10 to 20 minutes at a time.
You can begin stretching your groin muscles right away. Stretch gently and avoid any pain. If you have pain while doing these exercises, you should not do them. Standing groin stretch: Bend down and slide your injured leg out to your side.
What Does a Groin Pull Feel Like? Here are some symptoms of a groin pull: Pain and tenderness in the groin and the inside of the thigh. Pain when you bring your legs together.
Recovery/Treatment: A mild groin strain might require three weeks of rest. A more serious strain could take up to six weeks. A complete tear would require surgery and up to three months' recovery. Your doctor might also request an MRI to confirm a mild-grade strain.
A muscular strain (“pulled groin”) does not have a bulge but may have some “black and blue” changes under the skin in the area of the symptoms. The most common cause of groin discomfort is a muscular strain. These symptoms are usually preceded by a sudden stretch of a group of muscles in this region.
Groin strains can occur from overuse of the muscles, or from a sudden contraction of the muscles. Pain can range from a dull ache to sharp pain. The pain will often be worse when walking or moving the leg. A person may also experience spasms in the inner thigh muscles.
The groin is the area in the body where the upper thighs meet the lowest part of the abdomen. Normally, the abdomen and groin are kept separate by a wall of muscle and tissue.
Instead, rest is all about avoiding unnecessary strain on the groin, so avoid kicking, intense exercises such as running, and heavy lifting. If the pain is intense, avoid walking or any physical activity for a day or two following the injury.
What can you do to help your groin pain? In the first 48 hours it may be useful to: Rest: Avoid aggravating activities and overstretching your muscles. Usually after 48 hours you can gently start completing some range of movement exercises and gentle strengthening as your pain allows.
If anything hurts in the gym, don't do it. In most cases, deadlifting variations are okay, but single-leg work will really exacerbate the pain. Squatting is usually a problem at first, and then gets better over time. It really depends on which of the adductors you strained.
It is worse when the hip is flexed, for example, while sitting in a low chair or while driving. Over time people with groin pain may notice some stiffness and decreased motion in their hip. The pain is usually a dull ache at baseline but can become a sharp, stabbing pain when the hip turned into certain positions.
When the swelling and pain begin to reduce, the athlete can then move into the next stage of rehabilitation with the focus on regaining range of motion, tissue mobility, and strength. In this phase, the athlete can begin treatment with heat. The heat can either be moist heat (Jacuzzi, whirlpool) or dry heat (hot pack).
Schedule a doctor's visit if you have:
A lump or swelling in or around a testicle. Intermittent intense pain along the lower side of your abdomen (flank) that may radiate along your groin and into your testicle. Blood in your urine.
The most common cause of groin pain is a muscle, tendon or ligament strain, particularly in athletes who play sports such as hockey, soccer and football. Groin pain might occur immediately after an injury, or pain might come on gradually over a period of weeks or even months.
The injury can range from a minor pull to a more serious tear of the muscle. You may feel pain and tenderness that's worse when you squeeze your legs together. You may also have pain when you raise the knee of the injured side. There may be swelling or bruising in the groin area or inner thigh.
And if you're sitting for 2-3 hours at a time this may lead to a bit of stiffness when you eventually do stand up and go for a walk, or may even lead to some pinching in the groin or hip when you go outside for a longer walk.
Straight leg raise:
Lie on your back with your legs straight out in front of you. Bend the knee on your uninjured side and place the foot flat on the floor. Tighten the thigh muscle on your injured side and lift your leg about 8 inches off the floor. Keep your leg straight and your thigh muscle tight.