Groin Pain: 3 Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Groin pain is common in active people, especially those who run, lift, or play sports. It often starts small but can grow into something that affects how you move, train, and even rest.

As a physiotherapist, I’ve seen how frustrating this pain can be, especially when it doesn’t go away with rest or stretching.

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What is Groin Pain?

Groin pain refers to discomfort or pain in the area where your lower abdomen connects to your upper thigh. This part of your body plays a key role in movements like walking, bending, and lifting.

The pain can be acute, meaning it starts suddenly—often from an injury—or chronic, meaning it develops gradually and lasts for a longer period, often due to overuse or strain.

Acute Groin Pain

Acute groin pain usually happens because of a sudden injury. This can include pulling a muscle, tearing a tendon, or straining ligaments in the groin area. It’s often linked to activities that involve quick movements, such as running, jumping, or lifting heavy objects.

In sports, about 10–11% of all injuries are groin-related, especially in activities like soccer and hockey where fast direction changes are common⁶. But even outside of sports, anyone can experience acute groin pain from sudden overexertion or an awkward movement.

Chronic Groin Pain

Chronic groin pain develops more slowly and can be the result of repetitive strain or an untreated injury that worsens over time. This type of pain can be tricky because it often doesn’t go away on its own and can significantly affect your daily life.

Chronic groin pain is more common in people who regularly engage in physical activities without proper conditioning or those who have jobs that involve heavy lifting or repetitive motions. Men are more likely to suffer from chronic groin pain due to certain activities and differences in body structure².

Who is Affected Most?

Groin pain can affect anyone, but it is more common in people who are active or have physically demanding jobs. Men are more prone to groin injuries, partly because of anatomical differences and the types of activities they are more likely to engage in. Studies show that men experience groin injuries at a higher rate, especially in sports and jobs that involve heavy lifting².

Common Signs and Symptoms of Groin Pain

• Sharp Pain in the Groin Area: A sudden, stabbing pain during movements like getting up, turning quickly, or lifting something heavy.
• Dull, Aching Pain: A persistent, dull ache that lingers, especially after physical activity or by the end of the day.
• Tenderness: The area feels sore to the touch, especially around the inside of the thigh or lower abdomen.
• Stiffness or Tightness: A tight feeling that limits movement, especially after sitting for a long time.
• Swelling or Bruising: You might see swelling or discoloration shortly after a strain or injury.
• Pain Radiating to the Inner Thigh: Discomfort that spreads down the leg, making walking uncomfortable.
• Weakness in the Leg: A sensation that the leg is unstable or can’t support your weight properly.
• Increased Pain with Movement: Pain that worsens when you run, jump, or even climb stairs.
• Difficulty Walking or Running: Regular walking may become hard, and running could feel impossible.
• Discomfort During Everyday Activities: Simple tasks like putting on shoes, getting into a car, or turning in bed might cause pain.

Why Does Groin Pain Happen?

Groin pain happens when something goes wrong in the muscles, tendons, or joints around your groin. This section will explain what’s going on in simple terms, focusing on the most common reasons why groin pain occurs.

Muscle Strain

One of the main causes of groin pain is a muscle strain. The groin muscles, especially the adductors on the inside of your thigh, help bring your legs together and keep your hips steady.

When these muscles are pushed too hard or stretched too far, tiny tears can form in the muscle fibers. This leads to swelling and pain. Strains usually happen during quick movements like sprinting, jumping, or lifting something heavy⁶.

Tendon Irritation

Groin pain can also come from tendon irritation. Tendons connect muscles to bones, and when they’re overused or put under stress, they can become inflamed.

This is common in athletes or people who do repetitive movements, like kicking or lifting. Tendon irritation tends to build up over time and can cause lingering pain and stiffness⁴.

Joint Pressure

The hip joint, which is close to the groin, can also be the source of pain. It’s a ball-and-socket joint that allows your leg to move in all directions.

When there’s too much pressure in the joint—often from repeated movement, poor posture, or uneven loading—it can cause irritation that leads to groin pain⁵.

Why It Happens: Overuse and Muscle Imbalance

Groin pain often comes from a mix of overuse and muscle imbalance. Overuse means you’re doing the same motion over and over—like running or kicking—without giving your body time to recover. This repeated strain damages the soft tissues in the groin area.

Muscle imbalance happens when one group of muscles is stronger or tighter than another. For example, if the outside of your hip is stronger than the inside, it can pull your pelvis out of alignment. That uneven pressure makes it more likely that you’ll get injured³.

Conditions that Cause Groin Pain

• Groin Strain (Adductor Strain): Injury to the inner thigh muscles, often caused by sudden movements or overstretching.
• Inguinal Hernia: Tissue, like part of the intestine, pushes through a weak spot in the abdominal wall, causing pain and sometimes a visible bulge.
• Hip Labral Tear: Damage to the cartilage around the hip socket, causing sharp groin pain and clicking sensations.
• Hip Osteoarthritis: Wear-and-tear on the hip joint cartilage that can send pain into the groin area.
• Sports Hernia (Athletic Pubalgia): A soft tissue injury in the groin area, often from sports, without a true hernia present⁵.
• Femoroacetabular Impingement (FAI): Extra bone growth in the hip joint that causes friction and groin pain⁵.
• Hip Flexor Strain: Pain from overusing the muscles that lift the knee toward the chest, often felt in the groin.
• Osteitis Pubis: Inflammation where the two sides of the pelvis meet at the front, causing deep groin pain.
• Hip Bursitis: Swelling of fluid-filled sacs near the hip joint that can radiate pain into the groin.
• Stress Fractures: Small cracks in the pelvis or femur from repeated stress, especially in runners and active individuals.
• Referred Pain from the Lower Back: Nerve issues in the spine can cause pain that travels to the groin.

Common Mistakes People Make with Groin Pain

Waiting Too Long

A lot of people ignore the early signs of groin pain, hoping it will just disappear. Pain, swelling, or stiffness might seem like something small, but these can be early signs of a bigger issue.

Continuing with Activity

Many people continue doing activities that hurt their groin, like running or heavy lifting, thinking they can just push through the pain. But this can lead to more damage to the knee, making it harder to fix later.

Self-Diagnosing

Some people try to figure out what’s wrong with their groin on their own and treat it with painkillers or home remedies. While this might make the pain go away for a little while, it can also hide the real problem, allowing it to get worse over time.

What Happens If You Ignore Groin Pain?

Worsening of Your Pain

If groin pain is ignored, the underlying issue can become more serious. What starts as a mild muscle strain or tightness can turn into a more painful and complex condition, like a tendon tear or joint inflammation, making recovery slower and harder.

Chronic Pain

Short-term discomfort can easily become long-term pain if not treated early. Chronic groin pain can interfere with daily life—simple tasks like walking, bending, or getting in and out of a car can become difficult and frustrating.

Reduced Mobility

Untreated groin issues can lead to stiffness and weakness in the hip and thigh muscles. Over time, this may limit your ability to move freely, affecting your workouts, work, and even how you walk or sit.

Increased Risk of Surgery

Ignoring groin pain increases the chance that you may eventually need surgery. Conditions like hernias or labral tears may worsen over time and require more invasive procedures if left unmanaged.

Permanent Damage

In severe cases, ongoing groin pain can cause lasting damage to joints, tendons, or muscles. This might lead to long-term weakness, instability, or even permanent changes in how you move.

Groin Pain Treatment Options

Exercises For Groin Pain

One of the best ways to treat groin pain is through targeted exercises that build strength in your adductors (inner thigh muscles), hip flexors, and core. These muscles help stabilize your pelvis and reduce stress on your groin. A structured exercise program has been shown to significantly reduce pain and improve function³.

Myofascial Release

This is a hands-on technique where a therapist applies gentle pressure to tight or sore areas in your muscles. Myofascial release helps relax the tissues, increase blood flow, and speed up healing. It’s especially helpful if you have muscle tightness that’s limiting your movement⁴.

Orthopedic Manual Therapy

Orthopedic manual therapy uses skilled hand movements to mobilize stiff joints and stretch tight muscles. These techniques help restore proper movement in your hips and pelvis, which is key to easing pressure on the groin⁵.

Laser Therapy

Laser therapy uses light energy to target inflammation and reduce pain in the groin area. It’s non-invasive and painless, and it’s been shown to help speed up the body’s natural healing process⁶.

Dry Needling

This technique involves inserting very thin needles into specific trigger points in the muscle. Dry needling helps release muscle knots, improve circulation, and ease tightness. It’s particularly useful for deep muscle pain in the groin⁴.

Strapping and Taping

Taping provides support to the injured area during movement. It helps reduce strain, gives the muscles a chance to rest, and provides confidence and comfort while staying active⁶.

Each treatment plays a role. The most effective plans usually combine several of these strategies, tailored to your body and lifestyle.

Conclusion

As your physiotherapist, I want you to know that you can overcome groin pain. It may feel frustrating now, but with the right plan and consistent effort, recovery is absolutely possible. I’ve seen many people go from limited and uncomfortable to strong, pain-free, and confident again.

Groin pain doesn’t have to control your life. We’ve talked about treatments that work—like strength training, manual therapy, and myofascial release. These methods are designed to help your body heal the right way and prevent the pain from coming back.

And remember, you’re not alone in this – I’m here to guide you.

About the Author

Daniel da Cruz is a licensed physiotherapist based in Sandton, Johannesburg, with expertise in treating groin and hip-related injuries. He frequently works with athletes and active adults recovering from adductor strains, sports hernias, and other causes of groin pain.

By combining exercise therapy, manual techniques, and tailored rehab plans, Daniel helps his patients return to pain-free movement and prevent future injuries.

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References

1. Bisciotti, G. and Volpi, P., 2017. Classification and differential analysis of groin pain syndrome. In: N. Maffulli, G. Oliva, V. M. Padulo, eds. *Groin Pain Syndrome*. Cham: Springer. Available at: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-41624-3_1
2. Bisciotti, G., Bisciotti, A., Auci, A., Bisciotti, A. and Volpi, P., 2024. Anatomical features in inguinal-pubic-adductor area that may contribute to gender difference in susceptibility to groin pain syndrome. *Journal of Personalized Medicine*, 14(8), p.860. Available at: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4426/14/8/860
3. Machotka, Z., Kumar, S. and Perraton, L., 2009. A systematic review of the literature on the effectiveness of exercise therapy for groin pain in athletes. *Sports Medicine, Arthroscopy, Rehabilitation, Therapy & Technology*, 1(1), p.5. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2707075/
4. Ramazzina, I., Bernazzoli, B., Braghieri, V. and Costantino, C., 2019. Groin pain in athletes and non-interventional rehabilitative treatment: a systematic review. *The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness*, 59(6), pp.1001–1010. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6769513/
5. Arner, J.W., Li, R.T., Disantis, A., Zuckerbraun, B. and Mauro, C., 2020. Evaluation and treatment of groin pain syndromes in athletes. *Annals of Joint*, 5, p.17. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7308671/
6. Tyler, T.F., Silvers, H.J., Gerhardt, M.B. and Nicholas, S.J., 2010. Groin injuries in sports medicine. *Sports Health*, 2(3), pp.231–236. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3445095/