What should you know about groin tendon pull?

A pulled groin often affects the adductor muscles or their tendons on the inside of the thigh. It can happen during a sudden change of direction, a wide step, a kick or a forceful stretch. Pain may be immediate, with tenderness, weakness or bruising; a milder injury may feel sore later. Discomfort can increase when bringing the legs together, climbing stairs or accelerating. Groin Pain can have other causes, including hip or abdominal problems, so the injury mechanism and examination matter.

For the first phase, stop the movement that caused the pain and use comfortable walking as your guide. Avoid forceful stretching, sprinting and kicking while they reproduce symptoms. A clinician can help decide when gentle range-of-motion work is appropriate, followed by Exercise Therapy to rebuild adductor and hip strength. Sports Physiotherapy can match the programme to your sport, while a Return-to-Sport Programme can add running, cutting and ball skills in stages. Do not return because the pain briefly feels quieter; strength and control should also be improving.

Arrange an assessment if pain prevents normal walking, bruising is extensive, weakness persists, or symptoms are not clearly improving. Seek prompt care after a loud pop, a visible hollow, sudden severe pain, numbness, fever or inability to move the hip. Repeated groin pulls also deserve evaluation because weakness, technique, hip movement or an alternative diagnosis may be contributing.

Ask which tissue appears injured, how much walking and exercise is safe, when strengthening should begin, and which strength or movement tests will guide return to sport. Ask how to distinguish a healing strain from pain that needs reassessment.