Up to 30% of sports medicine doctor visits are attributed to muscle strains, and groin injuries comprise 2 – 5 % of all sports injuries. A groin pull, also known as a groin strain, involves an injury to your groin, pelvic and hip muscles that help keep your legs together and flex your thigh. They are a result of excessive tension, effort or use, especially during activities that require running, kicking, twisting, or side-stepping. The damage can range from overstretching to partial tearing to complete rupturing of the small fibers that make up your groin and pelvis muscles. An adductor strain is one of the most common causes of groin pain in athletes. Most injuries occur at the junction between your muscle and your tendon; however they can occur in your muscle belly as well. A study performed by Renstrom and Peterson who analyzed groin strains in athletes, found that the adductor longus was responsible for 62% of groin injuries, and tends to be the most prone to injury (at the point where the muscle and tendon attach to the femur), followed by an injured gracilis muscle, rectus femoris, rectus abdominis, sartorius, and the iliopsoas.
Internationally, approximately 10% of all injuries endured by professional hockey players are groin strains (according to the Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma).
Alternate Names and/or related conditions:
Groin strain, muscle strain, strained groin, muscle pull, pulled muscle, muscle tear, torn muscle, adductor pull, adductor injury, adductor tendinopathy, adductor tendinitis, iliopsoas syndrome, iliopsoas strain, iliopsoas tendinitis, iliopsoas bursitis, osteitis pubis, sports hernia, groin injury, iliopsoas strain.