By Shaun Rodgers, Physiotherapist
What Causes Hip and Groin Pain in the Teenage Footy Players?
Should I see a physio for my hip and groin pain?
YES! In this blog, we explain why.
September brings footy finals season, and with that brings some tired bodies and niggling injuries.
With that in mind we wanted to help you get back to performing at your pain free best and explain why we can help below.
We love footy and understand why you love playing it! We also have a great understanding of the demands it places on your body.
We see lots of hip and groin injuries and specifically hip and groin pain in the teenage population.
There can be several structures involved in causing discomfort including muscle, tendon, bone, ligament.
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Usually, musculoskeletal hip and groin pain can be classified into 6 clinical entities:
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Hip joint related pain
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Adductor (groin muscle/tendon) related pain
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Pubic bone related pain
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Hip flexor related pain
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Inguinal related groin pain
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Abdominal related groin pain
In the adolescent population it is also very important to assess for dysplasia and bone stress injuries which we can do in clinic.
What causes hip and groin pain in teenage footy players?
These injuries can present in different ways – let’s explore these in a bit more detail.
Hip joint related pain:
In this section we are referring to your ball (head of femur) and socket (acetabulum) joint. Symptoms can be coming from the joint itself or indeed the “lining” of the joint, known as the labrum.
Symptoms can include:
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Groin pain
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Pain when sitting
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A catching feeling
Adductor related pain:
This refers to pain in the adductor muscle/tendon complex. The pain could be in the muscle / where the muscle and tendon meet / the tendon / where the tendon attaches onto the bone.
Symptoms can include:
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Weakness in the adductors
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Pain on kicking and sprinting
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Pain in the groin area
Pubic bone related pain:
Your pubic bone is part of your pelvis and several muscles attach onto it via their tendons. Because of this, the bone takes a lot of stress and can become painful as a result.
Symptoms can include:
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Pain at the front of your pelvic
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Pain on sitting up
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Pain on palpation
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Hip flexor related pain:
Your hip flexor group is made up of different muscles which include your iliopsoas and your rectus femoris. These muscles can be injured in acts like kicking and sprinting.
Symptoms can include:
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Pain on kicking
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Pain on running/sprinting
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Pain over the front of your hip / top of your pelvis
Inguinal related groin pain:
Your inguinal area is in your lower abdomen and contains many structures. Some of these structures, like your inguinal ligament, can be injured and be a source of hip and groin pain.
Symptoms can include:
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Pain on sitting up
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Pain on coughing / sneezing
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Pain on palpation
Abdominal related pain:
Some of your abdominal muscles can be a cause of hip and groin pain, like your rectus abdominis which inserts onto your pubic bone. If overloaded, it can start to be a source of pain and this can be coming from the muscle itself, the tendon or its attachment.
Symptoms can include:
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Pain on kicking
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Pain on bending back
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Pain on sitting up
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Hip and Groin pain in TEENAGE footy players:
Unfortunately, these injuries can be a common occurrence and indeed re-occurrence in football players. Because of this, we recommend expert level rehabilitation to get you super robust so you can deal and excel within the demands of your sport.
What can increase the risk of hip and groin injury in footy players?
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Reduced adductor (groin muscle) strength
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Lower levels of sport specific training
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Previous injury
There are many other factors that can increase risk however these have been shown to be a common reason across all football codes. Physio can help objectively identify deficits in strength and sport specific training, help you improve these while addressing your pain and help you build a program to make you robust so that re-injury risk is minimized!
What happens when I come to physio for a hip or groin pain session?
In your first appointment, your physiotherapist will complete a thorough assessment and explain what is causing your pain and provide you with a step by step plan to get you back to your best.
They may also adopt some manual therapy approaches to help your pain initially so that you can get back to doing more complex tasks in a more efficient way.
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Could I just do the exercises I found on Instagram?
Rehabilitation is a science but also an art!
There is nuance to everything. By coming to a physiotherapist, you can be sure you are targeting the correct tissue in the correct way, speeding up your return to play. This also significantly increases your chance of success.
Also, you are an INDIVIDUAL and not all approaches suit everyone. During our assessment we will make you a tailored plan.
How can I be sure I am ready to return to footy after a hip or groin injury ?
In addition to expert clinicians, we have high tech kit that allows us to test your readiness to return to play very specifically. Our VALD and dynamometry kit allows us to see if you are producing the amount of forces necessary to deal with the demand of footy.
We get lots of people with hip and groin pain back to their best. If you are someone suffering with hip or groin pain, book a consult with us so we can help you too!
If necessary, we can also refer you to the relevant medical professional if there is something more serious causing your pain or if you need further investigations
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LEARN How OUR MELBOURNE SPORTS PHYSIO TEAM can help you?
At Melbourne Sports Physiotherapy our goal is to get you moving pain free as soon as possible.
But, we also want you to actually move better and live a healthier, more active and fulfilling life!
If your sports, fitness training or work has been wearing your body down, book in with one of our expert massage therapists so we can help you reduce your pain or stiffness.
If you are showing some signs of this condition or simply want help prevent this from happening in the future then book in with one of our highly experienced Remedial Massage Therapists today!
You can make an appointment by calling or booking online.