Can anyone please help with my long standing and frustrating groin injury?

I have a groin injury which has been troubling me since March. I think it is similar to the injury described by no23 at

http://www.charliefrancis.com/community/showpost.php?p=53597&postcount=3.

My physio said that my hip had rotated about 1mm, and it was caused by a lack of core strength, in particular in my lower abdominal muscles, putting extra strain on my groin on the right hand side. The problem coincided with the time I started doing leg weights properly. I also play rugby as so the injury is aggravated when running at angles/sidestepping. I have been performing exercises for core strength and lower abdominals for about a month now, and my recovery was going well (i could run around) until I did a couple of weights sessions on my legs. (Just full squats.) At my next rugby training session afterwards I was doing alot of running and stepping off either feet, and I felt my groin quite badly afterwards. I reckon it’s safe to assume that this was due to the increased power going through my groin from my legs, (due to the weights) as I was running around freely with no problems before I did the leg weights.

This put my recovery back to nearly where it was when I started! This is highly disconcerting as I am trying to fully recover from this injury asap so I can start pre season training and get fit. (Which will include leg weights!) Basically I need to get rid of this injury asap cos it’s driving me mad!

Can anyone help with any advice at all please? Perhaps someone has seen this injury before, or knows some good rehab exercises which would be particularly helpful, or perhaps a decent book that could help.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Sorry I forgot to mention the fact that after I looked around on the internet, I found I had the symptoms of a condition called “Gilmore’s Groin”.

http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cybertherapist/front/frontthigh/gilmores_groin.htm

This adds more confusion for me!

The injury has been at you since March so I assume you’ve tried some rehab (rest etc.) and it hasn’t worked.

I would suspect from the experience and description you’ve given that the injury is likely one of two things - Osteitis Pubis or as you called it ‘Gilmores Groin’.

I suspect you have the later.

Ok before I go any futher - I’m just going on what you’ve told me and I’m not a Doctor, so take so due care advised etc.

Gilmores Groin is properly known as an Ingunial Hernia.
A hernia of any sort is where a portion of your stomach is forced out and protrudes through your abdominal wall.
An Ingunial Hernia occurs where you have a small hernia, but its down near your balls, or along the crease at the front of your leg running from your nut sack to your hip.

Essentailly what happens is the lower wall of your abdominal wall stretches, isn’t strong enough and while under pressure an part of your stomach etc, squeezes out through the Tranverse abdominus.

The cause, is generally, weak abs, poor posture, weight gain, etc. all combining with attempting to handle large forces, and the body cracks at the weakest point.
Very common on soccer players, hockey and Aussie Rules, where there has been alot of research conducted on it.
When Roy Keane or Paul Scholes go for a hernia operation or a groin operation according to the media, this is the operation they’re talking about.
Jason Gardner had something similar done, but as far as I am aware its quite unusual for sprinters to suffer from it.

Diagnosing the actual injury is tricky, only a few very good and experienced therapists can actually figure out what it is.
Doctors are poor also and only a very good Sports Doctor can pin-point it early.

One of the best ways to to diagnose it early on a medical visit is for the Doctor to place his thumb, right up under your nut sack and up into the inguinal canal in the crease and find the groove and get you to cough. The level of pain can describe the severity of the damage.
It obviously is not a pleasant expereince, but it is a very good method for diagnosis.

Sadly many doctors don’t, won’t or can’t do it. Females consider it invassive and older doctors need a great skill to find the exact points on the pelvic bone to follow along.

Of course as I said it could be Osteitis Pubis, but again a good therapist can test the insertion points for it to discount it.

After intial diagnosis a dynamic Ultrasound is next.
This is where a series of images can be obtained while moving and tensing of the injured area.
Some advocate MRI, but the general belief is that MRI is not of benefit to the diagnosis of Ingunial Hernias specifically but can be used to discount Osteitis.

Treatment is based on severity. A low level Ingunial Hernia can be treated with rest and static core work.
In general a rest period has proven not as successful as first thought.
Medium and Severe level are best treated with a laproscopic operation.

The operation, which is similar to a standard hernia operation, where a bio-mesh is placed under the wall to manage the protrusion, is 90% successful for most athletes.

My advice would be to get the best and most experienced people possible to help diagnose this.
You don’t want an op unless it’s the last option, but at the same time if that’s the route, you want a good job done on it also.

Charlie or others may have more experince or advice to add.

Thanks so much for your help, it’s very kind of you! I’m going to see a specialist today, and i’ll take a print out of your reply to see what he says. Apparently I’m going to have some sort of scan to see what the problem is. Once again, thanks alot, I’ll let you know the outcome!