How to manage a groin strain

Sudden pain on the inside of your thigh? You may have what is called a groin strain or sometimes what’s known as a pulled groin. We are going to look at how to manage a groin strain and what to look out for.

Groin strains are an injury commonplace in many popular sports, for instance soccer, netball and rugby. However, groin strains can occur with any sort of movement. This involves things like running, jumping, kicking or changes in direction! 

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What exactly is a groin strain? 

A groin strain is essentially a strain or tear to the muscle on the inside of our thigh known as the adductor muscle. The adductor muscle plays a big role in the stability of the hips. It helps to swing our legs across our body. So when a groin strain occurs, the adductor muscle is put under a large amount of force overload. This causes the muscle to strain or tear. 

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In what ways can a groin strain occur? 

Often the pain has a very sudden onset, related to: 

• Direct trauma to the groin: such as a collision with something or someone to the groin muscle 
• Over-stretched: such as if the adductor muscle is stretched too far, the muscle fibres are stretched beyond their normal capacity and result in a strain
• Forceful contraction: when doing any physical activity, if the muscle is forcefully required to contract quickly to perform an often sudden and sharp movement, this can cause a strain to the groin. Commonly this could be a very fast change in direction or generating the power to deliver a powerful kick. 

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Symptoms of a groin strain 

• Pain in the groin region, anywhere on the inside of our thigh extending from the tendons at the top of our groin all the way down to our knee
• Difficulty stretching our groin, that is, difficulty or pain in bringing our injured leg out to the side, away from our body  
• Difficulty swinging our legs across our body
• Pain in the groin region when walking or doing stairs
• Tenderness across the adductor muscle 
• Swelling or bruising of the groin  

 

If you are worried about a more serious groin injury such as a complete muscle tear or a specific type of fracture called an avulsion fracture, further imaging may be required. 

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How to avoid a groin strain? 

• Adequate warm-up to prepare the muscle for physical activity 
• Stretching of the groin muscle before physical activity
• Training: adequate training to build up the strength and endurance of the adductor muscle to prevent an overload of forces 
• Correct equipment and shoes: having the right gear or shoes to promote safe play or correct movement mechanics 

 

 

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For more information on how to manage a groin strain, or if you need treatment or assistance, call us on 0298753760, or book an appointment at our website.