What should you know about inner groin strain?

The injury may happen during a sudden acceleration, change of direction, kick, slip, or heavy effort. Pain can be felt along the inner thigh or near the pubic side of the groin, with tenderness, weakness, or bruising. A mild strain may hurt mainly during activity; a more substantial injury can make walking, climbing stairs, or turning in bed difficult.

Groin pain can have other causes, so a clinician may test hip motion, resisted leg movement, strength, and the lower abdomen. Symptoms that include a bulge, fever, urinary complaints, or pain unrelated to movement need a wider assessment rather than assuming a muscle injury.

Stop the activity that caused the pain and use comfortable, short walks if you can walk without limping. For a recent injury, a wrapped cold pack may reduce discomfort. Avoid deep stretching, sprinting, kicking, and painful resisted squeezing at first. Keep the area protected from repeated strain while maintaining gentle pain-free movement.

Exercise Therapy can later restore range, inner-thigh strength, trunk control, and tolerance for running. A physiotherapist can progress loading from easy contractions to sport-specific drills. A Return-to-Sport Programme is useful when speed, direction changes, or kicking must be tested gradually. Sports Physiotherapy can address technique and training load.

Arrange assessment if pain is severe, walking is difficult, bruising is extensive, symptoms followed a significant force, or progress stalls after rest. Seek urgent care for inability to bear weight, a visibly deformed area, rapidly increasing swelling, fever, numbness, or severe abdominal or pelvic pain. Return to sport only when normal walking and progressive sport drills are comfortable.

Which inner-thigh muscle is involved? Is the injury mild or does it need imaging? What movements should I avoid today? When can strengthening begin? What criteria should I meet before running, changing direction, or returning to competition?