We see a large variety of groin injuries here at West Pennant Hills Physiotherapy and Sports Injuries Centre. Groin pain is a common sporting injury particularly in sports with high speed running, changes of direction, or jumping. There are many structures which may be the cause of your groin pain, such as the muscles, tendons, and joints themselves. Groin pain can also be referred to from other areas such as the lumbar spine and sacroiliac joint.
How Does Physiotherapy Help With Groin Pain?
by providing pain relief with massage and gentle joint mobilisation techniques to help relieve tightness and stiffness in your muscles and joints. We use ultrasound, heat packs and TENS to help relax your muscles and ease your pain. We provide education and thorough advice on ways to stay active and what normal activities you can continue to do. We can advise you on how long you need to take off sport, how to keep fit in the meantime, and when it is safe for you to return. We also provide individually tailored exercises to help improve your range of motion, strength, flexibility and endurance. We can advise you of any ergonomic adjustments to your work or study environment that may improve your posture and alleviate the stress on your back. We also offer weekly stretch classes here to improve your flexibility and we offer Physio Matwork classes 2 x per week to help to strengthen your core muscles and improve your stability which in turn helps to alleviate your back pain.
What Is A Groin Strain & How Does Physio Treat It?
A groin strain is a tear to any of your groin muscles, usually one of the hip adductor muscles, which are the muscles on the inside of your leg. They usually occur with high speed activities such as changes of direction, kicking or sprinting. Physiotherapy aims to relieve your pain through soft tissue massage, ultrasound, heat packs and TENS. We give you advice on how long you need to stay off sport, and when it is safe to return. We prescribe you with exercises that are safe to do while you’re off sport to help target your flexibility, strength and endurance. We make your exercises sports specific so that you are better able to handle all the challenges that your sport requires. It is important that this type of injury is rehabilitated properly, as groin strains can reoccur if they aren’t treated correctly. The exercise program must include all aspects of fitness including flexibility, power and endurance. Our comprehensive rehabilitation program will help to return you to your sport or other activities as quickly as possible and help to prevent further recurrences.
What Is Adductor Tendinopathy & Its Symptoms?
There are five hip adductor muscles which function to pull your leg towards the centre of your body. These muscles are important in sprinting, changes of direction, and jumping and landing. Tendinopathy occurs through overuse of these muscles or as a result of a previous injury such as a groin strain.
Symptoms of hip adductor tendinopathy include:
Pain in the groin
Pain when pressing your legs in together
Difficulty running, especially sprinting
What Are The Benefits In Groin Injury Physiotherapy?
Physiotherapy for tendinopathies is highly beneficial. We help settle down the inflammation with soft tissue massage, ultrasound, heat packs and TENS. Tendons respond very well to gradual loading. Your Physiotherapist will prescribe you with a comprehensive exercise program that will gradually progress the load placed through the tendons in order to promote optimum healing. We will also give valuable advice on how long to rest from sport, and what activities are safe to do while your tendons are healing.
What Is Femoroacetabular Impingement & How Does Physio Help It?
Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is a condition which describes a mechanical mismatch between the ball and socket of the hip joint. It is believed that people can be born with subtle bone deformities which can develop into impingement. Athletes and people who have a generally more active lifestyle are more susceptible to this injury as there is greater provocation of the hip joint in their day to day lives. FAI presents as hip and groin pain with restricted movement in the hip joint. It is aggravated with prolonged sitting, walking, crossing your legs, and after sport or exercise. Physiotherapy can be beneficial in people with FAI as we use mobilisation techniques to help relieve stiffness and tight muscles. We also prescribe an exercise program to help strengthen all your hip muscles and increase stability in your hip. Surgery may be indicated in more severe cases, in which a supervised hip rehabilitation program under the guidance of a physiotherapist is vital.
What Is Osteitis Pubis & How Is It Caused?
Osteitis pubis is a common cause of chronic groin pain. It is an overuse injury caused by repeated trauma. Osteitis pubis is often caused by instability of the pelvic bones, which is aggravated by activities such as running or kicking. It is characterised by chronic inflammation in the pubic symphysis joint which is the joint located between the left and right pubic bones at the front of the body. Pain is usually experienced over the pubic symphysis. Pain can also be reproduced by coughing, sneezing or performing a sit-up. Physiotherapy is vital to help you undergo a thorough rehabilitation program. We will give you advice and guidelines on how long you need to rest from your sport. We will also give you specific exercises to help stabilise your pelvis and work on your core strength. We will assist you with your return to sport and give you targeted exercises to help you restore your optimal function.
What Is Hip Osteoarthritis?
Hip osteoarthritis is a condition that affects the cartilage in your hip joint. The cartilage breaks down and wears away, and can deteriorate to the stage where you have bone rubbing on bone. This happens gradually over time. Risk factors for developing osteoarthritis include age, previous joint injury, muscle weakness, being overweight, genetics, stresses on the joints due to work or sport. You will often experience pain at the front of the hip which can radiate down to the knee and also into the groin, stiffness particularly in the morning, reduced range of motion, and weakness in the hip muscles.
How Can Physiotherapy Alleviate Pain From Hip Osteoarthritis?
Physiotherapy can help to alleviate your pain through gentle massage and joint mobilisations. We will prescribe you with stretches to help increase your flexibility, and strength work to target any muscle weaknesses or imbalances that you may have. We also use ultrasound, heat packs and TENS for pain relief. In severe cases with extensive deterioration, a total hip replacement may be necessary. Physiotherapy is important both before and after surgery to ensure that the hip is strong enough pre-operatively, and to give you a thorough post-operative rehabilitation program to strengthen your hip and allow you to resume an active lifestyle.