Groin pain in athletes: Differential diagnosis, assessment, and management

Abstract

Groin pain in athletes is a common problem in sports medicine, accounting for 10% of all visits to sports medicine centers. Furthermore, groin injuries have been estimated to account for up to 6% of all athletic injuries, with the prevalence in sports such as football as high as 12-16%. However, despite the prevalence of this condition, its diagnosis and treatment remain a challenging problem for the sports medicine physician, and the injury is a frustrating one for the athlete. Chronic groin pain in particular can be difficult to diagnose, treat, and rehabilitate, and is responsible for a large proportion of time lost from sport and work for the athlete. A complicating component in the treatment of this condition is an extensive differential diagnosis and overlap in symptoms between possible diagnoses. Typically, groin pain develops in male and female athletes who participate in sports involving kicking, rapid accelerations and decelerations, and sudden changes of direction. The aim of this article is to briefly review the most common musculoskeletal conditions that cause groin pain in athletes and to discuss their diagnosis and management.