Groin Pain

Benefits of Knowing about Groin Pain

If you experience discomfort such as pain in the groin area, may be you are suffering from groin pain. Pain in the groin area where the inner, upper thigh and lower abdomen meet. The groin is also called the inguinal area and includes your upper inner thigh as well as the front area where your legs attach to your torso. 

The pulling or strain of adductor muscle can cause surface of groin pain. Gracilis, pecticeus, adductor brevis, adductor longus and adductor magnus are the groin muscles. These are fan like muscles and are located in upper thigh. These muscles pull legs together when they contract. They are also responsible for the stabilization of hip joint. These muscles attach from pelvis to thigh bone. Groin discomfort appears in men and women of all ages. However, women encounter this problem most commonly during pregnancy.

Groin Pain Symptoms

Symptoms that may occur along with groin pain include:

- Difficulty performing your usual sports activities or exercises, such as running, skating or swimming
- A mass, bulge or lump in the groin area and/or scrotum
- Flu-like symptoms (fatigue, fever, sore throat, headache, cough, aches and pains)
- Loss of appetite
- Lower back pain
- Pain or itching in the genital area
- Painful urination
- Pelvic or lower abdominal pain
- Rectal or vaginal discharge
- Swollen lymph nodes in the groin or elsewhere
- Trouble walking
- Weakness of the hip muscles
- Bleeding symptoms, such as bloody urine, bloody stools, or unusual rectal discharge
- Change in consciousness or alertness, confusion
- Difficulty breathing, wheezing, or shortness of breath
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- Genital ulcers or blisters
- High fever (higher than 101 degrees Fahrenheit)
- Increased or decreased urine output
- Severe lower abdominal pain
- Nausea or vomiting
- Redness or warmth in the groin area
- Sudden swelling of the scrotum
- Yellow, pus-like discharge from the penis or vagina

Causes of Pain in Groin 

- Epididymitis or inflammation in epididymis, a tube that connects testicle with vas deferens, occurs due to bacterial infection from urethra or bladder. The most common causes for Epididymitis are chlamydia and gonorrhea. It also occurs due to mycobacterium tuberculosis, E. coli, etc. Epididymitis is one of the major pain causes.

- Enlarged Lymph Glands. Lymph nodes, which appear all over the body, are highly important in your immune system. They recognize and fight infections, germs and other foreign substances. Common areas where lymph nodes appear are groin, armpit, neck, under the chin or jaw, behind ears, backside of head, etc. They become swollen due to inflammatory condition, infection, cancer, or abscess. Injections, such as gingivitis, colds, flu, ear infection, skin infections, tuberculosis, tonsillitis, sexually transmitted diseases, mouth sores, mononucleosis, etc, are the common causes of swollen lymph nodes and it finally leads to groin pain, cancer or tumor.

- Hernia. This is another major cause of groin pain. Chronic cough and constipation, enlarged prostate, undescended testicles, overexertion, smoking, poor nutrition, etc are the major causes of hernia.

- Kidney stone is the solid mass of tiny crystals. Groin pain, testicle pain, abnormal urine color, vomiting, nausea, fever, chills, blood in urine, etc are the symptoms of kidney stone.

- Groin Lump. Lump in the groin is a localized swelling and it occurs due to allergic reaction, drug reaction, cancer, harmless cyst, injury in groin area, infections in legs, lipomas, sexually transmitted diseases, swollen lymph glands in groin area, etc.

- Orchitis is the inflammation of one or both testicles. Bacteria and virus infections are the causes of this health problem and it triggers groin pain in men.

Groin Injury. This is another major cause of groin pain and it occurs due to a direct blow on groin region. Athletes are more prone to groin injury. Hyper extension of groin muscles may cause sprain in groin and it ultimately leads to severe pain. Straining or tearing of near hip joints also cause groin pain.

- Pregnancy. Lots of hormonal changes occur during pregnancy. It increases slackness of pelvic joints. So groin pain during pregnancy is very common. Women may also experience pain in lower back, hip joints, upper thighs and genital area.

- Referred Pain. Injury or pain in the other parts of the body may radiate towards groin and they can cause pain in women. This is called radiating pain or referred pain.

Groin Pain Treatment

Immediate Care For a Pain in Groin

1.Rest. The severity of your groin injury determines how long you need to refrain from strenuous     physical activity.

2.Ice the muscle as soon as possible. Ice packs can minimize swelling, stop blood from pooling under the skin (which causes bruising) and help control the pain associated with a groin injury. You should ice the groin area in 20-minute intervals every 2 to 3 hours for optimum results.

3.Compress the injured groin muscle to further reduce swelling. 

4.The use of a special brace designed for the groin area is especially helpful, because it is made to fit the groin area snugly, but not too tight to cut off circulation to the region.

5.Elevate the groin to encourage adequate blood flow.

6.Use hot compresses. Do it in 10-to-15 minute intervals to encourage healing in the groin area.

7.Take ibuprofen to alleviate swelling and to reduce pain

Long Term Care for a Groin Pain

1.Warm up and stretch before any strenuous physical activity. Stretching loosens the adductor muscle and prepares it for activity, while a sufficient warm-up period before exercise gets the blood flowing to the muscle and preps it to work properly under stress.

 - Perform a simple stretch that targets the groin area before and after you work out or participate in sports. Sit on the floor with your back gently against the wall. Place the bottoms of your feet together and pull your feet in toward your groin. Gently and slowly move your knees toward the floor. Hold this stretch for 20 seconds and repeat once.

- If you have a history of groin injuries, apply warm compresses to your groin area before you stretch to further loosen up the muscle.

2. Eat a diet high in carbohydrates before you begin physical activity. A diet rich in carbohydrates gives the adductor muscle the fuel it needs to work properly  to prevent from groin pain.

Reference :

How to Treat a Groin Injury, http://www.wikihow.com/Treat-a-Groin-Injury, ( July 22,2013 )

Groin pain, http://www.localhealth.com/article/groin-pain ( July 20, 2013 )