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Groin Strain
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What is a groin strain? A strain is a stretch or tear of a muscle or tendon. People commonly call such an injury a "pulled" muscle. The muscles in your groin help bring your legs together. There are two muscles that may commonly get injured in a groin strain: the adductor magnus (the large muscle running down the inner side of the thigh) and the sartorius (a thinner muscle that starts on the outside of your hip, crosses your thigh and attaches near the inside of the knee). How does it occur? A groin strain most commonly occurs when you are running or jumping or when there is a forced push-off or cut. What are the symptoms? You will have pain or tenderness along the inner side of your thigh or in the groin area. You will have pain when you bring your legs together. You may have pain when lifting your knee up. How is it diagnosed? Your health care provider will take note of your symptoms and will examine your thigh and hip. How is it treated? Treatment may include:
While you are recovering from your injury, you will need to change your sport or activity to one that does not make your condition worse. For example, you may need to swim instead of run. How long will the effects last? The length of recovery depends on many factors such as your age, health, and if you have had a previous groin injury. Recovery time also depends on the severity of the injury. A mild groin strain may recover within a few weeks, whereas a severe injury may take 6 weeks or longer to recover. You need to stop doing the activities that cause pain until the groin has healed. If you continue doing activities that cause pain, your symptoms will return and it will take longer to recover. When can I return to my normal activities? Everyone recovers from an injury at a different rate. Return to your activities will be determined by how soon your groin recovers, not by how many days or weeks it has been since your injury has occurred. In general, the longer you have symptoms before you start treatment, the longer it will take to get better. The goal of rehabilitation is to return you to your normal activities as soon as is safely possible. If you return too soon you may worsen your injury. You may safely return to your activities when, starting from the top of the list and progressing to the end, each of the following is true:
How can I prevent a groin strain? A groin strain is best prevented by warming up properly and doing groin muscle stretching exercises prior to your activities. This is especially important in activities such as sprinting or jumping.  Disclaimer: This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to
change as new health information becomes available. The
information provided is intended to be informative and educational and is not a
replacement for professional medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or
treatment by a healthcare professional.
HIA File EXR4123F.HTM Release 9.0/2006. Copyright © 2006 McKesson Corporation and/or one of its subdiaries. All Rights Reserved.
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