Groin Injury & Treatment

Where is the Groin Located? 

Your groin is located in between your stomach and upper thigh, right where the fold of your legs is when you are sitting. The groin region is the same for both males and females.

Man holding his upper thigh.

Reasons for Groin Pain

There are many reasons that someone may experience groin pain. Below are a few common conditions and general symptoms that someone with groin pain may experience: 

• Groin strain (groin pull)- Pain with walking, especially large strides, pain with forceful kicking and high knee motions. You may have some weakness or loss of motion. When a groin strain is severe, it will be considered a groin tear.  
• Groin tear- Extreme weakness and pain with hip flexion (walking, stairs). There will be bruising to the front and inside of the thigh. You may have heard a "pop" at the time of injury. This is the most severe form of a muscle strain and may require surgical intervention.  
• Sports hernia (inguinal hernia)- Pain in the groin, groin lump that is in the fold between abdomen and thigh, pain with lifting or straining.  
• Labral tear- Sensations of hip stiffness, popping or clicking of hip with different movements. Patient may feel a "C" shaped discomfort at the outside of their hip. 
• Hip impingement- Pain and difficulty with deep squatting motions or prolonged seated positions. Stiffness or achiness at the front of the groin and inner thigh. Click here to learn more about a hip pulled muscle.
• Arthritis- Pain and stiffness when getting out of bed or with prolonged sitting that gets better after over time. Crunching or squeaking sounds with bending movements. Difficulty bending to dress or put on socks.   
• Reproductive/Urinary problems- Conditions such as UTI's, ovarian cysts, testicular inflammation, or intestinal inflammation may cause painful symptoms into the groin. Signs and symptoms to look out for include changes in bowl or bladder, pain or difficulty with urination. It is important to see your doctor if you start to notice any of these changes.

How Long Does it Take for a Groin Injury to Heal? 

With rest and proper treatment, most groin strains will heal in about 4-8 weeks. Activities to avoid during this time include forceful kicking or high impact movements.  

How Does it Heal?  

Muscle strains heal through the inflammatory process and regeneration of that muscle tissue. While ice and anti-inflammatories may help with symptomatic improvement, the best form of healing is time! When icing, make sure make sure not to ice before any exercises or high impact movement as that might increase muscle tightness. Ice should only be left on the area for up to 10-20 minutes at a time.  

What Exercises Can You Do for a Pulled Groin?  

During the beginning phases of a pulled groin, it is important to rest and use ice or other modalities to decrease the pain such as NSAIDS. Once the groin discomfort begins to improve, you can start to introduce gentle stretches to the area and light activities such as walking. If any activities that you are doing begin to irritate the area, it is important to stop! Groin strains will not get better by pushing through discomfort. Some exercises to begin as your groin pain begins to improve include: 

• Butterfly stretch- while sitting or lying down, bring both feet together with knees bent and let your knees fall to the side. 

Butterfly Stretch

• Hamstring stretch- Sitting in a chair, straighten your leg and bend at the hip forward until you feel a gentle pull at the back of the straightened leg 

Hamstring Stretch

• Hip flexion- standing or laying down, keep your leg straight and slowing lift your leg into the air or bring the leg forward. 

• Hip adduction- Laying on your affected side, lift your affected leg up towards the ceiling while keeping that leg straight. 

Hip Adduction

• Marches- while standing or laying, slowly bring your knee to waist height. Lower your leg back down.  

Marches

As these exercises begin to get easier, progressive exercises including stairs/ step-ups and multidirectional lunges can be initiated along with more aggressive stretching. A dynamic warm up should be completed before any high impact events including running or sport related activities to help prevent re-injury.

Click here to read this article if you are experiencing lower back and groin pain.

When Should I See a Doctor for Groin Pain? 

You should see a doctor if the symptoms persist and do not improve with rest. Your doctor may consider further imaging including x-rays or an MRI to further investigate symptoms. If there is severe bruising or a palpable, tender mass that was not present before the time of injury, seeing a doctor should be considered as this may indicate a groin hernia or groin tear that may require surgical interventions.

By: Emily Barton, DPT

Related Articles: Direct Access to Physical Therapy and Hip Exercises at Home. 

Groin Treatment in Jacksonville

If you are experiencing a groin injury or consistent pain, the Jacksonville Orthopaedic Institute can help. 

To schedule an appointment with an orthopedic physician, call 904-JOI-2000 or click the red button below. To see a JOI Rehab physical or occupational therapist at one of our 12 locations, call 904-858-7045.