Nothin' to Groin About at 20:37

The single most painful thing I have ever done is pull my groin.  I remember the day so well: I was a sophomore in high school, practicing volleyball after school with my team.  I side stepped to the sideline, and the next moment I was rolling on the floor with tears rolling down my face.  I didn't want to move my leg or my body- every movement from the waist down caused overwhelming pain. My coach rushed over to assess what happened, and when she arrived she started laughing.  Without missing a beat she just said, "Cam, I think you might want to invest in waterproof mascara."

With all jokes aside- pulling/straining your groin is a serious injury that is ranked (by most polls) #8 on most common sport injuries. Your groin is located between your hip and femur (thigh bone).  It can also be called the Adductor Muscles of the thigh; however (if you look below) the pectineus and gracilis muscles are not technically a part of this group, yet they are included in the groin region.  

Typically when you pull your groin, it  means you weren't warmed up all the way.  To warm up properly, you must target every region of your body.  This doesn't mean just hit every muscle group by static stretching- my recent article talked about the difference between active and static stretching.  You need to make sure you actively stretch that region for all direction of motion. There are many techniques out there such as this one.  Just a heads up: some of the best groin warm ups are hurdle exercises because of a hurdler's wide range of motion and constant use of their groin.


If you do happen to pull  your groin, it's not the end of the world.  Try touching it- if it hurts (sends sharp pains) just touching it, you might have actually torn the muscle and you need to get to a doctor.  If not, the hardest step comes next- rest.  You have to stay off of it for several days.  The first day, ice is important. When you undergo a strained muscle the first objects are to reduce edema (fluid that causes swelling), stabilize the area, and reduce the pressure (force).  By applying ice, the muscles contract and the edema flow rate slows down.  The muscles contracting and the  less edema present causes the area to become more stabilized.  The only way to reduce the force on the area is to rest.  After the initial icing period, start applying heat to your groin. This helps the muscles loosen, and prepares them for stretching again.  By the third or fourth day, try walking on your groin without limping.  If this is too painful, get back on the couch and start heating it again.  Make sure you realize your groin will be sore and stiff- this is a different pain than the actual injury.  When it finally is not pain to walk, start off slow.  Do not push yourself! Pushing yourself can actually set you back even further.  Most groin injuries take at least two weeks to return back to normal.  


Be sure to warm up every muscle group used in your body before you start exercising.  It is better to spend the 10 minutes warming up than the 10 days to recover from a strained groin!