Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCausesSymptomsDiagnosisTreatmentPrevention
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Causes
Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prevention
A sports hernia, medically known as athletic pubalgia, is a soft tissue injury resulting in the strain or tear of the muscles, tendons, or ligaments of the groin area in athletes. Sudden changes in direction, twisting, and other repetitive explosive movements during sports can lead to a sports hernia..
Also Known AsAthletic pubalgiaGilmore’s groinSportsman’s hernia
Also Known As
Athletic pubalgiaGilmore’s groinSportsman’s hernia
A sports hernia is not a true hernia in the sense that there is no protrusion or “outpouching” of soft tissue. Groin pain is a common symptom of a sports hernia, but it is important to rule out other possible causes of groin pain, such as muscle injury,cartilagedamage,nerve problems, orurologic conditions.
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What to Do If You Get Injured Playing Sports
What Causes Sports Hernias?
Overuse and repetitive explosive movements are the most common mechanism of injury regarding sports hernias. A muscular imbalance between the abdominal and thigh muscles, which both attach to the pubis, may make an athlete more prone to a sports hernia injury. The obliques and adductors are the most commonly strained muscles that causeathletic pubalgia.
While they happen in the same part of the body, sports hernias are not the same asinguinalhernias.
The inguinal canal is the part of your lower abdomen just above your groin. If these muscles are weak or overused they are prone to tearing. If a hernia happens, tissue (like your intestines)bulges through an opening in the wall.
While they both have “hernia” in the name, inguinal hernias and sports hernias are different injuries:
While a sports hernia is not an inguinal hernia, it can lead to one. Weak muscles in the lower abdomen can, over time, create the right conditions for an inguinal hernia to form.
Sports hernias are most common in athletes who stay in a bent forward position, such as hockey players. However, sports hernias can also happen to football and soccer players who do a lot of twisting, jumping, and kicking.
How Different Sports Injuries Are Treated
Symptoms of a Sports Hernia
You may feel severe pain at the moment that you get hurt, but sometimes, the pain from a sports hernia comes on gradually. You might have a hard time telling exactly where the pain is in your lowerabdomen, but it’s often just on one side.
Other symptoms of a sports hernia include:
How Sports Hernias Are Diagnosed
To diagnose a sports hernia, your provider will ask you about your symptoms, your activities, and your medical history. They will also do a physical examination and diagnostic tests.
One common imaging modality utilized to diagnose soft tissue injuries or tears, including hernias, ismagnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Along with X-rays and dynamic ultrasound, MRIs can also be used to rule out other causes of groin pain.
There are other causes of groin pain in athletes, many of which are more common than a sports hernia.For example:
11 Causes of Hip Pain in Athletes
How Sports Hernias Are Treated
Unlike a strain, a sports hernia will not get better on its own. Nonsurgical treatment is the preferred method of care for sports hernia injuries. Treatments will typically look like the following:
If conservative treatments are unsuccessful or the athlete has pain after returning to their sport, surgical intervention may be necessary to address tears in the soft tissues.
Between 65% and 90% of athletes can return to play after surgery for a sports hernia.Rehabilitation from surgery for a sports hernia usually takes between six to twelve weeks.
What to Expect From Hernia Repair Surgery
A Can Sports Hernias Be Prevented?
You can’t always prevent a sports injury, including a hernia. There are, however, steps you can take to play your sport safely and reduce your chances of getting a hernia.
For example:
Summary
Core and pelvic stability are key to preventing muscular imbalances which could make an athlete more prone to a sports hernia type injury, which is a strain or tear of the muscles that attach to the pubis or groin area.
If you are experiencing groin pain due to a sports hernia, better known as athletic pubalgia, your healthcare provider will typically prescribe rest, ice, anti-inflammatory medication, and a course of physical therapy. If symptoms persist or a tear is identified via imaging, surgical intervention may be necessary.
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8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Sports hernia (athletic pubalgia).Johns Hopkins Medicine.Sports hernia.Hospital for Special Surgery.Sports hernia.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Sports hernia (athletic pubalgia).Yang DC, Nam KY, Kwon BS, et al.Diagnosis of groin pain associated with sports hernia using dynamic ultrasound and physical examination: A case report.Ann Rehabil Med. 2015;39(6):1038-1041. doi:10.5535/arm.2015.39.6.1038Hopkins JN, Brown W, Lee CA.Sports hernia: definition, evaluation, and treatment.JBJS Reviews. 2017;5(9):e6-e6. doi:10.2106/jbjs.rvw.17.00022Kaiser Permanente.Open inguinal hernia repair (herniorrhaphy, hernioplasty).UT Health East Texas.Preventing sports hernias.
8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Sports hernia (athletic pubalgia).Johns Hopkins Medicine.Sports hernia.Hospital for Special Surgery.Sports hernia.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Sports hernia (athletic pubalgia).Yang DC, Nam KY, Kwon BS, et al.Diagnosis of groin pain associated with sports hernia using dynamic ultrasound and physical examination: A case report.Ann Rehabil Med. 2015;39(6):1038-1041. doi:10.5535/arm.2015.39.6.1038Hopkins JN, Brown W, Lee CA.Sports hernia: definition, evaluation, and treatment.JBJS Reviews. 2017;5(9):e6-e6. doi:10.2106/jbjs.rvw.17.00022Kaiser Permanente.Open inguinal hernia repair (herniorrhaphy, hernioplasty).UT Health East Texas.Preventing sports hernias.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Sports hernia (athletic pubalgia).Johns Hopkins Medicine.Sports hernia.Hospital for Special Surgery.Sports hernia.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Sports hernia (athletic pubalgia).Yang DC, Nam KY, Kwon BS, et al.Diagnosis of groin pain associated with sports hernia using dynamic ultrasound and physical examination: A case report.Ann Rehabil Med. 2015;39(6):1038-1041. doi:10.5535/arm.2015.39.6.1038Hopkins JN, Brown W, Lee CA.Sports hernia: definition, evaluation, and treatment.JBJS Reviews. 2017;5(9):e6-e6. doi:10.2106/jbjs.rvw.17.00022Kaiser Permanente.Open inguinal hernia repair (herniorrhaphy, hernioplasty).UT Health East Texas.Preventing sports hernias.
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Sports hernia (athletic pubalgia).
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Sports hernia.
Hospital for Special Surgery.Sports hernia.
Yang DC, Nam KY, Kwon BS, et al.Diagnosis of groin pain associated with sports hernia using dynamic ultrasound and physical examination: A case report.Ann Rehabil Med. 2015;39(6):1038-1041. doi:10.5535/arm.2015.39.6.1038
Hopkins JN, Brown W, Lee CA.Sports hernia: definition, evaluation, and treatment.JBJS Reviews. 2017;5(9):e6-e6. doi:10.2106/jbjs.rvw.17.00022
Kaiser Permanente.Open inguinal hernia repair (herniorrhaphy, hernioplasty).
UT Health East Texas.Preventing sports hernias.
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