Help!! I strained my adductor (groin) muscles about two months ago, for which I have been having physio for the last six weeks. I've been disciplined with my physio's exercises and also ceased training … with no success. So I thought I'd try something else. What else could I try? Can anybody recommend anything in particular? I have provisionally booked a first consultation with an acupuncture practitioner in a couple of days, but how do I know if they are any good? All info gratefully received. I'm reaching desperation!
All I sugest is keep off of it. You can still train, though. I some how injured my knee, but I still stretch my other leg and work uppper body. You should see your doctor if it has lasted for two months. After two weeks, you should at least be concerned.
"What would you suggest I try for groin strain?" Ah...no, to easy You might want to have a chiropractor or osteopath take a look to see if its related to pelvic alignment problems.
A common complication that results from a groin injury that hasn't been treated properly is a tight weak adductor muscle, which is prone to recurring strains when you get back to training. At the onset of this type of injury the prescribed therapy is (PRICE)protection, rest, ice, compression, and elevation . Most important thing for you to be doing at THIS stage of rehab is to promote increased blood flow to this area (adductor muscles), by using hot packs, hot showers/baths, or massage and gentle isometric exercises, strengthening of the hip and pelvis-stabilizing muscles, and some proprioceptive training. No increase in pain should be experienced during or after the exercises! First a gentle 15-20 mins on a cross-trainer (manual setting) to warm up the muscles, followed by... 10 mins sauna 5 mins stretching 10 mins sauna 5 mins stretching. Ask your physiotherapist to show you some good stretches for your Groin, Hip flexers, Hamstrings,Quads and Glutes Also another alternative.... Castor oil packs. Apply oil directly to skin, cover with a clean soft cloth and plastic wrap. Place a heat source over the pack and let sit for 30 to 60 minutes. For best results, use for three consecutive days Acupuncture appears to be effective for sprains and strains. Those people that I have known to try acupuncture do say that it does does alleviate soreness. Acupuncturists often apply moxibustion (a technique in which the herb mugwort is burned over specific acupuncture points) in combination with needling in order to strengthen or deepen the treatment for this condition. The following combination of herbs reduces spasm & soreness and stimulates circulation. Black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa), cramp bark (Viburnum opulus), Jamaica dogwood (Piscidia piscipula), feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium), poke root (Phytolacca americana), and valerian (Valeriana officinalis). Combine equal parts in a tea (1 cup three to four times per day), or tincture (15 drops every 15 minutes until you feel better, up to eight doses or 20 to 30 drops four times per day) And as for vitamins.... Vitamin C (250 to 500 mg two times a day) to reduce swelling and support connective tissue. Bromelain (250 to 500 mg three times a day between meals) helps reduce swelling. Beta-carotene (50,000 IU per day) is needed to make collagen. Zinc (15 to 30 mg per day) helps you heal faster. Vitamin E (400 IU/day) has antioxidant effects. Adequate protein intake is important too!
bcullen - Thanks for the advice; I'll try a chiropractor. I see you do bagua, which I've just begun. At least I can practice Walking the Circle whilst I'm healing. KickChick - You are a wealth of knowledge. I'm going to have to print out your post so that I can study all the advice! Where did you learn all this? Also, what you said about acupuncture has given me some confidence in trying it out. Many thanks.
acupuncture is very good, there is no need to fear as it has 4,000 years of history, just make sure they don't stick the needle in "kiss of the dragon", j/k Tuina(massage) could also help you recover faster
“PRICE” is the treatment of uncomplicated soft tissue injuries such as the "groin" ... it is important to protect the injured body part from further damage. http://www.uncwil.edu/stuaff/SDS/pdfs/price.PDF RICE is still the other acronym for the common treatment principle. Thanks Sandy .... years and years of "learning" does pay off .... glad I can help!
Find a chiro who does ART, Active Release Technique. It's all the rage in the NFL training room. It helped my very bad groin injury after numerous other doctors and cortisone shots.
a groin injury??? The hardest thing to figure out for most peole is a way to identify what you are dealling with and how to treat it. Physio, chiro, osteo, acupuncutre etc can all help but it depends on what you have. You may find that even though you have treatment from one "type" of practitioner that it doesn't actually seem as if it is what you would have expected..ie the chiro doing muscle rather than bone work with ART. SO a few things to think about.... is this a hot or a cold injury? If hot maybe you still have some inflammation and a condition such as osteitis pubis where the pubic bone has become chronically inflamed. If not hot then perhaps you have an injury in the back/SI/hip referring pain to the groin. Does it hurt all the tie or only with movement?? Is the pain only at the end of stretch or as soon as stretch comes on? If the pain comes on right away it suggests some level of sensitivity (inflammation or neurological sensitivity..not nec serious) whereas if the pain is only end of the movement then it might be scarring/adhesions/muscle shortening that is affecting what is happening. Again if you have inflammation or sensitivity then you need to see how to dampen this. If only sore with stretch then maybe that is exactly what you need to do...trouble is how far, how long, how often etc.... I know that most patients ususally do too little and that is often because health practitioners forget how hard we push ourselves training. Certainly I have trained 2-4 hours a night 5-6 days a week when I was starting out.....kids/business etc has slowed me down alot but I still remember what I could do. So the best thing to do now would be to sit and analyze what you think is going on and how your symptoms are behaving. If you like you can send me a note and I can give you a bit of advice. I feel it breaks the confidentiality rules to post too much online so contact me directly if you want further info. Cheers, Pow Choy ross@towser.com
