What To Do About Groin Injuries & Strains

Groin injuries are common in athletes, especially in sports such as soccer, hockey & sprinting. However, they aren’t only found amongst the sporting population, as groin injuries and strains are also a common complaint during pregnancy.

Your hip joint is the largest joint in your body. It undergoes a lot of movement and your hip joint bears a great deal of your weight, subjecting it to repetitive stress. This makes your hip and therefore the muscles (hip adductors) which control it very susceptible to injury. 

Minor groin injuries can be difficult to rehabilitate and can sometimes lead to long-term issues developing. Most injuries though are due to stresses and strain on your hip joint and pelvis.

The most commonly reported groin injuries are due to muscle strains and soft tissue contusions and/or hematomas that are caused by direct trauma to that area. Acute groin injuries are often caused by direct trauma, such as whilst playing sports. Muscle strains are more frequent when your groin is forced outwards, such as during a tackle, or when overstretching.

What are your adductor muscles? 

You have five main adductor muscles. You have three short adductors: the pectineus, adductor brevis, and adductor longus muscles, which originate from your pelvis and extend down your thigh bone. You also have two long adductors, the gracilis, and adductor magnus, which originate from your pelvis and extend to your knee. 

The main function of your adductor muscles is to pull your legs together. You also use them a great deal in sprinting and in aspects of ball sports. Inflammation or aggravation of the tendons at their bony attachment can occur. This can be a result of a previous injury such as a groin strain or tear, or from overuse.

What are the symptoms of a groin injury?

You will experience pain in your groin at the top of your adductor muscles. This pain may radiate down your leg or the pain will be felt at a specific point when you touch your pelvic bone in your groin region. 

You may have pain during training or playing sports, and you will have difficulty running. This will be worse during sprinting, changes in direction, and kicking. There will also be a pain when you press your legs together against resistance. 

There may be a specific incident that causes injury but often these injuries can occur gradually over time. 

Groin strain

Groin strains around your pelvis are fairly common in these muscles. Falling, sprinting, changing direction too quickly, kicking, or doing the splits accidentally, can result in groin strains. This can cause pain within your groin that radiates down your thigh.

Usually, the injury is to your muscle or tendon attachment and involves a strain of your muscle fibres. Your groin muscles can be repaired, however, they may become weakened or become susceptible to repeated injury.

Sometimes, the muscles may tear away from their bony attachments. These injuries are called avulsion fractures. If these avulsion fractures include severe displacement, surgical repair may be required.

Thankfully, most strains and tears can be helped with good physiotherapy treatment. Treatment may consist of rest, ice, compression, specific stretching and strengthening exercises, and a gradual return to activities.

Injuries to groin muscle-tendon units

Muscle-tendon units are commonly strained and injured in football. The muscles most commonly injured and strained are those in your abdomen and your largest groin muscle, your adductor longus.

A rectus abdominis strain is an injury that could cause acute or chronic groin pain. This strain involves injury to the rectus muscle of the abdominal wall, which attaches to the pubis. This injury can take a long time to recover from. 

Adductor origin strain or tendinopathy

Adductor tendinopathy may occur after a specific incident (strain or tear) during activity, or it can appear gradually over time. You will notice symptoms of local tenderness over the adductor muscle and your pubic bone, pain on stretching your groin and on any resisted hip movement. It is believed that stretching of the groin muscles too early after an injury can lead to tendinopathy developing. 

Adductor tendinopathy causes groin pain ‘high up’ near the pelvis, which tends to worsen with increasing activity. If adductor tendinopathy is left untreated, your pain can persist during activity and it may transfer either to the other side or to your pelvis and lower stomach area.

Treatment of adductor tendinopathy includes rest, physiotherapy treatment, remedial massage therapy, and eccentric strengthening exercises. Eccentric strengthening exercises are specific exercises designed for your condition by your physiotherapist to help strengthen your groin and prevent a recurrence of injury.

What can I do to prevent a groin injury?

A person can avoid groin injuries by ensuring that their groin muscles are strong and flexible. City Physiotherapy can help you to find specific strengthening and stretching exercises that are right for you.

If you have a groin injury the most important thing you can do is rest. The next most important thing to do is to come in and get a professional diagnosis and treatment plan from us. Book online 24/7 via our book now button. 

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