Pulled Groin Muscle & Recovery Time

A pulled groin muscle can be a painful condition. The length of time it takes to heal a pulled groin muscle depends on the severity of the strain.

Identification

• A strained groin muscle is a tear in the fibers of the adductor muscle. This muscle runs from the inner thigh, down the leg and attaches to the inside of the knee.

Causes

• The most common causes of groin strains are stretching the muscle too far, trauma to the adductor muscles, over-use, and putting a sudden strain on the muscle.

Risk Factors

• Some activities may increase the chances of pulling a groin muscle. These may include running, jumping hurdles, basketball, football, rugby, soccer, and hockey. Other risk factors include exercising when fatigued, cold weather, and overexertion.

Diagnosis And Treatment

• When diagnosing a pulled groin muscle, the doctor will take a patient history and perform an examination. The doctor will look for pain and tenderness, bruising, and weakness in the adductor muscles. Treatment usually consists of rest, ice, pain medications, compression, elevation, and heat.

Recovery

• Muscle strains are graded according to the severity of injury. A strain that involves some microtears in the adductor muscle should take about two weeks to heal. For strains that involve partial tearing of the adductor muscles, the average recovery time is 1 to 2 months. Severe strains that consist of a complete rupture of the muscle may take as long as three months to heal.