Implementing the right diagnosis of groin pain for athletes is considered to be a challenge for some athletes and physicians. Before, groin pain experienced by some athletes was only diagnosed to be muscle strains. As time passed, research was made about the source of groin pain and it has shown that there are various conditions on nerve problems, damage on the cartilage, muscle injuries and urologic conditions which all show similar symptoms. A difficult problem to diagnose is the one that’s called sports hernia.
Sports hernia actually occurs if you feel that the tendons or muscles of the lower abdominal wall is present. Such part of the abdomen would be in the same region to where the inguinal hernia happens and is called as the inguinal canal. When there will be an inguinal hernia which occurs, there’s going to be a weakening on the abdominal wall which will allow the hernia to actually be felt. In sports hernia, the issue is the weakening of the abdominal wall muscles in the same area, but the hernia is not visible.
Its Symptoms
Sports hernia usually starts with a slow aching pain that you will feel in the lower abdominal region. The symptoms that you feel could become much worse by certain types of activities like bending forward or running. You may also experience increased symptoms when you sneeze or cough. A sports hernia is usually common in athletes who need to maintain a bent forward position. However, this could still be experienced by other athletes like soccer players.
Its Diagnosis
Sports hernia diagnosis can be determined based with the history of the patient, its diagnostic tests and through physical examinations made. Before, MRI tests were the option in looking for any signs of sports hernia. Research shows that MRI is able to show some characteristic findings. This is the reason why MRI is commonly used to help in confirming diagnosis.
Treatment
There are actually some treatments which show to be really effective on sports hernia than just surgery. Because of this, the initial treatment of sports hernia had been conservative in hopes that its symptoms will resolve. The strengthening of the pelvic and the abdominal musculature shows to be also effective sometimes for relieving symptoms. Check it out here to learn more about the inguinal hernia repair without mesh.
If ever such measures are not able to relieve the symptoms of sports hernia, surgery is being recommended to help repair the weakened area of the abdominal wall. Different studies made also shows that more than 50 percent of athletes could return to their activity after going through surgery of sports hernia. Rehabilitation from surgery of sports hernia usually takes eight weeks. Check it out here to learn more about athletic pubalgia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletic_pubalgia.
