Symptoms, Treatments of Torn Groin Injury (Male, Female, Teens)

Believe me or not, guys and girls, a groin tear is going to be one of the worst muscle injuries you are ever going to endure. The groin comes under the sensitive erogenous zone with the most nerve endings, which means that pain in this area is not a piece of cake.

What is a Torn Groin Muscle?

According to the survey conducted by the National Library Of Medicine, a groin tear comprises 24.5% of all body injuries, making it one of the most common physical traumas the body can undergo.

So, what does it mean to pull a groin muscle? A torn groin, also known as an adductor tear, is an injury in the muscles located in the area where the belly joins the legs and the inner thighs join the hip bone. A torn groin muscle injury is damage to the tendons, tissues, or the muscle, causing shocking pain.

3 Types of Groin Strain 

Groin injuries are divided into three grades. Depending on their degree of severity, each grade has different suitable treatments for groin injury recovery.

Grade 1

A mildly pulled muscle in the groin area will be eased with rest, icing, manual massage, and painkillers. Grade 1 groin strain recovery time is almost 1 to 2 weeks of rest to heal completely.

Grade 2

A moderate pulled muscle that needs medication, compression, or physical therapy to deal with pelvic pain that comes from muscle or tissue damage. This groin strain recovery time is a grade 2 injury of 3 to 6 weeks.

Grade 3

Now comes the most serious injury. It includes the torn ligament in groin, a complete tear of the muscle, and severe damage in the tissues. Surgery is the only treatment for grade 3 groin strain bruising. Depending on the severity of the injury, it takes months and sometimes a year to recover from it fully.

Biggest Causes of Torn Groin

According to AmericanFamilyPhysicians’ research, 2 and 5 percent of all sports injuries occur in the groin area. This type of injury is most common in people involved in ice hockey, fencing, handball, cross-country skiing, hurdling, high jumping, and sprinting. It also comprises 5 to 7 percent of all soccer player injuries.

Apart from sports, other causes of groin injury are:

1. Overworking the muscle
2. Overstretching the muscle than its limit.
3. Accident/ Severe Fall
4. Putting too much stress on muscle

Pulled Groin Muscle Female Symptoms, Treatments

Left-sided torn groin is the most common injury in women. The groin area in females is located where the abdomen connects to the upper and inner thighs. Causes of groin injury in females can be osteoporosis, physical labor, overworking of muscles, cysts, or UTIs.

Groin pull Symptoms In Women:

1. Pain and tenderness inside the thighs
2. Pain when you lift your knee or bring your thighs together
3. Difficulty in walking or movement
4. Painful swelling and bruising

Treatments:

• Rest
• Icing the area
• Applying Compression
• Elevation exercise of the legs above the level of your heart
• Physical Therapy: where professional physical therapists can help you.

Torn Groin Recovery Time In Female (Adult): 1 to 2 weeks for mild, 3 weeks for moderate, and 2 to 5 months for severe 3rd-degree tear.

Symptoms, Treatment for Groin Pull in Males (Adult)

Unlike women who have wider hips and more fatty tissues to support them, men’s groin area is narrower and at more risk for torn groin. Overwork of muscle, strain, exertion, accident, physical labor, and low body fat mostly cause groin injury in men.

Pulled Groin Symptoms in Men:

1. Sharp pain when the muscle in the groin twitches
2. Difficulty in movement
3. Bruise on the upper or inner thigh
4. Pain when both legs are closed

Pulled Groin Muscle Treatment For Men:

1. Rest
2. Ice packs when the injury is new.
3. Heat pack when the swelling is gone.
4. Compression to relieve the pain.
5. A home exercise program to combine healthy exercise to aid mobility.
6. Physical Therapy for sports injury recovery and muscle pain relief.

Pulled Groin Recovery Time In Men: 1 to 2 weeks for mild grade, 3 to 6 weeks for moderate grade, and approximately 3 to 5 months for severe grade(depending on the injury severity).

Symptoms, Treatment of Torn Groin Injury in Teens

Teenagers can also suffer from torn groin injuries because they are usually involved in physical activity. Age plays a part in the healing process because the muscles are young and heal faster.

Symptoms:

1. Trouble walking
2. Swelling and bruising in the groin
3. Weakness

Torn Groin Treatments:

1. Icing the area
2. Heating after swelling is gone
3. Resting
4. Raise by groin by laying down and supporting your hips with elbows
5. Painkillers like Ibuprofen and acetaminophen

Groin or Adductor Injury Recovery Time in Teens varies depending on the type of injury, ranging from one week to several months.

So, How to Heal a Pulled Groin?

The groin pull treatment will depend on the severity of the injury. But for a full recovery and healthy muscle movement, hire a physical therapist and let them handle it. Therapy is always the heather option if you don’t want to go for surgery. PTs will make a groin tear recovery plan according to your health goals.

Written By

Zenobia Tantra

PT, DPT, CAPP-PF, CCI, CFeMT

Zenobia is one of the founding members of the company. She specializes in Pelvic Floor Rehab and is one of the few CAPP certified pelvic floor therapists in the country.