Groin Injuries

What is a Groin Injury?

A groin injury involves damage to the muscles, tendons, or ligaments in the inner thigh and hip region. The most common type is a groin strain, which affects the adductor muscles that pull your leg towards the midline of your body. These injuries can range from minor muscle stretching to complete muscle tears requiring extensive rehabilitation.

Groin injuries are particularly common in sports involving rapid acceleration, deceleration, and change of direction movements. They can be acute (sudden onset) or develop gradually through overuse and repetitive stress.

What Causes Groin Injuries?

Groin injuries typically occur through several mechanisms:

Acute injury mechanisms:

  • Sudden acceleration or sprinting from a stationary position

  • Rapid change of direction or cutting movements

  • Overstretching during lunging or reaching movements

  • Kicking with excessive force, particularly in football

  • Slipping or losing footing on unstable surfaces

Overuse mechanisms:

  • Repetitive kicking activities

  • Gradual increase in training intensity or volume

  • Prolonged running, particularly with poor biomechanics

  • Inadequate recovery between training sessions

Risk factors:

  • Previous groin injuries (significantly increases re-injury risk)

  • Muscle imbalances between adductors and abductors

  • Hip joint stiffness or reduced range of motion

  • Weak core and pelvic stability muscles

  • Fatigue during training or competition

  • Inadequate warm-up before activity

  • Playing on hard or uneven surfaces

High-risk sports:

  • Football, rugby, hockey

  • Running and athletics

  • Tennis and racquet sports

  • Dancing and martial arts

What Are the Symptoms?

Groin injury symptoms vary depending on the severity and type of injury:

Acute symptoms:

  • Sharp, sudden pain in the inner thigh or groin area

  • Immediate difficulty continuing activity

  • Pain when bringing the leg towards the midline

  • Possible audible "pop" in severe tears

  • Rapid onset of swelling and bruising

Ongoing symptoms:

  • Persistent pain with walking or running

  • Stiffness in the hip and inner thigh

  • Pain when squeezing the legs together

  • Discomfort when getting in and out of cars

  • Weakness in the affected leg

Functional limitations:

  • Difficulty with side-stepping or lateral movements

  • Pain when climbing stairs or hills

  • Reduced kicking power and accuracy

  • Compensatory movement patterns affecting hip and back

  • Apprehension during cutting or pivoting movements

Chronic symptoms:

  • Deep, aching pain that may persist for months

  • Morning stiffness that improves with gentle movement

  • Pain that returns after periods of rest

  • Gradual onset in overuse cases

Dealing with groin pain? Our specialist team has extensive experience treating groin injuries in professional athletes across multiple sports, including rugby players, triple jumpers and UFC fighters. We provide comprehensive assessment, targeted rehabilitation programmes, and biomechanical analysis to prevent re-injury and optimise your return to sport.