Jan 23, 2023

So you have a Groin Injury? Now what?

The groin is an area of your hip between your abdomen and thigh, located where your abdomen ends and your legs begin. Your groin is made up of the adductor muscle group: adductor brevis, adductor longus, and adductor magnus. The groin is an area of your hip between your abdomen and thigh, located where your abdomen ends and your legs begin.

This muscle group is responsible for bringing your leg towards the midline of your body. This includes moving your leg inward (medially), as well as rotating it inward (adduction).

This is a very important area of the body. The groin is a common site for sports injuries such as strain or tear of the adductor muscles. This can cause pain in the inner thigh area, especially when kicking a ball or squatting down with straight legs. Pain in the groin can come about from a variety of different causes including:

Overuse from repetitive activities like running or cycling

An injury to the muscles in this area that causes inflammation or swelling within them (sometimes called a "sports hernia")

A direct blow to this area that damages some of its tissues or tears one of them completely from its attachment point on the pelvis (this can be called a "groin strain/tear")

It is important to treat these injuries quickly to avoid serious complications such as an avulsion fracture (when a piece of bone breaks off from its normal position).

To treat a strained groin, rest from any activity that causes pain for three days. Then do gentle stretching exercises for 10 minutes each day until you no longer feel pain. Always stretch after warming up before exercise to avoid pulling something else in addition to your groin muscle group.

So you have a groin injury, now what?

The groin is a vulnerable area that can be injured when you fall or run into something, especially if you're running full-speed ahead. If you've ever strained your groin, you know how painful it can be! In addition to physical pain, you may also notice swelling in the area.

Whether it's a muscle strain, a pulled groin, or an abdominal strain, groin injuries are painful and can sideline your training for weeks. Groin injuries are common in sports like soccer, basketball, American football and rugby. Groin pain is often caused by over-stretching the muscles or tendons in this region of the body when someone is playing their sport.

⚽The best way to prevent groin injuries is to stretch properly before exercise and wear appropriate protective equipment while playing your chosen sport.

What is a groin injury?

A groin injury is a common type of sports injury. It can be caused by sudden movements, heavy lifting, and even sneezing. Groin injuries are more common in athletes than the general population and they’re often caused by repetitive stress on the muscles and tendons that connect your core to your legs (your adductors). This can happen during running or other forms of physical activity where you bend forward at the waist while twisting or pivoting on one leg while moving your arms against resistance.

What are the symptoms of a groin injury?

In order to determine whether you have a groin injury, it's important to know the signs and symptoms of a groin injury. Some of these include:

Pain or tenderness in the groin area

Swelling

Pain that worsens when running, walking or kicking

Pain that gets worse with exercise

Pain that gets better with rest

Here is an example list of questions to ask yourself:

✅ Do I have pain when I run?

✅ Do I have pain when I walk?

✅ Does my groin hurt more after activities than it does during them? If so, what kind of activities make it worse (such as jogging)?

✅Do certain movements cause me to feel more pain than others (such as raising my knee up)?

How long does it take to recover from a groin injury?

How long it takes to recover from a groin injury depends on the severity of the injury and how diligent you are with your recovery. If you have a minor strain or sprain, it might take anywhere from two weeks to four months for your body to heal completely. However, if you have torn ligaments or muscles in your groin region, then recovery could take much longer...sometimes as long as 12 months!

🧑‍⚕️If you're not sure whether or not you have a groin injury or whether your groin injury has healed properly yet, see a doctor!

What is the best treatment for a groin injury?

🛌Rest: This can include rest from activity, bed rest or complete bed rest. The goal of resting is to give the groin injury time to heal.

❄️Ice: Ideally, apply ice packs for 20 minutes every hour (or as often as you can) for 48 hours after you injure your groin muscle or strain it during sports activities

👟Elevation: Elevate your legs ( ideally with a cushion such as MendMeShop’s orthopedic pillow or with generic sleeping pillows under them) whenever possible after injuring yourself in order to reduce swelling (Mayo Clinic).

Physical therapy: If other treatments fail then physical therapy may be required in order resolve chronic your groin pain issues.

Heat: Using a TSHELLZ wrap that uses the LEC response, can help enhance blood flow to the injury site which can help reducing pain & inflammation. The Back/ Hip TSHELLZ Wrap can also be used across the groin to support those with injury to this area of the body.

Prevention Measures to help minimize the risk of a groin injury

These are some great tips to help you stay healthy and strong as well as helping to avoid injury.

Warming up before you commence exercise

Stretching before you commence exercise

Taking breaks during exercise, especially if you start to feel pain

Not overdoing it or ignoring pain

Do not ignore groin pain

🏥you have groin pain, it's important that you seek medical care. Your doctor can help you determine if your injury is serious and what treatment options are available to you. He or she may also be able to refer you to a physical therapist who can provide additional treatment for your condition.

Get treatment from a physical therapist

Your doctor may recommend physical therapy after the acute phase of healing has passed and before returning to sports or other strenuous activities that could re-injure your groin muscles and tendons

Different exercises for the groin

Groin pain is one of the most common injuries, especially among athletes. It can affect anyone from a professional soccer player to a casual jogger. Here are some great exercises and stretches to help you stay healthy and strong. Of course, consult your doctor before starting any new exercise routine

Seated butterfly stretch

This stretch is best done with a pillow or towel under the sit bones to support your lower back.

Sit on the floor in a cross-legged position, keeping your knees together and feet flexed.

Lean forward from the hips until you feel a gentle stretch in your inner thighs.

Hold for 30 seconds, then repeat three times.

Runner's lunge with knee to chest

Stand with your feet together and hands on hips.

Take a big step forward, bending your knees and bringing your weight back into your heels.

Push through your heels, driving your hips back toward the ground.

Drive through the heel of your front foot to engage all of the muscles in your legs, including those along the sides of your thighs.

Hold for 30 seconds; repeat on opposite side for 15-30 seconds more if time allows for two sets total per side; rest arms by sides once complete

Standing butterfly stretch against wall

👉This exercise is a good way to stretch the groin. It can be performed on the floor, but this modified version allows you to take advantage of the wall for support. This is particularly helpful if you have any knee pain or balance issues that make it difficult to do this exercise on the ground.

Stand next to a wall with one foot about 12 inches away from it and your other foot far enough away that there is tension in your inner thigh muscle (the adductors).

Place both hands against the wall at shoulder height, then lean forward into it without rounding your back or arching through your lower back as you move both arms toward each other until you feel a stretch in your groin muscles.

Lift one leg off of the ground so that only one remains supporting most of your weight while holding onto the wall for stability.

Hold this pose for up until 30 seconds before switching sides and stretching out all three adductor muscles on each side of your body at once by bringing both hands down toward the floor while keeping them slightly behind their contact point with each leg

90-90 groin stretch

👉The 90-90 groin stretch is a good exercise to help you strengthen your groin muscles and the adductor muscles.

To perform this stretch, you'll need a chair or bench

First, sit on the edge of the chair with your feet flat on the ground. Your knees should be bent at about 90 degrees and your feet should be shoulder-width apart.

Next, lean forward at a 45 degree angle while keeping your back straight. You should be able to rest your hands on the floor in front of you without bending your elbows too much. If it's difficult for you to keep your back straight at first, try placing a pillow under each hand to help support them while they're on the floor.

Finally, look straight ahead and hold this position for 20 seconds before switching sides!

Kegels

👉Kegel exercises are a good way to strengthen pelvic floor muscles and improve bladder control. Dr. Arnold Kegel first invented these exercises back in the 1940s.

👉Kegels can be done anywhere and anytime and they require no special equipment or clothing. It’s easy to see why they’re such a popular exercise choice: it might even feel like you’re doing nothing at all! But while they may not seem like much on their own, these little squeezes are actually working wonders for your body.

Adductor squeeze

👉This exercise is also called a thigh squeeze, because it helps strengthen the muscles of your inner thighs. The adductor muscles are located on either side of your pelvis and run from the pubic bone to the inside of each thighbone (femur).

Sit on a chair or bench with your feet flat on the floor.

Cross one ankle over the other

Place both hands behind you, palms down on top of each other or clasped together softly but firmly in back.

Press into your hands while squeezing both inner thighs together as tightly as possible without pain or discomfort. Hold for 10 seconds before relaxing. Repeat this 10 times throughout your day whenever possible (for example during television commercials!)

Gym-ball adductor squeeze

👉The gymball adductor squeeze is an easy exercise that targets the inner thigh muscles. You can do this exercise with a regular ball or gym ball, as long as it's large enough to fit between your knees (the size of a softball).

First, place the ball between your thighs and squeeze it.
If you need more support, rest your hands on top of your thighs for added stability.
Next tilt back slightly until you feel the pressure in your inner thigh muscles. Hold for at least five seconds then release slowly before repeating again three times.

👉If you don't have access to a gym ball, you can also do this exercise sitting upright with both feet on the floor and keeping knees together; although this way won't give quite as much resistance but still works well nonetheless!

Do not do exercises that are painful.

⚠️If you feel pain, stop immediately. Pain is your body's way of telling you that something is wrong and needs to be addressed. If you feel pain in your groin area, seek advice from a doctor before resuming physical activity. Many doctors will recommend applying ice to the area and taking a break from exercise until the pain has gone away.

🧑🏿‍⚕️ If you are experiencing groin pain, it's important to see a doctor as soon as possible. If your pain is caused by an injury, they can provide treatment and advice on how to prevent future issues from occurring.

🧑🏿‍⚕️We hope this article has helped you get a better understanding of what groin injuries are and how they can be treated. If you feel like your injury may be more serious, it's important to see your doctor asap.

References

We pride ourselves on being thoroughly researched before we post blog posts, articles or webpages. Here is a list of references used to create this content:

👉Ref 1: Groin Strain, PhysioPedia

👉Ref 2: THE MOST COMMON GROIN INJURIES AND WHEN TO SEE A DOCTOR, Baptist Health

👉Ref 3: 10 Pulled Groin Symptoms, 10FAQ

Back to MendMeShop