Abdominal/groin pain from football

Good afternoon all, I have a problem that hopefully a professional or someone who has experienced the same as myself could advise me with.

My problem started in June 2010. I was driving to work one morning when I sneezed. I felt a sharp pain in the top of my groin/very bottom of my abdominals, on the right hand side. I thought nothing of it, but everytime I sneezed I noticed this strange pain. It didn't impair me in anyway, it was just uncomfortable.

I am a keen footballer and over the summer, naturally, I was playing less often - 2 40 minute indoor games on Monday and Thursdays. After these games I would suffer from a pain in the same area the day after which over time began to affect my walking. I went to the doctors and was told I had strained my groin when I sneezed. I scoffed at the idea and returned a couple of weeks later with worse pain having had my rest and taken my ibuprofen's. The doctor asked me what I thought it was. My only answer was a hernia. The doctor examined me and could feel nothing but was willing to send me for an scan.

In the meantime my pain hit a new high on the August bank holiday 2010 when I played in a friendly. That evening I went to a wedding reception where I spent most of my time sat down. Each time I got up to go to the toilet the pain I was feeling was almost unbearable. I decided to stop all other exercise than my weekend game just so I could get through them. I would then suffer for 3-4 days afterwards with the pain. This was a big problem as my work is as a gym instructor. Other things I noticed included struggling to sit up in bed, pain when coughing/sneezing, struggling to put on and take off my shoes and socks. I couldn't apply pressure to anything with my left foot. I also found that the pain seemed to spread to the base of my ***** so either the pain is spreading or I'm not 100% on its actual source.

October 2010 and my scan came around. I can't remember the name of it but it was the one that pregnant women have. After this scan I stopped playing altogether because I couldn't bear the affect it was having on my life for most of the week. I got no answer from this. Fast forward to June 2011 and I went to a pre-season training session. Again I suffered afterwards for a couple of days. I tried another session the week after and suffered the same and decided that I should probably retire.

The pain between me stopping playing and the pre-season training session was gone. I felt no pain at all so I feel like I can link it to something football related.

Since stopping playing again in June 2010 I have started going to the gym regularly again, 3-4 times a week and suffer no ill effects even from running. This leads me to think that perhaps it's the stretching and dynamic movements involved that makes my problem flare up. I have since had an MRI scan in late 2011 and last week got my results which again showed nothing. The hospital consultant said that there is no physical evidence at all that shows any problem and the only thing they are currently working with is my voiced discomfort.

They seem so confident there is nothing wrong that they have given me an appointment in 3 months before which I should try playing again. They will then give me the option of surgery which they don't even think will make any difference as they can only point to a weak abdominal wall or discharge me which means that I've had about doctor/hospital 10 appointments since June 2010 and been offered the square route of nothing in terms of actual answers.

I now spend my Saturday afternoons assisting in the coaching of my team and I do enjoy it but at 25 years old I'm dying to be out on the pitch helping my team-mates that way. I'm not ready to pack in the things I like, especially when I'm feeling insulted by being told that there is no evidence to suggest anything is wrong. The last 18 months have been terrible and I feel they have been wasted. I'm pretty much at the end of what I can take with it emotionally.

I'm sorry for the rambling, but I felt I needed to put plenty of detail.

i am suprised that your MRI and ultrasounds have all been negative. Without assessing you fully obviously it is hard to say but from your subjective history your symptoms and reports seem to fit the bill of a condition called gilmores groin, i dont know if you have come across that before. Have you tried doing any type of pelvic stability / strengthening exercises?

I am 34 year old, with some belly fat. I am playing football continously since 1 year and from 1 month i am having the same type of pain in pelvic region, which makes me hard to hit the ball. What would be the reason?

hi sharps,

i have exactly the same. did you manage to recover? any tips? please

regards

Hi

I get it as well

Whenever I play foot ball I get a pain in my groin

The next day I struggle to stand on 1 leg

Struggle sitting up out of bed

When I squeeze my inne thighs together it hurts

Been for scans no hernia

But it just won’t recover, no matter how much I rest it

What is it?
It’s driving me mad

Hey Joshlaycock,

Sorry to hear about your problems. When you say you’re having trouble standing on one leg the next day, is it on the leg on the side you’re having problems or is it bilateral? Are we talking sharp/stabbing pains or more of a dull ache?