Major Groin Pain

Hasselblad

I developed what felt like a minor quad strain after a 30 mile ride ~ 4 weeks ago. Rested for a week and still felt it on 15 mile ride. Did rest, ice and stretching for 2 weeks and then did 10 mile trundle in 1st gear. All felt ok until later that night when I felt burning pain at top of leg/hip and in groin. 8 days later and groin pain is still heavy; lots of NSAIDs needed.

Could this be hip impingement issue or more likely an adductor pull. Curious as to why there was delayed onset of pain and why a very gentle, short ride might do this.

Thanks
Paul

sungod

it can take much longer than a couple of weeks for a strained tendon/muscle to heal, starting exercise again too soon can simply reset healing progress to zero

if you are unsure what the injury is and the pain is persistent, might be worth seeing the doctor - although some aren't so helpful on sports injuries - if it doesn't clear, ask for a referral to a physio

Hasselblad

Thanks...yes, it's clear that hugely over optimistic recovery times are quoted. I've seen a physio twice and he really isn't sure whats wrong; he suspects FAI (hip impingement) but simply has no real idea.

What I don't understand is how you get severe groin pain from very short, gentle ride when none existed before. Previous issue was quad pain...could be referred pain from hip joint issue. If there was a major groin muscle injury I would he expected to feel an incident on the ride?

I will try and get a scan ASAP

Paul

sungod

might be worth checking bike fit

if the initial injury was due to, say, over-extension, but you were 'lucky' up until then, once the injury has occurred you may be much more sensitive to the problem than previously

huuregeil

Hasselblad wrote:

Thanks...yes, it's clear that hugely over optimistic recovery times are quoted. I've seen a physio twice and he really isn't sure whats wrong; he suspects FAI (hip impingement) but simply has no real idea.

What I don't understand is how you get severe groin pain from very short, gentle ride when none existed before. Previous issue was quad pain...could be referred pain from hip joint issue. If there was a major groin muscle injury I would he expected to feel an incident on the ride?

I will try and get a scan ASAP

Paul

Paul,

Yes you can get referred pain down the quad - also bear in mind that all of the hip flexors have attachement points above and below the hip (otherwise they can't move the joint!), and the rec fem in particular is both a hip flexor and one of the quads. I'd get to a physio pronto, try to work out what you've damaged. Good luck!

Hasselblad

Thanks; physio so far has drawn a blank and to be honest you feel like you're a guinea pig for their education. Hence it seems like an MRA is more reliable way of finding root cause and then deciding on best solution.

ut_och_cykla

Severe groin pain and a gentleman? MAke sure you're not suffering from a hernia/testicle problem referring pain elsewhere

Hasselblad

Quick update which might be of interest to others.

I had an MRI scan and the results show that the problem is due to significant osteoarthritis in the hip...will need a hip replacement in near future

GSJ

Hasselblad wrote:

Quick update which might be of interest to others.

I had an MRI scan and the results show that the problem is due to significant osteoarthritis in the hip...will need a hip replacement in near future

Could I ask how old you are if you don't mind me asking, and was this due to your cylcling?

Hasselblad

"How am I?"

Pain level has settled a fair bit from the original onset, but there are certain movements that upset it badly (flexing thigh too far towards chest is main one). There's a large benefit in knowing what it is, and what it isn't. There is no soft tissue injury to protect such as a pull or tear. The pain is from the nerves which exit the joint (femoral nerve, sciatic, etc).

The cartilage in the joint is gone so it will deteriorate over time and a replacement will be required. Timing is then based on when the quality of life factor is severely impacted. The issue with total hip replacement is that although the outcome is often very good, esp for cyclists, it will only last around 10 years and the next op is nastier. I am 46 so it's desireable to try to manage for a few more years yet...not sure I can wait if my abaility to do any cardio exercise is impaired.

This means it's a case of taking it easy and using pain management. At the moment I can cycle moderately for around 1 hour without any reaction. I will slowly test how much further I can go.

Cycling did not cause this as such, it only pushed the loss of cartilage to a point where it caused pain. My family history in this area is not great so I suspect the deterioration started a few years ago. Runners are more likely to cause this from overuse/impact in their routine.

I hope this is a useful example for people who have symptoms of groin and anterior hip pain and where medics may not consider the possibility of osteoarthritis. X-ray should show this, but in my case it did not and MRA was required.