Since 1995 - Non Profit Healthcare Advice

Pulled groin

11/03/1999

Question:

I am a 47 year old male. I used to be able to jog and practice karate for fitness, although I would fight a pulled groin muscle off and on. Now, my pulled groin seems to be chronic – it`s painful even if I walk for exercise and it`s been a problem for several months now. What should I do and how long does something like this take to heal? Thanks.

Answer:

`Pulled groins` can be very tough to treat. There are several items to consider in caring for this injury. First and foremost, we need to get a definitive diagnosis of your injury. There can be other injuries that `mimic` a groin strain. I would suggest that you see a sports medicine physician who can tell if you have avulsed any of the hip flexor or adductor muscles from the pelvic bones, if you have done damage to the pubis symphysis (ligament that connects our two pelvic bones together), or even rule out a possible internal injury such as hernia. Possibly this may be referred pain from a femoral neck stress fracture. As you can imagine, our treatment for each injury is very different.

If this is a true adductor (“groin”) strain that has been going on for several months, standard treatment is as follows: moist heat for approximately 15-20 minutes, static stretching of the groin, hip flexors, quad, hamstring, IT band, calves and low back.

Straight leg lifts while lying on your uninjured side and adducting (or lifting) your injured leg off the ground will help strengthen your injured groin. You can add resistance such as cuff weights to your ankle while lifting,too. As with any strength program, you should increase your reps on a weekly basis, then drop your reps as you increase your weight. Slide boards are also great to use for strength and balance during the late phase of rehab.

I would also apply ice to the injured area for 15-20 minutes after activity or at the end of the day.

You might consider using some commercial braces that limit your adduction as well. These are available at most sporting good stores.

Good Luck!

For more information:

Go to the Athletic Training health topic.