An adductor strain is a common injury in sports such as soccer, hockey, and football. It occurs when the athlete’s leg is abducted, or pulled away from the body, as he quickly changes directions, is tackled, or is checked into the boards. This is the injury that most people think of when they hear “pulled [...]
+Continue ReadingAthletic pubalgia, which was formerly known as “sports hernia”, is a fairly uncommon cause of hip and groin pain in athletes. It is most commonly seen in hockey and soccer due to the nature of the movements in these sports. It often follows an acute injury. For example, a 50-50 ball in soccer, where a [...]
+Continue ReadingA femoral neck stress fracture is a worrisome cause of hip and groin pain in athletes. Typically they are seen in runners or other athletes who perform repetitive impact to the lower extremities. Like most stress fractures, these injuries occur in athletes who are putting more stress on a particular part of their body without [...]
+Continue ReadingFemoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is a cause of chronic hip pain in athletic individuals. Usually it is not an injury that occurs after an acute event, but instead it often manifests as hip pain that develops over time. The problem results from abnormal contact between the femoral head or neck and the acetabulum. Bony prominence on [...]
+Continue ReadingThe hamstring muscles are muscles that run along the back of the thigh from the hip to below the knee. These muscles are commonly injured in sports that involve sprinting. I frequently see hamstring strains most commonly in soccer players. The athletes often say that the injury occurred when they were at rest and started [...]
+Continue ReadingA herniated disc, where the inner contents of a disc (the nucleus pulposus) leak out of a tear of the annulus fibrosis of the disc, is a difficult problem in the cervical or lumbar spine of athletes. The athlete may or may not remember a specific event that caused the symptoms. It can be a [...]
+Continue ReadingA hip pointer is an injury where an athlete is hit on the iliac crest, which is the part of the pelvis that you can feel between your abdomen and thigh. It typically occurs in football, although it can occur in any contact and collision sport. Typically the athlete will note that he or she [...]
+Continue ReadingTears of the labrum (cartilage bumper) in the hip can be a limiting cause of hip and groin pain in athletes. Often a labral tear can be the result of a specific event or trauma, but occasionally the athlete does not remember a specific injury. Labral tears often manifest as deep groin pain or catching [...]
+Continue ReadingOsteitis pubis is inflammation of the symphysis pubis, which is the joint between the right and left pubic bones. It is a common cause of groin pain in athletes who perform repetitive motion of their lower extremities across their bodies. Soccer players are good examples of these athletes, as they often kick across their bodies. [...]
+Continue ReadingPiriformis syndrome can be a difficult cause of buttock pain in runners and other athletes. Often it comes on over time but occasionally it can be related to a traumatic event. Athletes will complain of pain in the buttock and occasionally pain that runs down the back of the thigh. A sports medicine physician can [...]
+Continue ReadingA quadriceps contusion occurs from a direct blow to the front of the thigh. It can be a very painful injury. It commonly occurs in contact and collision sports, such as football, soccer, and rugby. The injured athlete will often have swelling and sometimes significant bruising at the point of impact. He will have a [...]
+Continue ReadingThe rectus femoris is one of the quadriceps muscles of the thigh. It crosses two joints – the hip and knee. It is commonly injured as the tendon at the front of the hip or in the muscle belly of the thigh. This injury is what many people refer to as a “hip flexor strain.” [...]
+Continue ReadingThere are two main causes of a snapping sensation around the hip. Depending on where the athlete notices a snapping sensation, a sports medicine physician can usually make the diagnosis. One source of a snapping hip is on the outside (lateral side) of the hip, where the iliotibial band can snap in front of and [...]
+Continue ReadingSpondylolysis is an overuse condition of the lower back that is commonly seen in football players. It occurs from repetitive extension of the back, such as when linemen have to block and put their lower backs in extended positions. Spondylolysis is essentially a stress reaction, or even a stress fracture, of small parts of the [...]
+Continue ReadingTrochanteric bursitis can be seen in all people and not just athletes. Females, especially athletic ones, often get it, and it is unfortunately not uncommon in female runners. Trochanteric bursitis manifests as pain on the outside (lateral side) of the hip. It is painful at the bony prominence on the outside of the hip where [...]
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C. David Geier Jr., M.D.
