Can you pull your groin

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Please turn on JavaScript and try again. Important Phone Numbers. When should you call for help? Where can you learn more? Top of the page. Your Care Instructions A groin strain is an injury that happens when you tear or overstretch pull a groin muscle. What Is a Groin Strain? All groin strains cause pain in the inner thigh. Other signs and symptoms can include: swelling and bruising in the groin area muscle spasms weakness in the leg trouble walking What Causes a Groin Strain?

There are five muscles in the groin. A groin strain happens when one of these muscles: gets stretched too far works too hard and gets hurt gets stressed when it's not ready for example, without a proper warm-up is directly injured by a blow to the area Who Can Get Groin Strains?

Anyone can get a groin strain. Things that make one more likely to happen include: playing sports with sprinting, bursts of speed, or sudden changes in direction. These include track and field particularly the hurdle and long jump events , basketball , soccer , football , rugby, hockey , and skiing.

The first stretch is the squatting adductor stretch:. This adductor stretch is done while standing:. The butterfly stretch is done in a sitting position:. The cross-leg stretch is done while sitting:. This stretch will emphasize the muscles of the inner thigh and front of the thigh.

A groin pull is an injury to the inner thigh muscles. Most of the time, these strains involve small tears to the muscle fibers. They can be treated with rest, stretching, and over-the-counter medications. Sometimes, however, more severe muscle tears can happen. In rare cases, these tears have to be repaired with surgery.

If you have a severe groin pull, see a healthcare professional. You may need more significant treatments, or another condition such as a hernia could be causing the problem. To prevent groin pulls, stretch regularly.

You may also want to include exercises that strengthen your adductor, pelvic, and core muscles. If you're not sure if you have a groin pull or your symptoms do not improve quickly, it's a good idea to see a healthcare provider. Other conditions can be confused with a groin pull, and they may need different treatments. Dealing with joint pain can cause major disruptions to your day. Sign up and learn how to better take care of your body. Click below and just hit send! Comprehensive approach to the evaluation of groin pain.

J Am Acad Orthop Surg. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellHealth. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. This might be painful enough to make walking difficult. It will be painful to bring your thighs together.

A grade 3 groin strain is a tear that goes through most or all of the muscle or tendon. This usually causes a sudden, severe pain at the time when it happens. Using the injured muscle at all will be painful. You may be able to feel a gap in the muscle when you touch the injury. Your doctor will often start with an X-ray and follow up with an MRI to confirm the diagnosis and rule out other injuries.

Immediately after injury, the goal of treatment for a groin strain is to reduce pain and swelling. The first few days of treatment follow the protocol for any muscle injury :. Depending on the severity of your strain, you may need additional treatments to speed healing.

These could include:. If you have a grade 3 strain, you may need surgery to repair the torn fibers, especially where the tendon is involved. The primary risk factor for groin strain is playing a sport that involves kicking, turning suddenly while running, and jumping.

Needing to change direction frequently is also a risk factor. The most common athletes to get groin strain are soccer players and ice hockey players. However, athletes in many sports can be at risk. This includes basketball, football, rugby, skating, tennis, and martial arts. Among athletes who play these sports, an additional risk factor is how much they practice during offseason.