Groin Injuries : Career destroying Sports injury

Groin injuries has been one of the most common cause of stay out the game and/or for poor performance on field. 

Groin Pain or injuries found to be one of the most prevalent variety of Sports injury especially in contact sports like Running, football, badminton, tennis and also in golf. 

The incidence of groin pain is very high in Indian athletics probably due to incomplete information about preventive strategies or not following the preventive measures and also most of time due the inappropriate physical or physiological fitness.

Risk of groin injuries varies from different disciplines of sports and the intensity of Sports activity. Highly prone sports are soccer/Foot ball, tennis, badminton, running, cricket.

Source of groin injuries is commonly from musculoskeletal system involving either the pubic/ hip joint or lower abdominal/hip adductor muscles. Rarely it originate from the spine injury or intra-abdominal organs. 

Most frequently seen groin injuries are:

• Pubic strain/ ostitis pubis: Pubic symphysis (Pelvic Pain) injury due to twisting activity or repetitive loading of the joint with poor stability of core.

• Adductor tendon sprain: Repetitive stress injury to the inner thigh muscles due to poor physical fitness. {Especially poor warm-up}

• Hip joint Labral injury: Major or minor traumatic event involving twisting of leg during collisions or falls.

• Ilio-psoas muscle sprain: Poor physical fitness, less common.

• Inguvinal Hernia: Rarely seen in contact sports players

Diagnosis: 

Most of the groin injuries can be identified based on physical examination and may not need sophisticated investigation. But at the time we may need to evaluate further if physical examination does not revels concluding results or desire outcome after rehabilitation.

Prevention & Rehabilitation:

Fortunately, most of the groin injuries can be prevented as they are musculoskeletal and that needs appropriate strategies.

Preventive measures:

• Good physical fitness especially core stability of lumbo-pelvic-hip region which involve lower/upper abdominals, pelvic floor muscles, hip as well as lateral and back muscles.

• Muscular flexibility and strength of hip adductor and flexors.

• Having the knowledge of preventive strategies: "If I know something then I 'll care for it."

• Early detection and complete rehabilitation in the biggest step to prevent disability to participate in game. 

Sports specialized Physiotherapy rehabilitation is first line of management for almost all variety of groin but rarely it may need surgical procedures like in hip labral injuries. Rehabilitation is based on the stage of recovery, amount of injury.
 

 

Physiotherapist may opt for LASER therapy, Kinesio taping, Myofacial Release techniques and ultimately training the lumbo-pelvic-hip core stability training in most scientific way to achieve early and better results. 

Core stability training got some specific principles and stages (Motor control principles) to train which need a specific Musculoskeletal & sports physiotherapist or fitness trainers to help.

Warm Up: 15 to 20 warm up and warm up techniques is the one which allows you to excel in performance. Do not ignore it!!

Feels Free to contact us for all your queries.

Thank you & Regards 

Dr Arun Kumar Rawal, PT

MPT (Musculoskeletal & Sports)