Inguinal-Related Groin Pain in Athletes

Inguinal-Related Groin Pain in Athletes

Athletes with groin pain in the inguinal canal region with no palpable hernia present a challenge for clinicians. Pain within this region can be a result of several conditions, many of which are musculoskeletal in nature and form the focus of this editorial.

When it comes to pain within the inguinal canal region due to musculoskeletal causes, there is still a lack of consensus on the appropriate terminology that should be used. For instance, a survey of 23 international groin pain experts were presented a case of a male football player with inguinal region pain and were asked which term they would use to describe the diagnosis. The experts used 22 different terms (!), including but not limited to: inguinal related groin pain, sportsman’s hernia, and incipient hernia. A subsequent expert consensus meeting was able to achieve consensus on a new, preferred term: inguinal-related groin pain.

This paper attempts to sort out the ‘pathological potpourri’ of inguinal-related groin pain in athletes…the potential causes discussed are indicated in the image below.

RESEARCH REVIEW: “Inguinal-Related Groin Pain in Athletes”

This paper was published in BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine (2022) and this Review is posted in Groin and the 2023 Archive.