Reoccuring groin/adductor strain and how to deal with it?

[Retardo-pex]

This is becoming an issue. It seems no matter how I care for it, no matter what time away from squats or standard treatments I go through, I can't seem to stop this annoying injury from happening.

It feels like normal muscle soreness throughout the day, then once I'm in the gym as soon as squat, with or without weight, this area in my left thigh tightens and strains. It doesn't bother me on the negative other then the tightness but as soon as I go to ascend out of the hole it feels like I pull it. Tonight I basically did a more thorough warm up then I normally would, started with just the bar and bam, no squats tonight.

I say its squat related as 2 weeks ago I deadlifted mpre then I have in a long time and was fine. This past monday I did deadlift work and light olympic squats, felt fine, then came in today planning on doing speed work only to hurt myself and ruin the whole night.

I'm getting really sick of not being able to even train my squat, has anyone seen something similar to this or know of a common form error that is known to cause this, or better yet a form correction that could prevent it?

It is incredibly frustrating trying to get back on track when I basically am forced to skip 1/3 of my training and its something that never happened while I was competing and lifting heavier. Thanks for reading my vent.

[EasternHammer]

Actually, I've been dealing with a chronic groin injury myself since September. Mine may have been even more severe. There's really no magic trick to healing muscle injuries other than time. The bad news is that the groin muscles can take a long time to heal because blood flow in that area isn't great. My advice would be to bring your stance in and buy a pair of loose briefs to protect you at the bottom. That's what I did and I've been ok so far.

[baxtej44]

sounds like what i've been battling also...


what has helped me:
pidgeon pose (yeah it's yoga but whatever)
http://www.mobilitywod.com/2011/03/e...mpression.html
http://www.mobilitywod.com/2011/02/e...ur-medial.html
http://www.mobilitywod.com/2010/09/e...box-squat.html


and like said, it's not going to be a quick fix, unfortunately.

[Retardo-pex]

Would rehband style compression shorts be too little support? What really confuses me is my main deadlift stance is sumo. I do all of my main deadlift work as sumo and usually only do rack pulls with a conventional stance. Why would this bother me warming up on squats with just a bar but I have literally never experienced it while deadlifting? I almost feel bad comparing our problems because you guys seem to have legitimate strains where If I don't squat/leg press for a week or 2 I could go jump, sprint, deadlift, etc and I wouldn't have any pain at all.

The only other way I can think to relate it is if you have ever had one of those minor pec/delt strains where the two muscles meet while benching, where it feels like its almost the pec tendon itself getting tight and "snapping" but not a full on tear or anything so severe.

I guess the only thing to do other then the standard rehab is to never attempt a squat workout of any kind if I feel any bit of tightness in that area. I could deal with just being a push pull guy for a while but I really want to get back into some actual training and competing in a full meet in the next year or two.

[baxtej44]

Would rehband style compression shorts be too little support? What really confuses me is my main deadlift stance is sumo. I do all of my main deadlift work as sumo and usually only do rack pulls with a conventional stance. Why would this bother me warming up on squats with just a bar but I have literally never experienced it while deadlifting? I almost feel bad comparing our problems because you guys seem to have legitimate strains where If I don't squat/leg press for a week or 2 I could go jump, sprint, deadlift, etc and I wouldn't have any pain at all.

The only other way I can think to relate it is if you have ever had one of those minor pec/delt strains where the two muscles meet while benching, where it feels like its almost the pec tendon itself getting tight and "snapping" but not a full on tear or anything so severe.

I guess the only thing to do other then the standard rehab is to never attempt a squat workout of any kind if I feel any bit of tightness in that area. I could deal with just being a push pull guy for a while but I really want to get back into some actual training and competing in a full meet in the next year or two.

i also deadlift sumo and feel ZERO pain with it. just normal hip tightness that i'm working on (which is primarily glute and TFL tightness)


i dont know if i have a legitimate strain or not because i never had any trauma to it, in fact i've had more injuries with my right hip (a few hyperextensions in the past)



on recharge btw

[Retardo-pex]

sounds like what i've been battling also...


what has helped me:
pidgeon pose (yeah it's yoga but whatever)
http://www.mobilitywod.com/2011/03/e...mpression.html
http://www.mobilitywod.com/2011/02/e...ur-medial.html
http://www.mobilitywod.com/2010/09/e...box-squat.html


and like said, it's not going to be a quick fix, unfortunately.

Third video really hit close to home haha. Made me think a little, when I got into powerlifting I had just come from about a year of martial arts training, where I was able to get into an almost full split position. I did box squats all the time when I was competing single ply and I know I used a much wider stance then I have been in training for the past year or so. I guess a combination of loss of flexibility and overall periods of detraining could be to blame for this. I'll add the box squat test and wall spreads to my general lower body warm ups for sure.

[ilovethe80s]

I've been push/pulling because of the same adductor hell issue, plus knee. Left side, too. At this point I don't think mine will ever go away, just have to fight the symptoms every time they arise (which is basically every time I squat or take a wide stance on something).

Piriformis stretching (youtube has vids) after every session and at other points in the day sometimes when things really act up. It does not relieve it for good, but will just give enough mobility back to get on with my day.

The upper insertion of my adductor gets scarily tight like that shiz is going to snap. In addition the stretching, trigger point release using a golf ball (forget the tennis ball/ foam roller, its not enough) helps but it takes practice to find the points and release.

I see you are in MA too, I have been looking for a good dry needler in the area - they will actually go in with a needle and release the trigger points that are difficult to get to all the way by hand. Will let you know if I find one/ try it/ it works.

It seems that keeping the adductors happy and not tensing up is the key to keeping everything else in check (groin, etc), but it is hard when they turn to stone every time you touch a weight.

Here are some links, hope they help:

http://www.athletestreatingathletes....t-7-adductors/

and one showing the trigger points. They are hard to find at first but if you get one it will spasm and instantly release at least somewhat:
http://www.rhinofitness.ca/articles/...adductors.html

Feel better!

[Iceman1800]

I wore briefs to fix this issue. I also did squats with a more narrow stance for a while.

[sheed30]

I've had this problem for the past 2 years. I usually just lift through it. In for the advice!

[mallow]

Same problems for me. Cant squat properly because eventually i will pull my groin again.

[psells52]

Had something similar about two months ago. Did three weeks of front squats and when I returned to regular box squats the pain was no longer present. Don't know if the front squats had anything to do with it but in my mind that's what fixed it for me

[Retardo-pex]

Had something similar about two months ago. Did three weeks of front squats and when I returned to regular box squats the pain was no longer present. Don't know if the front squats had anything to do with it but in my mind that's what fixed it for me

Yeah I've tried altering stances, it didn't hurt at all on Monday when i did olympic style squats but i also wasn't sore/tight at all. Right now I can feel it at every single stance, bar placement, chair/bench/box it just gets tight during any type of squat motion at about halfway down. Even leg pressing triggers it once it happens.

I'm going to continue on, take a few squat sessions to just do core/grip related work and the assistance planned for that day that i can do, while improving my flexibility and mobility a bit and see if that helps as well. If I go back and squat and the same feeling occurs, I will grab some briefs. Its funny everyone I talk to ( who doesn't lift) seems to think its because I push myself too hard and am getting older. Meanwhile this has been my least productive lifting year-2 years and I'm 27.... In my head pretty much everyone I know over 40 who trains is training harder then I have been able to but its hard to convince the non believers.

I just want to gt my squat back on track where it was about 2-3 years ago.

[Oleh]

had the same issue 2 years ago. couldnt squat right for almost 4-5months, bought a loose squat suit and battled through it.

Mobility work / stretching + foam rolling/pvcing + laq ball + tiger balm / sauna + "vitamins" = golden

[CheslinK]

Tore my sartorius where it connects with the hip. Ouch. Couldn't move my leg barely for two weeks without pain. That was in mid November, ****ing Smolov.

I'm at full mobility now. I tried some light squats with the bar 2-3 weeks ago and still pain in the area so definitely did not start again. I'm just working through leg presses, extensions, and curls to keep up some sort of leg development/strength. I'm hoping that another month away from squats will finally heal this SOB...

Good luck! It sounds like this is a constant and recurring issue for people. I am wondering though whether there are fixes for this rather than battling through the pain, which seems to create worse injuries in the long run.

[Retardo-pex]

Tore my sartorius where it connects with the hip. Ouch. Couldn't move my leg barely for two weeks without pain. That was in mid November, ****ing Smolov.

I'm at full mobility now. I tried some light squats with the bar 2-3 weeks ago and still pain in the area so definitely did not start again. I'm just working through leg presses, extensions, and curls to keep up some sort of leg development/strength. I'm hoping that another month away from squats will finally heal this SOB...

Good luck! It sounds like this is a constant and recurring issue for people. I am wondering though whether there are fixes for this rather than battling through the pain, which seems to create worse injuries in the long run.

Could have easily been a case of being detrained and trying to do too much too soon, in all honesty it never felt like that though. I just know when I was training more consistantly I never had this happen once, my left pec every once in a while but never this part of my thigh. I'm very lower body dominant lift wise so losing squat is like half of my total :P

[tomse7en1]

sounds like what i've been battling also...


what has helped me:
pidgeon pose (yeah it's yoga but whatever)
http://www.mobilitywod.com/2011/03/e...mpression.html
http://www.mobilitywod.com/2011/02/e...ur-medial.html
http://www.mobilitywod.com/2010/09/e...box-squat.html


and like said, it's not going to be a quick fix, unfortunately.

^^^This^^

search the website for others videos that deal with squatting as well.
love the site , has help me out a lot

[rbaruch]

^^^This^^

search the website for others videos that deal with squatting as well.
love the site , has help me out a lot

I had the same issue I believe. Bought a lacrosse ball, used to lay on it and roll around slightly to really get in there. That, and the frog pose,


and doing some light squats with a narrow stance

[KGB81]

under armour core shorts. google coretection.

i have a couple pairs of the OG core shorts. helped me recover from a bad groin injury that I got 3 seasons ago playing ice hockey.

[AmericanPhysco]

Tore my sartorius where it connects with the hip. Ouch. Couldn't move my leg barely for two weeks without pain.

I tore the same thing during track states my senior year of high school. What I did was stretch the area while running hot water on it in the shower to get rid of the pain/tightness the first month. Then I did exercises that didn't hurt the area. High bar squats with a narrow stance and compression shorts seemed to do the trick. Don't keep reaggravating it, but you still want to train or it will just get worse imo. So find exercises that don't hurt and do those.

[Retardo-pex]

Update from my training last night:

This whole thing happened on thursday evening, I was bummed and ranting as my first post shows. Went in last night did a nice 20 minute warmup/stretch, and started on speed deadlifts. 100% fine, no pain no tightness. Moved on to olympic style sqauts. OPn thursday in any positio I was unable to get more then 1/4 way down. Perfect form (well as perfect as I can do) with the bar, no tightness no pain, eventually I work my way up to 225x8. Not a ton of weight but I haven't don't olympic style squats in about a year, and even then my max was 355 so I expected it to be pretty low. Still no tightness and no pain at all during or after training and at all today.

I have no clue what is up with my leg but I think I can safely say its not a true injury unless I'm the damn Wolverine. I did do many of the mobility/stretches from the mobility WODlinks that were posted every day, so I'd like to think that played a major part. The real test will be this coming thursday, whether the work form monday leaves me near crippled again like last week or it was just a minor pull that was compounded by sore/tight muscles from the previous lower body training. Worst case scenario at the moment seems to be just work with olympic style squats and if thats all I need to do I guess I can live with that.

[CheslinK]

I tore the same thing during track states my senior year of high school. What I did was stretch the area while running hot water on it in the shower to get rid of the pain/tightness the first month. Then I did exercises that didn't hurt the area. High bar squats with a narrow stance and compression shorts seemed to do the trick. Don't keep reaggravating it, but you still want to train or it will just get worse imo. So find exercises that don't hurt and do those.

Did it eventually recover to 100%?

[CheslinK]

Update from my training last night:

This whole thing happened on thursday evening, I was bummed and ranting as my first post shows. Went in last night did a nice 20 minute warmup/stretch, and started on speed deadlifts. 100% fine, no pain no tightness. Moved on to olympic style sqauts. OPn thursday in any positio I was unable to get more then 1/4 way down. Perfect form (well as perfect as I can do) with the bar, no tightness no pain, eventually I work my way up to 225x8. Not a ton of weight but I haven't don't olympic style squats in about a year, and even then my max was 355 so I expected it to be pretty low. Still no tightness and no pain at all during or after training and at all today.

I have no clue what is up with my leg but I think I can safely say its not a true injury unless I'm the damn Wolverine. I did do many of the mobility/stretches from the mobility WODlinks that were posted every day, so I'd like to think that played a major part. The real test will be this coming thursday, whether the work form monday leaves me near crippled again like last week or it was just a minor pull that was compounded by sore/tight muscles from the previous lower body training. Worst case scenario at the moment seems to be just work with olympic style squats and if thats all I need to do I guess I can live with that.

Congrats on the healing mate! Really lucky to have it speed up that quickly. Myself I'm still about a month left before I can be sure it's safe to squat again. What did you mean earlier about being detrained before Smolov? I had been squatting 3 times a week for about 6 months prior to starting.

[AmericanPhysco]

Did it eventually recover to 100%?

Yeah, I think the key is to keep rehabbing it even after the pain and stiffness goes away. At least for a few months. You don't want to turn this into a reoccurring problem.

I kept stretching and eventually added in some exercises in the gym at the end of workouts to strengthen the area and haven't had a major problem since.

[JamesMontana]

Update from my training last night:

This whole thing happened on thursday evening, I was bummed and ranting as my first post shows. Went in last night did a nice 20 minute warmup/stretch, and started on speed deadlifts. 100% fine, no pain no tightness. Moved on to olympic style sqauts. OPn thursday in any positio I was unable to get more then 1/4 way down. Perfect form (well as perfect as I can do) with the bar, no tightness no pain, eventually I work my way up to 225x8. Not a ton of weight but I haven't don't olympic style squats in about a year, and even then my max was 355 so I expected it to be pretty low. Still no tightness and no pain at all during or after training and at all today.

I have no clue what is up with my leg but I think I can safely say its not a true injury unless I'm the damn Wolverine. I did do many of the mobility/stretches from the mobility WODlinks that were posted every day, so I'd like to think that played a major part. The real test will be this coming thursday, whether the work form monday leaves me near crippled again like last week or it was just a minor pull that was compounded by sore/tight muscles from the previous lower body training. Worst case scenario at the moment seems to be just work with olympic style squats and if thats all I need to do I guess I can live with that.

I didn't read most of the posts in here, but I just wanted to add (since my hips acts up sometimes too) that for me, there are just bad days when my hips want to hurt. 2 squat sessions ago I couldn't squat bw without it hurting when I was down in the hole and ended up stopping after working up to two plates. Same thing the next squat session. Just got back from my squats and they went well today. It's just something I deal with. Hopefully someone knows a solution, but I'm fine with it for now.

Also, in my experience, oly squats don't hurt the hips as much. When my hips are acting up, I can still normally squat oly style with less/almost no pain. The closer the stance, the better (pain wise).

[Retardo-pex]

Congrats on the healing mate! Really lucky to have it speed up that quickly. Myself I'm still about a month left before I can be sure it's safe to squat again. What did you mean earlier about being detrained before Smolov? I had been squatting 3 times a week for about 6 months prior to starting.

I don't think I've ever run smolov, maybe a typo? I had been detrained in the sense that in 2009 I was squatting 405 for a few reps and deadlifting 500+ regularly, got into strongman and olympic lifting a bit and had some peristant injuries ( this being one of them) that prevented me from doing much more then maintaining. I consider the past year or two basically one long maintainence cycle as even when I "gained" it was always increasing weights to lower numbers then my best from numbers that were far below my best.

[baxtej44]

http://www.mobilitywod.com/?s=groin

there is so much magic on this site

[A_Hard_Rain]

something i've used to help reoccurring injuries, once or twice a week just get a ton of blood flow into the area. for me i just did ghr hypers for my spinal erectors or band good mornings, just trying to get in 100 reps. i'm not sure what you could do for the groin area, maybe wide stance box squats

[baxtej44]

these stretches on the mwod for long durations of time get a lot of blood flow to the area too

[BringtheNoise]

I have this same pain, left side as well. I even thought maybe it was foot placement or something. It seems to hurt less if I really focus on forcing my knees out.