Groin Pain? Symptoms, Causes & Treatment

Groin pain can greatly vary in severity and intensity. It can be caused by relatively benign conditions such as muscle strains to more severe conditions such as hernias. Usually, pain in the groin is a result of a sporting injury or physical activity and muscle sprains or strains are the cause of pain.

However, you should definitely worry about groin pain and get is assessed by a medical professional immediately if you are experiencing these symptoms –

• Severe prolonged pain
• Groin pain associated with back, abdomen or chest pain
• Intermittent intense pain along the lower side of your abdomen that may radiate along your groin and into the testicles (males)
• Males – sudden, severe testicular pain and testicle pain accompanied by nausea, vomiting, fever, chills or blood in the urine
• Fever, swelling (around the groin), vomiting, rapid breathing, weakness, dizziness or fainting that accompanies the pain
• Numbness or tingling around the groin
• Altered urinary function/patterns

How Do You Relieve Groin Pain?

Firstly, getting assessed by a medical professional greatly helps in the process of relieving groin pain. It allows for the injury to be properly assessed, the cause of the pain determined and resultantly, the correct treatment provided. The wrong treatment can sometimes lead to the condition getting worse!

That being said, here are some tips & tricks that could help relieve your groin pain –

• Following the RICER principles (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation, Referral) after an acute injury such as a groin pull or strain
• Medications such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatories can help reduce the pain and swelling
• Stretches – depending on the type and severity of injury
• Gentle physical therapy – soft tissue massage, range of movement exercises
• Strengthening exercises
• Surgical interventions for severe conditions such as hernias

Where Is Groin Pain Located?

Groin pain is usually located in the region where the upper thigh meets the abdomen, and often refers to the inside region of the upper thigh.

Symptoms are usually localised around these areas, however, pain may also be experienced in the lower abdominal region and the front of the hips. Pain may manifest on one or both sides of the groin.

Is Walking Good For A Groin Strain?

Walking activity is usually fine to participate in, as long as –

• One is not suffering from an acute episode of groin pain that causes high levels of pain upon weight bearing
• High levels of pain are accompanied with significantly altered walking patterns

Even in serious cases walking may be deferred or simply modified until one’s pain and inflammation have eased. This is achieved by modifying factors related to walking such as step length, speed and duration of walking, or the use of a walking aid to provide support and pain relief.

Conservative treatment, usually involving a combination of manual therapy, advice and education on strengthening appropriate muscles should be sought, as a means of quickly getting back to pain free functional weight bearing activity.

What Does Groin Pain Indicate?

The most common cause of groin pain is related to straining of the soft tissues such as the muscles and tendons associated with the area, particularly in athletes involved in high impact running sports. Other causes of groin pain include inguinal hernias, or areas of tissues in the abdomen that bulge through a layer of weakened muscles, kidney stones and fractures. Less common causes may indicate various inflammatory conditions, infections or nerve irritation.