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A Remedy for Pulled Groin Muscles

You've pulled your groin muscles. This means that the muscles have been stretched beyond their prescribed limits, resulting in a strain -- one that can be quite painful, limiting your ability to pull your legs together or move your hip joint freely. Basically you've torn some of the muscle fibers in your inner thigh. So what is the remedy for such an injury? Read on.

  1. Ascertain the Injury's Severity

    • The first thing to do when confronted with pulled groin muscles is to ascertain whether or not the injury is severe. Signs of severe strain include swelling or bruising, considerable pain when walking, pain while sitting or lying down, pain at night and muscle spasms. If such signs are present, you need to see a doctor right away; there's a chance that your muscles have torn completely and will require surgery.

    Stretch

    • If your groin injury isn't quite as severe as that described above, one of the best things you can do to treat it is to stretch it. Such stretching should be light and easy -- devoid of any pain. If you feel pain while stretching, you're stretching too hard and are likely delaying a full recovery. Gentle stretching, though, can be very helpful.

    Rest

    • Resting is probably the No. 1 remedy to pulled groin muscles. Your body is quite adept at repairing itself -- and rest is the way to let it do its job. Rest is the only way to allow torn muscles to heal. If performing some task brings pain, this is a good sign that you shouldn't be doing it. As you heal, you'll be able to do more without causing pain.

    Hot and Cold

    • For the first couple of days after the injury occurs, ice the pulled muscle area. Ice prevents inflammation and encourages blood to flow to the affected area. Before performing any sort of strenuous task like a long walk, apply a heat pack to the injury to help loosen the muscles there. You may want to apply the heat pack before stretching, too. Use ice on the injury after performing any kind of strenuous activity. Basically, then, you heat before and ice afterward.

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