Groin Pain Archives - Health Tips From The Professor

Treating Groin Pain Naturally

Author: Julie Donnelly, LMT – The Pain Relief Expert

Editor: Dr. Steve Chaney

The holidays are inching up on us, and this month is one of my favorites. I love Halloween because the children have so much fun dressing up and going to parties.

Back when I was a child we could roam around the neighborhood, knocking on doors and having our candy dropped into the pumpkin basket or pillowcase our moms gave us. We traveled in a pack, and our parents knew we were safe as long as we stayed in our neighborhood because everyone knew everyone.

Nowadays children go to “Trunk or Treat” parties, often with mom or dad in tow. They’re still having fun, and it’s great to see their excitement when they’re sharing with each other how many goodies they have collected.

Now, even just LOOKING at that candy makes me gain 5 lbs! Oh well!

Happy October to you and your family!

Your Pectineus Muscle And Groin Pain

Today, we will be discussing how a small muscle that most people aren’t even aware of can cause groin pain. I’ve been working with athletes since 1989 and I’ve seen this small muscle cause such pain that it was preventing the athlete from continuing with his/her sport. And it’s so simple to treat!

The pectineus muscle is in your adductor muscle group. The adductors are responsible for hip flexion and adduction.

Adduction is when you bring your leg closer to the opposite leg, such as when you cross your legs when you are sitting down. Athletes who play soccer, or who ride a horse, are heavily using their adductor muscles.

As you look at the graphic on the left, the muscles on the left side (right leg) are the larger adductor muscles.

The pectineus is shown on the right side (left leg) so that it is more visible, helping you see the location of the muscle. In reality, all the muscles are on both sides.

Since the pectineus muscle is so close to the pubic bone, it is more difficult to self-treat. You need to sit on the floor and twist yourself, so the sore side is pressing into the floor.

The pectineus muscle is often overlooked, but it can cause significant pain when in spasm or injured. Here are some of the symptoms, causes, and a simple self-treatment I have developed for a tight pectineus.

Quick Facts About Groin Pain And Your Pectineus Muscle

Causes of Spasms of the Pectineus and Adductors:

Muscular injuries of the adductors, the iliopsoas muscle, and abdominal musculature are the most frequent causes of acute groin pain in sportsmen and sportswomen.

Spasms in your pectineus muscle are also a common cause of groin pain and are often overlooked.

Pectineus pain often stems from an injured groin muscle. Common causes include running, kicking a soccer ball, riding a horse, and sitting with a crossed leg.

Symptoms Of Groin Pain Caused By Your Pectineus Muscle:

Groin pain is any discomfort in the area between your abdomen and thigh, located where your abdomen ends, and your legs begin.

Localized pain on the pubic bone, in the groin area, on one side or the other, is a primary indication of injury to the pectineus.

Pain on palpation of the involved muscle and pain on adduction (moving your legs closer together against resistance) is also an indication of injury to the pectineus.

Treating Groin Pain Naturally

You are trying to be pressing close to your pubic bone, which is shown in the graphic above.

Sit as shown and use a ball to press deeply into your adductors. Start the treatment at the very top of the muscles, close to your pubic bone, and move down toward your knee.

If you find any tender points, called “trigger points,” hold the pressure on the spasm until it stops hurting.

You can also “pump” the trigger point, applying pressure for 15 seconds, then stay where you are but release the pressure for 5 seconds, and repeat this sequence several times until the pain point stops hurting.

You may get better leverage if you lift up your opposite hip (lift up the right hip in this demonstration), bending your right leg so you can press your right elbow into your thigh to get better pressure.

If it’s difficult with the ball, use your right hand fingertips to press on the muscle on your left side.

In conclusion, the pectineus muscle can cause groin pain when injured.

If this simple self-treatment doesn’t help, it would be important to seek medical attention to determine the underlying cause, especially if it is severe or accompanied by other symptoms.

Wishing you well,

Julie Donnelly

www.FlexibleAthlete.com

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

What Is The Pectineus Muscle And Why Is It Important?

Author: Julie Donnelly, LMT –The Pain Relief Expert

Editor: Dr. Steve Chaney

Spring Is In The Air

I remember as a child we sang “Though April showers may come your way…they bring the flowers that bloom in May…”

Of course, here in Florida we are blessed with flowers all year, but there’s still a lovely feeling that happens in Spring. It’s still cool enough most days to go out running, and the humidity is still low. Traffic will soon be easing up as our friends from the north start their trek back home, and daylight savings time is giving us more time to get to the beach for sunset. Lovely!

Fun Facts About Spring….

The earliest known use of the term “spring cleaning” was in 1857
The word “spring” has been used for the season since the 16^th century
The first day of spring is called the vernal equinox
On the first day of spring, the sunrise and sunset are about 12 hours apart everywhere on earth
Spring fever isn’t just a saying. Experts say the body changes due to the temperature and can cause an upset in your health.
The actual start of spring varies from March 19^th to the 21^st, but it is commonly celebrated on the 21^st.

Do you like to garden? Now is the perfect time to get your gardens planted so you’ll have home grown veggies for the entire summer. For me, it’s also a great time to do some spring cleaning and get the house in order before the summer closes all the windows and the air conditioning becomes our indoor relief.

But these activities can also cause a strain on muscles, so don’t forget to take care of yourself. If you put too much strain on muscles you haven’t used all winter, you can develop problems and need groin pain relief.

A Tiny Muscle Can Cause Groin Pain

Lately I’ve had several clients come in because of groin pain that has their medical practitioners stumped. Their symptoms are varied, but most complain that it feels like they hit their pubic bone with a rubber mallet. Ouch!

One client loves to ride her horse, but the pain had prevented that for several weeks. Another was considering selling the motorcycle that she and her husband love because she just can’t sit on it anymore.

Several years ago, I had a male client tell me that he had this same pain and he was told it could be his prostrate causing the issue. Fortunately, that wasn’t he problem at all.

The muscle that caused all these problems, and a lot more, is the Pectineus.

The Pectineus muscle originates on your pubic bone and inserts into the very top of your inner thigh bone (femur).

You can see the Pectineus and surrounding muscles more clearly by going to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pectineus_muscle

Most muscles have more than one function, and this is true for the Pectineus. The function we’ll look at today is called adduction. It brings your leg in toward midline. If you think of a soccer player kicking the ball with the inside of his ankle, it was the Pectineus that helped draw his leg in so he could do the shot.

Each of my clients had pain while trying to bring their leg out so they could sit on their horse, or on their motorcycle. The tight muscle was pulling on their pubic bone and causing a severe strain.

This muscle is easier to have someone else treat it for you because of its location but give it a try and see if you can locate & treat it yourself.

Groin Pain Relief

The picture to the left is showing an athlete self-treating her adductors. These muscles, and the Pectineus muscle, all originate at the same point on the pubic bone. The picture is showing her massaging the middle of the adductors.

To reach the Pectineus, move the ball all the way up to the crease in your leg. You can do the treatment with a ball, but because of the size of the muscle and its location, it’s easier to do it with your fingertips.

Sit as this athlete is sitting, and even bring your opposite leg up so your foot is flat on the floor. For example, in this picture, the athlete would bring her right leg up so her right foot is on the floor, and then lean a bit further onto her left hip. That opens up the area so she can reach a bit easier into the muscle while using her fingertips.

Press into the muscle, being careful to feel for a pulse, and moving if you feel one. If the Pectineus is in spasm, you’ll know it immediately when you press on it. If it’s not in spasm, you won’t be able to find it at all.

Remember to stay within your pain tolerance level, this isn’t a “no pain, no gain” situation. Never go deeper than what feels tender, but not so much that you want to faint. Hold the pressure for 15 seconds. Then let up on the pressure, but keep your fingers in the same place.

Repeat this movement several times. Each time it will hurt less, and eventually it won’t hurt at all. That’s when the muscle has completely released, and you will have relief from the pain.

It’s as simple as that!

Why stay in pain when it’s so easy to find the muscular source of the problem and eliminate it?

Treat Yourself to Pain-Free Living (https://julstromethod.com/product/treat-yourself-to-pain-free-living-hardcopy/). It is filled with over 100 pictures and descriptions proven to show you how to find and self-treat muscle spasms from head to foot!

Join the 1000’s of people worldwide who have discovered that tight muscles were the true source of pains they thought were from arthritis, fibromyalgia, and other serious conditions. You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain by releasing tight muscles.

Treat Yourself to Pain-Free Living is your step-by-step guide to pain relief!

Wishing you well,

Julie Donnelly

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

About The Author

Julie Donnelly is a Deep Muscle Massage Therapist with 20 years of experience specializing in the treatment of chronic joint pain and sports injuries. She has worked extensively with elite athletes and patients who have been unsuccessful at finding relief through the more conventional therapies.

She has been widely published, both on – and off – line, in magazines, newsletters, and newspapers around the country. She is also often chosen to speak at national conventions, medical schools, and health facilities nationwide.