A sports hernia is an injury of the
inguinal area caused by repetitive twisting and
turning at high speed. This type of hernia occurs mainly in people who play ice
hockey, soccer, and tennis.
Although the condition is known as a hernia, in many cases an obvious
hernia is not seen. The main symptom is groin pain that may reach into the
genital area. The pain can linger for weeks or months. Sports medicine experts
think that the condition results from overuse of groin muscles, which causes
stress on the inguinal wall.
A sports hernia can be difficult to diagnose. Often an athlete has
had lingering groin pain for months. A health professional may note inguinal
tenderness but find no bulge of tissue. To help diagnose a sports hernia, the
athlete may be asked to perform manoeuvres, such as sit-ups, to see whether
they cause pain.
Resting the groin muscles for several weeks sometimes can resolve the
problem, but in many cases surgery is needed to reinforce the inguinal wall.
Competitive athletes may prefer to have surgery right away to resolve the
problem.1