News Feed Discussions Now I’m wondering if it’s a "Sports Hernia"

  • Now I’m wondering if it’s a "Sports Hernia"

    Posted by UhOh! on April 9, 2017 at 10:29 pm

    Yes, I realize this isn’t a real hernia (it’s called Inguinal Disruption now, right?), but some recent reading is making me wonder if this is what I’m dealing with. I’d initially ignored this possibility since I lacked one of the hallmark symptoms: chronic groin ache/pain. However, here’s why I’m reconsidering:

    1. The “bulge” I sometimes see only appears when I clamp down/Valsalva and there doesn’t appear to be anything directly beneath it.

    2. I do have chronic aches on the same side, though it seems to originate in my low back (sacral area). Sometimes it radiates to the top of my hip.

    3. I don’t play sports that involve cutting or twisting, but I do frequently lift, squatting 3x/week, and it sounds like that activity can put the same kind of strain on the area.

    There is still that little “something” I can feel inside, which I’d thought was a small amount of fat in the inguinal canal (if I push on it, it appears to travel back up the canal) but it never made it anywhere close to the superficial ring/scrotum. However what I’m now wondering is whether this is in fact some loose tissue due to soft tissue damage/slack in the posterior inguinal wall? It sounds like that’s a potential cause of Inguinal Disruption that would cause the type of “bulge” I sometimes see and comes without actual tearing (hence why there’s no chronic groin pain).

    So, based on this, particularly the absence of pain and the presence of the other symptoms described, should I consider Inguinal Disruption as a potential diagnosis? And is there likely a causal relationship between that and the back pain, or is it more likely that both instead stem from a singular underlying issue (such as undiagnosed leg length discrepancy, or previous injury not properly tended to)?

    UhOh! replied 6 years, 11 months ago 3 Members · 5 Replies
  • 5 Replies
  • UhOh!

    Member
    April 23, 2017 at 1:25 am

    Or, to put it another way, that little bit of “loose skin” feeling thing I’ve felt moving around down there sometimes feels as though it’s “inflating” upon Valsalva, almost like there’s some kind of weakness or slackening of something, rather than an outright hole. But what do I know; now need to find right doc for diagnosis.

  • UhOh!

    Member
    April 20, 2017 at 10:11 pm

    Thanks. The more I read the more I started to see reference to the idea of a “pre-hernia complex” which involves a weakness (so intermittent bulging) but no tear. When I get the “inflation/ballooning” sensation from a valsalva, it feels like the inguinal canal is inflating back-to-front, not top-to-bottom, and as though there’s no actual tissue. From some of what I read (mostly intended for imaging specialists using ultrasound) this sounds like a thing, albeit not necessarily that common.

    I do get some hip pain, but can never tell if it’s originating in my hip, or radiating through from my back (frequent/chronic discomfort around my sacrum).

  • Chaunce1234

    Member
    April 20, 2017 at 5:37 pm

    UhOh, I am not a doctor just a fellow patient who has done extensive reading on these topics.

    A sports hernia, athletic pubalgia, or inguinal disruption is basically always painful and sometimes extremely painful either because there is a tear or a nerve compression, if you see one occur live on TV (football or soccer usually) the player is in clear pain on the field. They do not always occur with a sudden injury and they can also be gradual onset or seemingly random onset. Pain is the primary symptom. Non-pro athletes that end up with these injuries often have years of pain and misdiagnosis, it is not a subtle experience.

    If you have a groin bulge that increases in size with valsava, that sounds more like a typical groin hernia. Go to a hernia doctor or general surgeon with hernia experience, they should be able to tell rather quickly. If there is some ambiguity or uncertainty, and you are troubled by pain or discomfort, then you can request a groin ultrasound with valsava or a CT/MRI with valsava and something might show up.

    Good luck, keep us updated.

  • drtowfigh

    Moderator
    April 20, 2017 at 5:00 am

    Sports hernias tend to be painful and less of a bulging.

  • UhOh!

    Member
    April 10, 2017 at 6:25 pm

    I should perhaps add: While I could be wrong, that bit of “loose tissue” I’ve been feeling seems to be what “inflates” when I Valsalva and get that slight “ballooning.” Would that be indicative of some kind of weakness, or slackened internal tissue?

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