Sports Hernia What is a sports hernia? A sports hernia is a painful lower abdomen / groin injury occurring with abrupt changes in direction or sudden movements while playing sports. The injury occurs when the abdominal muscles and inner groin muscles pull away from the pubic bone. Typically, athletes taking part in hockey, wrestling, and football are most susceptible to this type of injury. Any sport requiring a lot of start/stop motion, sudden jumps or twists can end up with this painful condition. What are symptoms of a sports hernia? The most obvious sign of a sports hernia is the onset of sharp, shooting pain in the groin and lower abdomen. If enough time goes by where the injury is not treated, a slight bulge may start to appear. Typically, the pain is accentuated during exercise with forward bends at the hips, or lifting the or kicking the leg and may cause stiffness and lack of mobility. It is important to rule out other serious conditions causing pain in the same area including fibroids, appendicitis, and ectopic pregnancies. How do we treat a sports hernia? Our team will work closely with you to determine the exact cause and location of your injury so we can create a tailor-made exercise routine to suit your needs and properly heal your injury. We diagnose why your oblique abdominal muscles and groin muscles are overworking for possible lack of strength and stability in another part of the body. We work on increasing your flexibility and strength so you can rely on other muscles and take some pressure off the compensated injured area.