Hey all,
I have been dealing with groin pain for the past 4-5 months. It has recently developed into some lower abdominal/testicular pain as well. This all started back in November when I started to feel some pain in my left adductor while squatting. I could usually warm up and it would go away, but one day it just stopped. I decided to stretch it and rest it, but to no avail. Lots of soft tissue work also did not help.
I know “sports hernia” and “athletic pubaligia” are very broad terms, but my symptoms seem to be consistent with these terms. I have been working with a PT, but he seems to think it is a groin strain (even though it came about gradually). I guess I am asking if anyone else has had experience with this type of core muscle injury and found any rehab techniques to help! I’ve been performing adductor isometrics, working on hip IR, and lots of core work. It doesn’t seem to be helping too much. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Tanner
Hey Tanner, sorry to hear about your issue. You’re correct in the broad terms associated with the diagnosis and that often leaves us with something to be desired in terms of specific recommendations for treatment. How is your current PT treating you? Adductor isometrics, hip IR, and whatever core is is likely too subthreshold to really elicit a response in someone who has a training history. I do tend to recommend working on the adductor protocol from the Copenhagen group. Similar to the Nordic Hamstring for strains, this does have some evidence for treating groin injuries. A video can be found here.
I can understand the approach your PT is taking as athletic pubalgia tends to be one of three structures included in the diagnosis. With instances like this I think the intensity of the exercise is often what is missing. The Copenhagen protocol will likely more than satiate your desire for the intensity of the exercise while helping your groin feel better.
Thanks for the reply Derek! I will start incorporating some of those Copenhagen exercises (I’ll start with the low level variations first).
Currently I have been using low level adductor isometrics, hip flexion drills, and working on hip range of motion. I’m severely lacking in Hip IR (around 10-15 degrees), but have a ton of ER (almost 90 degrees), so I’ve also been working on positioning when squatting, etc to not go into excessive ER. It’s just been a long and slow process. All previous injuries I’ve had have gone away with rest and diligent rehab. I also know the hip and pelvis are some of the most complicated regions in the body, so the exact cause can be hard to know. I will try to slowly add in more loading though, as just doing super low level stuff hasn’t helped too much. Thanks again!