If you've suffered abdominal strain in soccer, you're not alone. Elite players including Aly Wagner of the U.S. Women's National Team and Abou Diaby of Arsenal have had to take time off to heal from this problem, often felt as pain in the groin, where the lower abdomen and inner thigh meet. Causes can include kicking the ball too hard early in the season and having to abruptly move sideways to defend against a player. Athletes in soccer, ice hockey and football often suffer strain of a muscle, tendon or ligament in this area, MayoClinic.com notes.
Types
The most common location of abdominal strain in soccer is reported in the groin, specifically the area of the adductor muscle tendon, writes Roald Bahr, a prominent Norwegian researcher of sports medicine in Oslo, in "Sports Injury Prevention." Abdominal discomfort might indicate a sports hernia, adductor-related groin pain, abdominal muscle strain, hip joint problems or strain of the iliopsoas, three muscles situated in the abdomen. Abdominal strains rank between first and sixth in medical literature in terms of common injuries for the Olympic sports of soccer, ice hockey and speed skating, as well as swimming and athletics, Bahr states.
Sports Hernia
The movements of soccer, including kicking, sprinting and turning, can lead to a sports hernia, also frequently seen in ice hockey. Hernias involve a rupture of the abdominal wall allowing a section of the intestine to poke through, appearing as a lump. Chronic groin pain may be caused by an incipient hernia about 50 percent of the time, notes "Sapira's Art and Science of Bedside Diagnosis." Repairing this condition, also called athletic hernia, groin disruption or posterior abdominal strain, requires surgery.
Expert Insight
The authors of "Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation," including Indiana University School of Medicine professor Ralph M. Buschbacher, note the risk of hip, groin and pelvis injuries in soccer, given the strain its kicking and pivoting motions create on the adductor muscle, connecting the pelvis to the inner thigh. The hip externally rotates in the trapping and passing of the soccer ball, and a tackle may result in forced abduction, or rotating of the limb away from the body's midline, of the hip and leg. Athletes may note dull groin pain that they attribute to adductor strain, often traced to an acute injury, such as a blocked kick that suddenly decelerates a leg. This might later turn out to actually be a sports hernia. Surgical repair of the sports hernia results in a return to play for 90 percent of soccer athletes.
Case Study
Wagner underwent surgery in 2008 to repair double sports hernias, fixing a large tear on her right side and an incomplete tear on her left, US Soccer reports. Pieces of synthetic mesh attached to the bone with titanium staples reinforced the muscle and allow it to grow through the mesh. While the surgery is more common in male players, it is increasingly seen in female players, US Soccer states.
References
- Mail Online; Chelsea V Arsenal -- Nasri, Adebayor and Sagna All Expected to Be Available for Crucial Derby Clash; November 2008
- US Soccer; U.S. Midfielder Aly Wagner Undergoes Sports Hernia Surgery; February 2008
- MayoClinic.com; Groin Pain -- Male; February 2011
- "Sports Injury Prevention"; Roald Bahr, et al.; 2009
- "Sapira's Art and Science of Bedside Diagnosis"; Jane M. Orient; 2005
- "Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation"; Ralph M. Buschbacher, et al.; 2008
