Groin Strain Health Video

Groin strain is an injury to the adductor muscles of the inner thigh. Symptoms include pain, bruising and swelling. Learn more about the symptoms and treatments for groin strains in this health video.

Take Action

Avoid activities which strain groin muscles
Strengthen groin muscles
Use ice, heat and over-the-counter medication

About this Author

Dr. Carolyn Cooper joined On Call Medical Group in 2007. She is a Board Certified Internal Medicine physician, and has been practicing in San Francisco for over seven years. She received a BS from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, and completed her medical education at the Welsh National School of Medicine in Cardiff, Wales. Dr Cooper completed her internship and residency at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. She has previously worked as a Clinical Investigator at Stanford University School of Medicine, and in private practice in San Francisco. Dr Cooper has participated in many research studies, and is also widely published.

CAROLYN COOPER, MD: I'm Dr. Carolyn Cooper and I'm going to be talking about groin strain. Groin strain is an injury to the adductor muscles which are muscles which run down the inner aspect of the thigh. An injury can range from micro tearing of the fibers to complete rupture. Most commonly, this injury is seen in ice hockey players, soccer players and symptoms are usually acute pain, bruising can be seen in the area and swelling and in more severe cases, individuals have pain with sitting, walking, and even pain at night. The treatment for groin strain is obviously avoiding any activity; therefore, resting, ice and pain killers such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications. Once pain is improved, physical therapy can be instituted involving stretching and strengthening of the adductor muscles, the hip muscles and also core strength. Prevention of this injury requires regular stretching and strengthening of all these muscle groups, the inner thigh, the hips, and the core muscles.