A groin tear causes pain that can vary in intensity from moderate to severe - anyone can suffer this type of injury, regardless of age. The pain is caused by stretching or breaking any of the five muscles that run through the inside of the thigh and are between the pelvic bone and the knee. Treatments require patience and a gradual resumption of normal activities. In some cases, when the injury is severe or heals slowly, medical attention is required.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Get Instant Relief
Step 1. Put some ice
Apply ice to the injured area as soon as possible to help reduce swelling, stop internal bleeding, and avoid bruising.
- Place ice on the area every two to three hours, for 15 minutes each time, during the first few days after the injury.
- Do not apply it directly to the skin; use a cold pack, a bag filled with crushed ice, or a package of frozen vegetables (such as peas) and wrap it in a cloth or towel.
- Continue cold therapy for a few days after the injury and when you resume physical activity, three or four times each day or immediately after doing moderate exercise.
Step 2. Rest
The severity of the groin tear determines how long you will need to avoid exercising.
- If the tear is mild or moderate you will need at least two to four weeks of rest, while in severe cases you will need to allow for a period of at least six or eight weeks, or even more, to heal properly.
- Stop all of your activities for at least five to seven days to help the injury heal. During these days, evaluate the type of pain you are experiencing to establish a gradual return to your sporting activity.
Step 3. Compress the injured muscle
Compression helps reduce swelling and stabilize the muscle.
- To facilitate the healing process you can use a special brace to wear in the groin area; it is a type of device that adapts perfectly to the groin area, without tightening too much so as not to block blood circulation; it is available in pharmacies or orthopedics stores.
- You can also use elastic bands or sports elastic adhesive tapes to apply to the groin area, but be careful not to over-tighten.
Step 4. Keep the injured area raised
By doing this, you prevent swelling and allow adequate blood circulation.
Use rolled-up towels, blankets, or pillows to lift the affected leg as often as possible. Try to put it higher than your hips
Step 5. Alternate ice packs with warm applications
Once you've gotten through the first few days after your injury, if you have the time, apply heat between ice packs.
The heat helps relieve some of the pain and discomfort from the injury
Step 6. Take over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs
Ibuprofen, naproxen and aspirin are able to reduce inflammation and pain.
- Paracetamol, available without a prescription, helps manage pain but does not reduce phlogosis.
- Follow the directions on the leaflet or the instructions provided by your doctor.
Step 7. Learn to distinguish the symptoms of a groin tear from other medical causes
A groin tear or injury can have symptoms similar to other diseases, and vice versa. Make sure it's a tear and not something else.
- In the event of a strain or tear in the groin, you may feel a sensation similar to a cramp or contracture, sudden or stabbing pain and aching when you try to contract or stretch the injured muscle.
- Severe injuries cause intolerable pain even when walking.
- A hernia is often indicated by pain in the lower abdomen and groin, pain from coughing or sneezing, continuous pain in the groin that increases when you are active.
- Stress fractures in the femur or pubic bone could cause pain in the groin that extends to the buttocks. The pain probably occurs in the evening, as well as possible swelling, and the symptoms do not improve by applying ice, compression, rest or even keeping the side up.
- Testicular pain, numbness, tingling, increasing swelling, discomfort in the urinary tract, fever… these are all symptoms that should prompt you to seek medical attention for an accurate diagnosis.
Step 8. Perform adduction movements to recognize a groin tear
If your symptoms are moderate and you are not sure if it is actually a groin strain, you can do a certain exercise to understand the type of injury.
An adduction movement that helps to identify the type of injury consists in placing a fairly light object, such as a medicine ball, between the legs; at this point you have to try to crush it with your legs, if you feel pain you most likely have a strain in the groin
Step 9. See your doctor if you have dull pain
If you have a dull ache that gets worse with movement or exercise, it could be a hernia rather than a muscle tear.
- Another symptom of a hernia is the presence of a lump in the lower abdomen area or in the area just above the groin. This pathology is due to the weakening of the muscle tissue along the abdominal wall which, by yielding, allows a part of the intestine to protrude.
- Hernia is a condition that requires medical attention.
Part 2 of 3: Medical Care
Step 1. Visit your doctor to determine the severity of the injury
There are five muscles that allow the adduction movements of the legs.
- Adduction is a movement that brings a limb towards the midline of the body. Typically people with adductor muscle injuries are athletes such as runners, footballers, sprinters, and those who play sports that require rapid changes in position or the use of a lot of force in crossing leg movements, such as when kicks a ball.
- The five adductor muscles are called the pectineus, short adductor, long adductor, gracilis, and adductor magnus.
Step 2. Ask your doctor to describe the degree of injury
Inguinal tears are divided into degrees, based on severity.
- Grade 1 injury is quite light and is caused by excessive stretching of one or more of the five muscles, resulting in micro-tears of muscle fibers.
- The grade 2 injury is the one that occurs most frequently and consists of a partial laceration of the muscle tissues.
- Grade 3 injury is the most severe, causes more pain and has a complete tear, or rupture, of one or more of the five adductor muscles.
Step 3. Plan for a long recovery period
The time it takes to heal depends on the severity of the injury.
- In many cases, it takes at least six to eight weeks to adequately recover from the torn muscle tissue.
- It is important to rest for as long as your doctor recommends if you want to avoid future injuries.
Step 4. Go back to the doctor if the groin strain does not improve
If your symptoms get worse or you don't notice a significant improvement within a reasonable time, another factor may be the cause of the pain.
- Talk to your doctor so they can assess persistent discomfort and identify other possible causes.
- Check for pain. If you do not show any improvement, this is rather limited or even the situation worsens after a few days after the injury, then you need to seek medical attention.
Step 5. Get examined if you notice a lump in your groin area
When a lump, lump, or swollen mass forms over or in the immediate vicinity of the testicles, you should contact health care facilities.
It is important that any pain that occurs along the lower abdomen, along the side or that radiates throughout the groin area is referred to a doctor
Part 3 of 3: Preventing Future Injury
Step 1. Assess the symptoms
These are a perfect guide to understanding when to return to your sporting activities. If you resume exercising when you are still in pain, you can cause another injury.
- Avoid exercise if the area is still sore. Don't walk fast and don't run if it still hurts.
- When the pain disappears completely, you can gradually resume physical activity again; by doing so, you avoid getting injured again.
Step 2. Reduce activity if you feel pain
As you slowly resume your workouts, pay attention to the signals your body sends you.
- If you experience pain during exercise, reduce the intensity or duration and return to training at that level more gradually.
- Persistent suffering carries a greater risk of further injury in the area or it can be a sign of another type of injury. For these reasons, it is important to reduce the intensity or duration of training until the pain subsides. See your doctor if it persists.
Step 3. Mimic the movements of your sport
Slowly start again to perform those movements required by your competitive activity, in order to gradually resume your sport.
Move slowly, but carefully, avoiding subjecting the area to weights or friction, so that you understand that you no longer feel any pain and are ready to go back to dedicating yourself to your activity at full speed
Step 4. Work with a trainer
A trainer who knows your sport well will not only help you recover your physical abilities to 100%, but can also teach you the right warm-up and stretching to avoid future injuries.
Step 5. Do warm-up and stretching exercises
The main cause of groin tears is the lack of adequate warm-up and stretching exercises before physical activity.
- Stretching loosens the adductor muscles and prepares you to play your sport, while an adequate warm-up period allows proper blood circulation in the muscles and prepares them to work properly under stress.
- Do some simple stretching exercises particularly suitable for the groin area, these are ideal before and after training. Sit on the floor with your back against the wall. Join the soles of your feet together so that they are snug against the floor and bring them as close to the groin as possible. Slowly and gently move your knees towards the floor. Hold for about 20 seconds and then repeat once.
Step 6. Continue applying ice and heat
After resuming physical activity for several weeks, continue applying ice and compression to the area after your training session, without neglecting adequate rest periods.
Continue applying heat after your training session to limit any remaining pain
Advice
- Listen to your body. Pain after a groin tear may be a sign that you are overdoing the intensity of your workout.
- Avoid exposing yourself to certain risks. If you run on rough terrain, such as the beach, you are more likely to get injured.
- Even non-sports people, of any age, can suffer a groin tear. Older people with hip arthritis are prone to this type of pain and injury. Talk to your doctor, whatever your age, if you experience muscle pain in the inner and upper thighs.
- You can consider swimming during your recovery period if the pain permits. The weight of the body is supported by the water, so you can move your legs more gently to start regaining muscle activity.
- Gradually return to your normal physical activity and take time to rest between workouts.
