With the winter sporting season back upon us again, the time to act is now to help you get through a long season.

Have you had one or several of the following symptoms in the groin while training or playing?

• Pain?
• Grab/Pull?
• Weakness?
• Decreased Power?
• Decreased Performance?

If so, it’s very important to get a diagnosis of what’s causing these symptoms in order to formulate a rehabilitation plan specific to your needs. This may allow you to either remain on the sporting field or return quicker, more efficiently and more effectively…

Groin soreness is something that we commonly see in the clinic and there are many injuries that come under this term. This includes (and many of you may have heard the term) Osteitis Pubis.

BECAUSE I HAVE GROIN PAIN DOES THAT MEAN I HAVE OSTEITIS PUBIS?

NO!!

There are several other possible sources of pain in this area.

These can include:

• Adductor muscle strain/tendinopathy
• Pubic bone stress reaction
• Sportsman’s hernia
• Referral from Lumbar Spine
• Hip Pain Referral

All of these problems need to be correctly diagnosed so they can then be treated correctly.

SO WHAT IS OSTEITIS PUBIS?

It is an irritation of the joint that is formed between your two pubic bones causing a pain that is centred at the front of the pelvis.

What Causes It?

Osteitis Pubis is generally caused by an overload to this area which can be caused by an instability present around the hip or an imbalance in muscles in muscles around this area.

How Is It Treated?

Depending upon severity and what is found during an assessment, the treatments used will vary greatly.

However treatment may include:

• Unloading of the area affected (resting from the aggravating activity)
• Strengthening of weak/deconditioned muscles
• Stretching/soft tissue work of tight muscles to release pressure from the painful area
• Foam Rolling and Dry Needling
• Improvement of muscle activation/movement patterns
• SIJ Belt – a belt to support the pelvis

What Can I Do?

The first thing is to get a correct diagnosis and act now before it becomes too irritated, so then a specific rehabilitation plan can be developed for you.

The sooner you act the better the prognosis and the less likely it will be that you will have to miss out on being out there!

If you are having issues in your groin/hip region come and see the staff at Leading Edge Physiotherapy who have experience dealing with such issues. This includes the use of hand held dynamometry to assess your strength and your weaknesses around your hip and help to track your improvements.