How to recover from a groin strain?
In general, you can gauge the level of your recovery by your level of pain. As your adductor muscle is recovering, avoid activities that involve pain. Resume activities gradually. This will enable your muscle to heal fully and prevent you from developing a recurrent groin strain injury. The length of time you need to recover will also depend on ...
How to tell if groin is strained?
They can include: pain (usually felt in the inner thigh, but located anywhere from the hip to the knee) decreased strength in the upper leg. swelling.
How to heal a grade 3 strain?
These could include: physical therapy. massage therapy. heat and stretching. electrotherapy. If you have a grade 3 strain, you may need surgery to repair the torn fibers, especially where the tendon is involved.
Is low range of motion in hip joint a risk factor for groin strain?
A study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine also found that having a low range of motion in the hip joint is a risk factor for groin strain.
What is the risk factor for groin strain?
The primary risk factor for groin strain is playing a sport that involves kicking, turning suddenly while running, and jumping. Needing to change direction frequently is also a risk factor.
What is a grade 2 groin strain?
A grade 2 groin strain is a tear that damages a significant percentage of the muscle fibers. This might be painful enough to make walking difficult. It will be painful to bring your thighs together.
How many degrees of groin strains are there?
In addition to identifying the location of the strain, your doctor will evaluate how serious your injury is. There are three degrees of groin strains:
How long does it take for a groin strain to heal?
Groin Strain Recovery. Most strains heal on their own, however, this can take up to 8 weeks for more severe injuries. To help with recovery, your primary doctor may suggest: 1 . Using the RICE principle (rest, ice, compression, and elevation) Prescribing anti-inflammatory medication to help reduce pain or swelling.
Why does my groin hurt?
In some cases, the pain in your groin could be caused by a condition called a sports hernia . This issue, which is also known as athletic pubalgia, is a broad term referring to any strain or sprain of a ligament, muscle, or tendon in the lower stomach or groin region.
What is the condition that causes pain in the groin?
Hip impingement, also known as femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), is another bone-related condition that can lead to groin pain.
Can a strain cause a pop in the groin?
Depending on the severity, a pop may occur during the strain, and bruising or swelling can develop.
Can pubalgia cause groin pain?
The groin pain associated with athletic pubalgia is usually severe while playing sports or exercising, but better with rest. Unlike a traditional hernia, there is not a palpable bulge in the area of injury (though sports hernias may eventually lead to a traditional hernia if left untreated).
How to stop groin pain?
Stop exercising if you feel pain or tightness in your groin or the inside of your thigh. Do regular strengthening exercises for your thigh muscles, especially if you've had a groin pull before. Groin injuries can result from added stress due to weakness elsewhere.
What does it mean when your groin is pulled?
A groin pull -- or groin strain -- results from putting too much stress on muscles in your groin and thigh. If these muscles are tensed too forcefully or too suddenly, they can get over-stretched or torn. Groin pulls are common in people who play sports that require a lot of running and jumping. In particular, suddenly jumping or changing direction ...
How to help tissue heal?
To assist tissue healing, your medical provider will guide you in active stretching and strengthening exercises. Depending on grade of injury, this can start immediately or may require several days of rest. Pain is used as a guide. Too aggressive and further damage may occur.
What is the best medicine for swelling?
Take anti-inflammatory painkillers. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ( NSAIDs ), like ibuprofen and naproxen, will help with pain and swelling. But studies show their effects are controversial especially if taken long-term.
How to compress a thigh?
Compress your thigh using an elastic bandage or tape.
How long does it take for a groin pull to heal?
But there's no easy answer. Recovery time depends on how serious your groin pull is. It may take 4 to 6 weeks, but that's just a rough estimate. People heal at different rates. In the meantime, switch to a new activity that won't put too much stress on your groin muscles. For instance, runners could try swimming.
Can groin injuries be caused by stress?
Groin injuries can result from added stress due to weakness elsewhere. If involved in athletics and you have a history of groin injuries, ask your medical professional about activities that can help reduce your risk. Pagination. 1. 2.
How to treat groin pull?
The most common form of treatment for a groin pull is women are rest and medications. Ibuprofen and Naproxen are both anti-inflammatory medicines that help with swelling and inflammation. Heat applied to the general area or a warm bath can provide temporary relief. Treatment is based on the exact cause of the pain. Any pain that has occurred for several days should be seen to by a physician.
How to treat groin pain in women?
Groin pain treatment in women varies depending on the diagnosis during your evaluation. Heat applied to the general area or a warm bath can provide temporary relief.
How do you know if you have a pull in your groin?
Symptoms of Female Groin Pulls. Symptoms can be mild to very severe in a groin pull. You will experience pain when moving, and you may experience groin pain when going to the bathroom.
What is a groin strain?
A groin strain is when there is a tear or pull in the three muscles of the inner thigh, also called the adductor muscles. This combination of muscles runs from the groin all the way down the inner thigh and connects to the knee. A pulled groin can be caused by many different things, such as a direct blow to the groin area, ...
Can cysts in the groin cause pain?
Your physician will physically exam the area to locate any swelling or lumps that appear on the groin area. Ovarian cysts can cause intense pain that may seem to run down the leg and may resemble a muscle pull.
What muscle attaches to the groin?
All of the other muscle attachments to the groin area, including the rectus femoris, gracilis , rectus abdominis, and adductor group, can all be treated with Prolotherapy if there are tenderness and reproduction of the athlete’s pain upon palpation of the area where the muscle attaches to the bone.
Why does my groin hurt?
Groin pain is most commonly caused by ligament injury or weakness and is especially common in athletes in various sports. For example, hyperextension of the groin during an athletic event or extreme stretching or any workout activity can lead to a strain or sprain of the groin and chronic conditions.
Is groin surgery a diagnostic challenge?
The doctors representing multi-national institutions including the USA confirmed that athletic groin pain requiring surgery remains a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. In their paper, they sought to identify the most common causes of groin pain in athletes requiring surgery.
Can a groin injury heal on its own?
While mild groin injuries tend to heal on their own, special medical attention is required for cases that lead to severe groin pain and discomfort. In research from May 2016, doctors writing in the British Journal of Sports Medicine tackled the problem of groin pain diagnosis.
What injuries do female runners have?
Doctors in the Netherlands published findings in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy suggesting Hip/groin, knee, and lower-leg injuries were common among female runners. ( 6)
Can groin pain cause urinary incontinence?
Questions of whether groin pain causes urinary incontinence or urinary incontinence causes groin pain and how best to treat is the subject of intense research. ( 1) Troubling is that the “sling” type surgeries for urinary incontinence are the cause of groin pain in many women post-operation.
What is the name of the weakened, frayed ligaments in the lower back, pelvis, groin
We will present an opinion that in many women, overlooked in the complexity of trying to diagnose nondescript or difficult to treat groin pain is ligament laxity. Ligament laxity is weakened, frayed ligaments in the low back, pelvis, groin area and hips that often go undiagnosed or even unrecognized as a possible cause of groin pain.
What are the symptoms of a pulled groin?
Individuals suffering from pain in the groin area groin muscle often display or describe the following: Individuals with a torn groin injury may feel pain in other areas of the body, including the hip, pelvis, and lower back.
How long does it take to heal a torn groin muscle?
Typically, recovery for an injured groin muscle can run between 4-12 weeks and estimates for each grade are below: Grade 1: 4-6 weeks. Grade 2: 2-3 months.
What to use to compress a thigh?
Compression: Use an elastic bandage or tape to compress the thigh.
How long does it take for a muscle to heal?
During this initial phase of healing, which runs 7 to 10 days, you must allow for this scar tissue formation while working on gentle range of motion without stressing the muscle.
What is a grade 1 groin injury?
Torn groin injuries are given a grade, according to the amount of damage: Grade 1: Mild overstretching or slight tearing of muscle fibers. The muscle is painful, but has near normal strength. Grade 2: Moderate tear of a larger amount of muscle fibers.
Where does a torn groin hurt?
Individuals with a torn groin injury may feel pain in other areas of the body, including the hip, pelvis, and lower back.
How many muscles are in the groin?
The groin muscles are complex and include six different muscles. Groin muscles help with movements of the hip joint. In fact, groin injuries are often misdiagnosed as hip injuries leading to continued pain and tenderness.
How to treat a groin injury?
To treat a groin injury, apply ice to the area as soon as possible to reduce the swelling. Continue to apply ice for 15 minute intervals every 2 hours for the first 48 hours after the injury. Additionally, take painkillers, like ibuprofen or aspirin, to manage the pain.
How long does it take to recover from a groin injury?
More severe injuries require at least six to eight weeks or even longer for adequate recovery. Take at least five to seven days off from physical activity to allow your injury ...
What is a brace for the groin area?
It is made to fit the groin area snugly without being too tight, which can cut off circulation to the region. Braces are available in most drugstores.
How are groin injuries graded?
Ask your doctor to explain the grade of your injury. Groin injuries are graded based on the severity of the injury.
What does it feel like to have a groin strain?
The symptoms commonly seen with a groin strain or injury include feelings of tightness or cramping, sudden or sharp pain, and pain when the muscle is either contracted or stretched. Severe injuries can include extreme pain even when just walking.
Can a groin strain be similar to a hernia?
Differentiate the symptoms of a groin injury from other causes. Groin strains or injuries can can have similar symptoms to other conditions, such as a sports hernia. Make sure what you are experiencing is actually a groin strain and not something else.
How to stop bruising after a sprain?
Apply ice to the injured area as soon as possible to help limit the swelling, stop any bleeding under the skin, and avoid bruising. Apply ice every two to three hours, for 15 minutes each time, for the first 24 to 72 hours following the injury. Avoid applying ice directly to the skin.
What is the treatment for pulled groin muscle?
Like with most other types of soft tissue injuries, pulled groin muscle treatment can include RICE therapy 5 : Rest. Ice. Compression. Elevation. You can administer this treatment with traditional ice packs and compression bandages, or increase the effectiveness of therapeutic cold and compression with a cold therapy system.
How to relieve groin pain after pulling?
Massage is another popular method for reducing tension in the groin muscles while recovering from a pull or tear. This type of treatment is appropriate after the area is no longer tender to the touch, as otherwise it might be too painful and uncomfortable. 7.
How to strengthen adductor muscles?
Use a small medicine ball placed between the knees to create resistance, and squeeze for five-second intervals. Repeat 10 times, and increase the duration and number of repetitions as strength improves. Straight-leg adductor exercise: Remain in a reclined position, and extend the legs flat on the floor.
How to stretch hip flexors?
Hip flexor stretch: Start in a forward lunge position, and lower the back knee to the floor. Keeping your shoulders above your hips, gently lean forward to stretch the muscles in the front of the hip, and hold the position. Repeat on the opposite side.
How to do hip adduction with bands?
Hip adduction with resistance bands: As groin strength improves, you can add more resistance to hip adduction exercises with bands. Secure one end of a resistance band around your ankle and the other end around an object that will not move. Standing on the opposite leg, position yourself so that the resistance of the band will increase as you gently swing your leg toward the centerline of your body without bending the knee. Do 10 repetitions on each side, and increase the number as strength improves.
How to stretch your groin?
Seated short groin stretch: While seated on the floor, bend the knees, and bring the soles of the feet together in front of you. With a straight back, use your elbows to gently push your knees toward the floor until you feel a light stretch in the inner thigh, and hold the position.
What does it feel like to have a muscle tear in your groin?
Tenderness and discomfort in the inside of the thigh. Swelling or discoloration in the groin area. Loss of strength or function if the muscle has completely torn. At the moment the injury occurs, you might also feel a snapping sensation in the groin area, followed by intense pain. 1.
How to avoid groin strains?
Keeping Your Groin Safe. How to avoid muscle strains: Incorporate a dynamic warm up prior to more intense physical activity. Make sure you are stretching and strengthening the groin and surrounding muscles regularly. Focus on technique and posture with your exercises -- don’t rush through them.
Where do the muscles in the groin attach?
Most of these muscles originate from the pubic bone and attach along the inside of the femur or thigh bone. When strained, a person can feel a sudden sharp pain right along the groin line, at the pubic bone or along the inner thigh, depending which muscle is most affected.
How long does it take to recover from a grade 3 muscle tear?
Expect several months for a full recovery.
How long does it take for a strain to heal?
Grade I: A mild strain may take 1-2 weeks to heal, depending on the recovery process.
Can a physical therapist help with a tear in the muscle?
Other modalities such as ultrasound, electric stimulation, ice and heat may be used throughout the process. A physical therapist will help to get you back on the road to recovery. If it is a complete tear, however, you may need surgery to reattach the muscle. This is why it is critical to seek medical treatment if you are experiencing moderate to severe pain and/or limitations in function.
What doctor can I see for a torn muscle?
If you have trouble walking, see a healthcare specialist such as an orthopedist, sports medicine doctor or a doctor of physical therapy. An MD can order an MRI to fully assess the soft tissue damage. You may need crutches to avoid loading the muscle if completely torn.
How to heal a torn muscle?
Apply ice for 10-15 minutes to the affected area a few times a day. Avoid aggravating the injury site. When there is a muscle strain, fibers have been torn in the muscle and the body needs to heal itself. Avoid straining this area by stressing it more to allow the healing process to occur.
