A groin pull or strain happens when there is too much stress on muscles in your inner thigh. If these muscles are contracted too forcefully or too suddenly, they can get overstretched or torn.
Groin pulls are common in people who play sports that require a lot of running and jumping. Suddenly jumping or changing direction is a likely cause. Groin pulls often appear in people who play soccer and football, and make up about 10% of all injuries in professional hockey players.
Groin Strain Symptoms
- Pain and tenderness at the inner thigh +/- travelling down
- Pain when you bring your legs together
- Pain when you raise your knee
- A popping or snapping feeling during the injury, followed by severe pain
Groin Strain Classifications
- 1st degree: Mild pain, but little loss of strength or movement
- 2nd degree: Moderate pain, mild to moderate strength loss, and some tissue damage
- 3rd degree: Severe pain, severe loss of strength and function due to a complete tear of the muscle
Groin Strain Treatment: RICE
R REST!
I ICE the inside of your thigh to reduce pain and swelling. Your Physiotherapist or Athletic therapist will recommend doing it for 15 minutes every 3 to 4 hours for 2 to 3 days. Then daily for the remainder of the week. We will inform you from there based on re-assessment.
C COMPRESS the thigh using an elastic bandage or tape. Your Physiotherapist or Athletic therapist can do this for you and show you some options to do at home as well.
E ELEVATION. Raise the groin by lying down and placing pillows under the hips.
To assist tissue healing, your Physiotherapist or Athletic therapist will educate you on stretches and then strengthening exercises ideal for your injury. Depending on the grade of injury, this can start immediately or may require several days of rest.
Groin pulls can become chronic if the reason it happened is not determined and treated. Your Physiotherapist or Athletic therapist will assess your core, pelvis, and the rest of the lower extremities to screen for potential causes. For example, weakness or instability in the back, knee, hip, and/or sacroiliac joint (SI joint) asymmetry. Treatments that address not only the groin but also dysfunctions affecting the groin improve recovery and the risk of re-injury.
Examples of Groin Strain Rehabilitation Exercises
Hip Adductor (groin) Stretch:
Lie on your back. Bend your knees and put your feet flat on the floor. Gently spread your knees apart, stretching the muscles on the inside of your thighs. Hold the stretch for 20 seconds. Repeat 10 times, twice a day.
Hamstring Stretch on Wall:
Lie on your back with your buttocks close to a doorway. Stretch your uninjured leg straight out in front of you on the floor through the doorway. Raise your injured leg and rest it against the wall next to the door frame. Keep your leg as straight as possible. You should feel a stretch in the back of your thigh. Hold the stretch for 20 seconds. Repeat 10 times, twice a day.
The below exercises are for strength and should ONLY be performed when your Physiotherapist or Athletic Therapist has re-assessed your injury and states that you are ready. There may be other exercises that are more appropriate for you.
Side-Lying Leg Lift (cross over):
Lie on your injured side with your top leg bent and your foot placed in front of the bottom leg. Keep your bottom leg straight. Raise your injured leg as far as you can and hold it for 5 seconds. Keep your hips still while you lift your leg. Hold this position for 5 seconds and then slowly lower your leg. Do 3 sets of 10, holding the pose for 5 seconds.
Straight Leg Raise:
Lie on your back with your legs straight out in front of you. Bend the knee on your uninjured side and place the foot flat on the floor. Tighten the thigh muscle on your injured side and lift your leg about 20 cm / 8 inches off the floor. Keep your leg straight and your thigh muscles tight. Slowly lower your leg back down to the floor. Do 3 sets of 10, holding the pose for 5 seconds.
Once it’s easy to do the leg lifts, start strengthening your thigh muscles and groin muscles with the following elastic tubing exercises:
Resisted Hip Flexion:
Stand facing away from a door. Tie a loop in one end of a piece of elastic tubing and put it around the ankle on your injured side. Tie a knot in the other end of the tubing and shut the knot in the door near the floor. Tighten the front of your thigh muscle and bring the leg with the tubing forward, keeping your leg straight. Return to the starting position. Do 3 sets of 10, holding the pose for 5 seconds.
Resisted Hip Extension:
Stand facing a door with elastic tubing tied around the ankle of your injured side. Knot the other end of the tubing and shut the knot in the door near the floor. Draw your abdomen in toward your spine and tighten your abdominal muscles. Pull the leg with the tubing straight back, keeping your leg straight. Make sure you do not lean forward. Return to the starting position. Do 3 sets of 10, holding the pose for 5 seconds.
Resisted Hip Abduction:
Stand sideways near a door with your injured side further from the door. Tie elastic tubing around the ankle on your injured side. Knot the other end of the tubing and close the knot in the door near the floor. Pull the tubing out to the side, keeping your leg straight. Return to the starting position. Do 3 sets of 10, holding the pose for 5 seconds. For more resistance, you could move farther away from the door.
Resisted Hip Adduction:
Stand sideways next to a door with your injured side closer to the door. Tie a loop in one end of the tubing and slip the loop around the ankle on your injured side. Make a knot in the other end of the tubing and close the knot in the door near the floor. Bring the leg with the tubing across your body sideways, crossing over your other leg and stretching the tubing. Return to the starting position. Do 3 sets of 10, holding for 5 seconds.