Groin pain is often complex and can be difficult to diagnose. Pain may be experienced on one or both sides of the groin. Pain can sometimes also be experienced in the lower abdominals or at the front of the hips. Firmly touching the pubic bone at the front of the pelvis commonly makes the pain worse. Pain may also be made worse by crossing your legs, squeezing your knees together or when moving the affected leg away from the midline of the body (abduction). Pain is often aggravated by exercise such as running, kicking, performing sit-ups or change of direction activities.

Physiotherapy has been shown to be successful in treating groin pain, and most people with the condition make a full recovery when managed well over time. Commonly used physiotherapy treatments include helping you to manage your daily and sporting activities, advice and education, strengthening the abdominal and hip muscles, and improving range of motion of the hip by stretching and manipulation.

Physiotherapy has been found to be a successful intervention for managing groin pain. Systematic review evidence shows that supervised active physical training results in a higher percentage of athletes returning to play than passive physical therapy treatments alone.

Take note of the activities that bring on your groin pain–this will help your physiotherapist. By avoiding repeated kicking or rapid changes of direction while running, you may find that this helps to prevent your groin pain from worsening.

Once your groin pain has been diagnosed and a rehabilitation plan begins, the likelihood of a full recovery from groin pain is good, although this can often take three months or more.