Groin / upper inner thigh pain

[dannymacca]

Hi,

I'm wondering if anyone on here can suggest something to help me, where my GP & Physiothrapist are failing.

I have had a pain down the inner thigh, not too far down, mainly around the groin area.
I first noticed the pain in Jan 07. I play football & had recently returned from a 6 month knee cartilage injury so was desperate to play.
I ignored the pain, playing through it twice a week, it almost gets better during a game, but the next morning was agony, getting out of bed was a chore.
I played until the end of the season, the injury didn't get any worse.
I had a month off, restricting myself from all activities, I went for a run & experienced a more intense pain than before, this time accompanied by a bruise on the top of my thigh near the groin.
Since I've visted Dr's & Physio's no one can diagnose what it is, ideas ranging from Groin tears to hernia's, I have a scan booked in, but won't be until the end of Sept due to waiting lists.
If anyone thinks they can help, or have seen a similar injury please state here, I'm happy to provide any further information, I'm really desperate to get myself fit, but it seems harder & harder to find someone who actually wants to help me.

Thanks,

Danny

[alophysio]

Ok - can you try something for me?? You will need 2 people whom you trust!

1. Lie down on the floor. Bend both knees up with feet on the floor together in the middle
2. Open up your knees and get person 1 to hold your knees. The best way to do this is to put their right elbow on the inside of your left knee (they are facing you), their right hand/palm on the inside of your right knee. Their left elbow will do the same on the inside right knee and the left hand/palm on the inside left knee.
3. Person 1 MUST NOT PUSH. You will try to bring your knees together and Person 1 will only resist the movement to stop your knees moving. Note the pain and strength. DO NOT HURT YOURSELF - go gently - you can repeat it gradually harder later if you need to!
4. Person 2 will now come in and try to push your ASIS's together. They are the pointy hip bones that face forwards and stick out in anorexic models. Try to push from the outside of these bones to compress your pelvis.
5. While person 2 holds this pressure, repeat the test of resisted knees together.

If you find your strength and/or pain has improved, you will have tested positive for a pelvic dysfunction. You will need to find someone skilled at SIJ treatment or pubic symphysis treatment. Osteopathic treatment often can deal with this but you will need a skilled physiotherapist to help you with the exercises.

Let me know what the above test is like. BTW, you can push your pelvis together if you like and just squeeze your legs together against a socerball or better still a basketball or something bigger between your knees (sounds bad huh!?!)

Good luck!

[dannymacca]

Thanks for that I will try that out.

If this turned out to be the issue, do you know recooperation times??

Thanks again

[alophysio]

Hi - let us know how the test goes.

Provided you can find someone to help with your rehab, i would say 4-6 weeks but it could be longer depending on how you learn how to do the exercises.

I have a young guy 15yrs old with the same problem but he is back to painfree sport in less than 3 weeks with daily retraining exercises for his hip and deep abdominal muscles.

Good luck and let us know the result of the test!

[dannymacca]

Hi,

I went to the dr's due to a big pain increase.
I've been diagnosed with Osteitis Pubis, I've been on anti-inflamitories for 3 months, only showing very marginal improvement & nowhere near enough to start sport again.
My specialist, Dr Charles Mann of the Norfolk & Norwich Hospital has basically said he can't help me anymore, theres no proceedure he can use to help me further.

I'm finding this extremely hard to take & have no idea where to go next, the physios I've seen don't seem to clued up on the condition & I'm feeling that at 27 I'm facing retirement from sport.

Can someone help..??

[alophysio]

HI Dannymacca,

How did the scan go?

Osteitis Pubis is a condition that has been (IMHO) overdiagnosed as a way of describing groin pain. Often on MRI you can see excessive activity in the pubic region near the attachments of the muscles.

Having said that, it doesn't actually explain WHY there is excessive strain on your groin.

As i have suggested above, please seek out a physio who is skilled in the assessment and treatment of the pelvic girdle.

The names who teach in England are:

Diane Lee and LJ Lee - Diane Lee & Associates - Consultants in Physiotherapy and Linda-Joy Lee Physiotherapist Corporation - Physiotherapy Education and Resource Company - Vancouver, BC
Barb Hungerford - Advanced Manual Therapy Associates
Mark Comerford
Others???

Good luck - ask one of them who might be in your area and see if you can find a therapist who knows what they are talking about.

Don't give up - there are therapists out there who know how to treat this properly - just have to find them!!

If you are ever in Sydney Australia...

[sixphysio]

all very good being given a diagnosis, but you need to find out why.

never treat the scan always treat the man!

agree with what's been said before, but you have to find the right guys to look after you. no machines!

we can help, it all sounds pretty much the norm. pm me if needs be.

cheers

sixphysio

[williteverstop]

I too have the same pain. My situation is much more complex as it started out as an acute injury (partially torn glute medius, partially torn biceps femoris & tendinopathy in glute minimus) in Aug 06 that wasn't diagnosed until Dec 07 (arg) but the end result is the same. I am highly frustrated with the lack of knowledge where I live and would like to have some names of highly recommended talent if possible please. I tried the technique that Alophysio suggested and afterward felt as tho the pain increased slightly. How does one gauge the pain level? Is it based on immediately after performing the technique or upon performing the sport after performing the technique? You suggested what to do if the pain subsides but not otherwise. Can you elaborate a little more please?

Thank you so much!

[williteverstop]

I too have the same pain. My situation is much more complex as it started out as an acute injury (partially torn glute medius, partially torn biceps femoris & tendinopathy in glute minimus) in Aug 06 that wasn't diagnosed until Dec 07 (arg) but the end result is the same. I am highly frustrated with the lack of knowledge where I live and would like to have some names of highly recommended talent if possible please. I tried the technique that Alophysio suggested and afterward felt as tho the pain increased slightly. How does one gauge the pain level? Is it based on immediately after performing the technique or upon performing the sport after performing the technique? You suggested what to do if the pain subsides but not otherwise. Can you elaborate a little more please?

Thank you so much!

[alophysio]

HI williteverstop,

Possibly your pain is not from the same probelm...

Perhaps it might be better if you add more of your history and treatment etc.

Obviously the above post was for dannymacca - the test is better with strength as the measure compared to pain. If pain is increased, it might be for a variety of reasons whereas a strength increase tends to be more about the dysfunction in load transfer.

let us know more!!

[williteverstop]

Hi Alophysio,

Thanks for your reply. After I posted yesterday I realized it wasn't the smartest thing to drop in to another guy's thread so I started a new one (title line started with Bicycle Injury). I hope you've had a chance to read it and will reply soon.

Dannymecca, sorry for jumping into your thread. I wish I could offer you some techniques that have worked for me but unfortunately nothing has. Hope you find relief soon!

Cheers!