Pulled groin muscle occurs when the muscles of groin are overstretched or torn as a result of excessive overuse or an injury. There are six groin muscles that are attached from the inner part of pelvis to the inner portion of thigh bone namely the Femur. These muscles help in hip movements and help to pull the legs together.
Pulled Groin Muscle Symptoms
If a person experiences pulled groin muscles symptoms he has to take immediate medical opinion and prevent further complications. Following are the symptoms of pulled groin muscle:
- Pain and tenderness is felt inside the thigh and in the groin area.
- There is excruciating pain when you try to bring the legs together.
- Pain in the groin when you attempt to lift the knee.
- When you stand on the injured leg there is increase pain and tenderness in the groin.
- There is severe inflammation in the groin area which restricts and limits the injured leg flexibility. Person cannot bring his legs together.
- Weakness in the injured leg.
- There may be bruising in the groin area. The area may appear red or purple due to leak of small amount of blood through the injured vessels. It is temporary and subsides after few days.
- At the time of an injury there is characteristic sensation or a sound of popping or snapping of the torn muscle fibers.
Pulled Groin Muscle Treatment
On a positive side pulled groin muscle heals of its own. All you need is giving some time to speed the healing and rest:
- Rest to the leg is an essential part of the treatment for pulled groin muscle. You should not do activities that further deteriorate the condition and become an obstacle in healing of the injured muscle.
- To reduce weight bearing on the affected leg, your doctor may advice use of crutches.
- Ice fomentation for 20 minutes every three to four hours is beneficial in reducing pain and swelling. You can do it for two to three days until the swelling and pain has reduced considerably.
- Use an elastic bandage to compress your thigh.
- Elevate your leg while sitting to prevent inflammation during rest.
- As the pain and swelling reduces, person should start active stretching and strengthening exercises as advised by the physiotherapist.
- Surgery is the last resort if there is no improvement felt after 6 months following the above procedures.
Pulled Groin Muscle Recovery Time
The person injured as well as his relatives all want to know how fast the injury is going to heal, and how fast he will be able to play again. The answer is not simple, the recovery time depends from person to person and how serious is the groin pull. It may approximately take 4 to 8 weeks as a recovery time. For severe muscle tear it may take more than 3 to 4 months to heal.