Anyone ever had a "Sports Hernia" aka: "Sportsman's hernia", "Gilmore's groin", or &quot

Johnny, thank you so much for the information. This guy is a nerve specialist right? Maybe next week i will book an appointment and go see him. I am starting injections in my back on Monday. I will keep u posted of everything. How did you hear about this guy? did you go see that nerve specialist in the states already? Do you see any improvement from the therapy that you are doing in the states?

hi sher

actually, you probably would not want to see him so soon after the surgeries with the swelling and all. i should have thought about that more before suggesting it.

he rarely visits the us, and it is even rarer that he does a treatment in the us.

i know of christoph via one of his proteges, who i know very well. i will be hopefully in munich in one year to train/advance under him and then use those skills here in the us.

by all means i have seen improvement with the modality i have been getting here in the states. bottom line is, though, i have serious nerve irritation still in the nerves that were involved, and that is the source of pain.

when you get back to the us, after about 2 months post-op, you should try this type of therapy. you can email me and i can recommend a practitioner in your area.

johnny

Hey Johnny,

I wonder if I too have nerve complications. I am unsure of the type of therapy you're currently receiving, but am definitely interested in learning more.

I live in Portland, Oregon...are there practitioners in my city that you know of?

Any websites you can provide that outline the type of treatments you're receiving?

Thanks much!

Joe

hi joe

i have had good luck to a good extent with

acupunture (to release tensed muscles that are cranked due to the nerve irritation). that was done via "western" approach. it might be good to use an "eastern" approach in order to chill down the nerves but not stimulate them.

the best so far has been structural integration work to address the issues of muscle imbalances. a certified advanced rolfer can help you out as long as the practioner is good.

other than that- painkillers have been a help.

above all, if you keep getting flair ups of pain after doing certain things, like reaching overhead or twisting while raking leaves, then don't do those things until the nerves have calmed down. it is a hard protocol to follow since the repaired tissues are more than likely unharmed by these activities. but the whole reason it bothers us is due to the pain. first- get back proper function of those muscle compartments that are out of whack, calm the nerves, and then one can work on stretching/strengthening, etc.. at least that is what i am being told now. i already tried the stretch/core strengthening route, and it got me nowhere. now i am going forward, after 10 months post-op.

portland, i dunno, sorry, you'd have to look online and search around.

hi, i've got some pain on both sides of my hip/grion. It's acute and is focussses about 4 inches down and inwards of my hip bone. It came on (right side) about 4 years ago, playing tennis, now it's reached the left side.

Only get the pain the day after doing excercise, like running/gym class/tennis. It hurts only when i go to stand up. I get a very acute pain and therefore have to get up slowly, making me look like a stiff old woman!

TRied physiotherapy - acupuncture / rest / abdominal strengthening. Should i be looking into the possibility that this might be a gilmore's hernia? I don't have any other pain other than when i go to stand up, at times when it has been really sore then i have also felt it when i'm rolling over in bed.

Cheers

M x

marie wrote:

hi, i've got some pain on both sides of my hip/grion. It's acute and is focussses about 4 inches down and inwards of my hip bone. It came on (right side) about 4 years ago, playing tennis, now it's reached the left side.

Only get the pain the day after doing excercise, like running/gym class/tennis. It hurts only when i go to stand up. I get a very acute pain and therefore have to get up slowly, making me look like a stiff old woman!

TRied physiotherapy - acupuncture / rest / abdominal strengthening. Should i be looking into the possibility that this might be a gilmore's hernia? I don't have any other pain other than when i go to stand up, at times when it has been really sore then i have also felt it when i'm rolling over in bed.

Cheers

M x

marie,

Based on your description and what I went through, I would say no. But this injury (AP) has many variations, so it's hard to tell.

Can you lie flat on your back and sit up with your legs straight without pain? How about leg lifts or other lower ab exercises?

The fact that you can exercise without pain makes me think it's not AP. It sounds more like some type of acute tendonitis. But I'm just guessing. Have you had an MRI done?

RD

Hi comrads, After finding this forumn I can easilly feel that I have not been alone. 3 years ago I pulled my groin surfing. I went to 13 PT, chiro orthapedists, Dr's for 13 months before I had a SH diagnosed( I had 3 negative MRI's done and no one knew). This was done by Dr. DiFiori @ UCLA sports medicine. He referred me to Dr William Brown . I drove to San Jose for the procedure. He found two tears and used sutures.

After a half year of progress I still felt only 50%. I started slowly surfing, biking , playing with my kid and it stil;l was very tight. A year after my surgery I surfed a few days in a row and inflamed my pelvis. Driving , sitting strait up and bringing my knees together is real hurt. That was 6 months ago. Now my other side feels like a SH. I went back to DiFiori and had another MRI die on the other side. He diagnosed bilateral hip labral tears . I said where does the MRI indicate? He said the back socket of the hip. Well my pain is not in the back. Three pain areas: adductors both sides, year and a half old surgery, and my new soft tissue pain.

I am 51 years old have good insurance and wonder if Anyone would please refer me to a Southern Cal surgeon or should i go to Philly?

I want to thank ALL who have helped me with their reports.

Hey Mike:I live in So Cal as well and I can't seem to find anyone that understands this other than Craig Smith out of Centinela Hospital. He uses a laproscopic approach and delivers a very large mesh patch that he anchors with screws. I'm 46, and when I visited him he laid out his prospects for success as largely dependent on the age group and seriousness of athletic prowess he's dealing with. With his approach, if you're a premeir or pro athlete your recover time will be minimal and you probably will have a 95% success rate. The semi pro/very serious amateur athlete is something like 80%. Guys like me who show up to a game with drinking a Starbucks are typically only 50% successful with his approach. I decided to try my chances with Meyers as I'm visiting him next week! From what I can tell, Smith's approach is similiar to Dr UM, from Munich. I will also say that he did genuinely spend lots of time with me and does a good job of explaining things. His staff is another story, however. Good luck to you.

Hi SoKAl, Thanks for the rundown. I am nor have never been a triathalite.I used to ride a bike 50 miles a week and surf for 40 years. SO i would have to admit that I too rember being a Starbucks workout type myself. Having read another 10 pages of the blog I am thinking of Myers or Germany.

Doing nothing but walking my dog a mile aday is not a benchmark I am proud of. I am working as a tech which requires sitting and now, like before my first surgery, It really cramps up. My biomechanics are out and I might get the rolfing / acupuncture release PT. I will be in Maine in one month I wonder if Myers can scehdule me then?

Again, thanks for all the help here. My last week MRI diagnosis was so quick. I asked him to examine (Palpitae) my sore soft tissue groin. Dr DiFiori refused. He said don't do anything to provoke the pain and see me 9-9-07. He took 5 minutes to read mri report and give me PT and 3 months rest. He diagnosed my first sh and didn't want to touch the new inflamed side. The drive back was 3 hours to Santa Barbara where I live. The next few days was ice pack at work.

Well SoKal I am happy your repair is in such revered hands and I'm sure you'll be done right. please let me(us) know your progress. Keep positive.

hey Johnny, I am still here in Germany because of complications(not from surgery), I lost consiousness and fell on my neck and back one week after the surgery. I am can't fly like this so i am waiting here. I went to see a guy by the name of Dr.peter he teaches with christoph sommers rolfing. I spoke to Christoph but he is going to n.y. i think next week so he couldn't see me. Can you tell me something about rolfing and its help to you? i dont feel like spending money if it won't help me. After the treatment for the neck i was in a lot of pain for 2 days did it ever happen to you? please can you give me information about rolfing i am stuck here and want to go home already. Thanks

sher

peter is does work with christoph. if christoph is coming to ny next week or after, i am going to be treated by him and will let you know the progress.

rolfing work often makes one sore afterwards, sometimes for days. those tissues that they work on are already out of whack. sometimes the body doesn't like change, even for the better, and the result is perceived as pain. sometimes manual therapy is no pain no gain.

yes it is expensive to get fixed. but as you know, all those orthos and other docs couldn't help you due to lack of education on what is going on in your body. a rolfer has a different view on the soft tissues. it may help you very much. it has helped me tremendously. my legs have never felt so grounded as they do now, even with the nerve irritation from the sh going on. my si joint and hip mobility has greatly improved even in the past month. i very highly recommend it. i don't know who to recommend since i don't know where you live, but go online and do some research or email me and i can do my best to hook you up with a chcice or 2. it should help to address those painful imbalances.

it is worth the investment. your body is a much more important vehicle than your car, you know? so put it in that perspective with the $ in mind. i have almost no $ left but my car, which is also hurt, can wait.

mike--

i also have a posterior labral tear, apparently my right side is probably torn a bit as well. 4 major hip guys in ny said to do nothing about it. they say to only consider a large anterior tear for surgery. my lack of mobility in the hip(s) is getting better due to the above described work. one doc did say i needed the hip surgery but he said that even before reading my records or hearing my story. glad i blew him off and got 3 more opinions after that, which lead me to the sh diagnosis and surgeries.

john

Hello Johnny.

How were your posterior labral tears diagnosed? Was it made from MRI(s)? Iv'e had 4 Mri's of the hip two with dye.I got three right hip MRI's and now the newly injured left groin / hip MRI. I appreciate your takes on this. In a way it coincides with the recent UCLA Dr. treatment: PT and 3 months rest. Unfortunately I thought later and wish I would of asked him about my 3 year injured right side being rested along time without my Hip healing.

Question: Is Dr. meyers required pelvic MRI different than the 4 hip MRI's that I have if I choose to go his way. Since it is hard to sit upright and can't squeeze my knees I am thinking I need some tendon release of some sort. Unless the sh will allow me to heal with rest PT and Dr's regimen.

Do you or anybody think I should do the Meyers or Germany or Catty or....I am little reluctant to go to my sh surgeon of a yr and a half ago since that surgery, when stretched, is restrictive and inflamation prone.

Also, my sh surgery was open with sutures. There is an inch and a half scar under my belly. So I wonder if the scar tissue from that procedure will cancel the less evasive repair option?

So glad I found this wealth of INFO. I also remember that sites like this can feature people with complications and such......because alot of folks get successful surgery and get on with there lives trying to forget the years of suffering, hence they do not sign in and revisit / help us injured find treatment for a rare tear like ours.

johnny one more question: on monday i am doing another rolfing setion, do u think its too soon to do the pelvis balancing session? I am only 1 month post operation. Will it irritate the nerves? I, like u ,also have nerve irritation coming from the s.i. joint.

hey mike

i wish i could help better but i am not a doctor so my adivice is only via my experience with a long standing sports hernia(s) and a long recovery with all kinds of methods explored. but i am glad taht my input has helped some people. i sure wish i had learned about this site much earlier. when i did i found the info invaluable.

but as far as the labral tears go, my left hip had an mri specifically looking for labral tear. it is posterior from 12 to 3 o'clock. 3 hip guys, two of them well respected, told me to leave it alone. one said that i probably have a right sided-labral tear as well, and the pain was probably from a sports hernia, and offered me a referral to dr meyers. i already had an appt with dr muschaweck 2 days later so that is the route i ended up taking. i have no idea about the mri differences between doctors. but i did finally ahve a pelvic mri 3 weeks ago which came up totally normal.

a doctor at teh hospital for special surgery in nyc named bryan kelly is apparently one of the best for labral tears.

i also have a big patch of scar tissue in there around the sports hernia tear, probably from the original tearing in 1999. then again in 2001, or at least i think i retore open something a bit. finally in 2005 i painfully blew it open for good. so there was lots of scar tissue and it did not stop dr um from doing the job. she would be able to see if your nerves are entrapped by scar tissue and would be able to take care of it.

i have been getting the scar tissue/nerve irritation addressed via the structural integration/rolf work. it takes time but it works.

i wish i could offer more solid advice.

sher, i would call christoph or peter and ask them, i don't have any idea if it would be good or bad. but either of them will know for sure.

johnny

Hey Mike:

To book Meyer's time, call his assistant Marcia (pronounced Mar-C-A, not Marsha) at 215.762.1078. Typically, they'll schedule out of towners for midday on a Wednesday or Thursday and the following day they will do surgery on you if they think surgery is necessary and you agree (obviously).

Thanks for the good thoughts and good luck to you as well.

Hi. Hadn't got a chance to read it but last weeks, dyed hip, MRI, report was in my mail today. Funny I have had 4 (neg) hip mris each time complaining about groin pain. There must be alot more money in replacement hips than Sh surgery! I called Myers office today and hoipefully will get a pelvic non dye MRI soon.

Thanks for the great posts and recommendations. I wish I came upon this 3 years ago when my first tear was felt and I went thru so many dr.s that only believe that if you point to the tender area it's referred hip pain. The last round of MRI with non examination when I pleaded with him to see my new tender site was lame. He diagnosed me 1.5 yrs previous with the sh . That side hurts especially when stretched. I would like that side looked into and Myers seems like the right sort incase i needed releasing.

Question do you think my bilateral pelvic / tendon tightness is better dealt with him than Germany? Should I get some acupunture for this sitting pain. WHile sitting I can barely bring my knees together having splayed outward for the last 3 yrs. Will dr. meyers not want to see / repair me with these labrum tears diagnosed last week? Should I consider Germany with my 3 condions:

1. 1.5 yr old repair with sutures that hurts especially stretched.

2. Pelvic pain: driving, sitting, working etc....

3. What i think is a newly torn left side. (Which the head professor of UCLA sports medicine refused to see after my 5 minute MRI discussion. Even though he diagnosed me with the first one a year previous).

Thank you all! Good luck Johnny with the recovery and SoKal for your upcoming treatment. I hope to get back to being physical, playing with my 12 yr old and jumping in the ocean this summer.

i wish i was a doctor so i can give more sound advice....

mike, the hip socket is actually located behind/posterior of the sh injury site, so that is prolly why docs are thinking it's your hips. that happened to me as well. a hip guy finally said its probably a sh and get it checked. too many people have said to leave those labrums alone! there are lots of people out there who had the surgeries with no releif.

hip impingement is also related to sh injuries in some schools of thougt.

http://www.hipfai.com/

but apparenly lots and lots of people around us have tears in their labrums. mine was positive and then the other week an mri didn't show one. hmm.

but, i had the same symptoms with my thighs being externally rotated. do either of your knees feel like they buckle in? does one of your feet (or both) pronate and/or pigeon toe in?

my legs no longer point out like yours. feet and knees are straighter than they have been in years. i still get pains while stretching- especially the lunge/psoas stretch, groin stretches, and hamstring stretches. so i stopped for a while. that allowed me to heal more, now i am aobut to start light yoga again.

i have heard that the idea of releasing adductors and other tendons is nuts. those tendons will not heal. what your body probably needs is to lengthen the fascial encasings around the affected muscle compartments. manual therapies can help (above posts).

in my opionion, go see um in germany. with so many of these under her belt, she has seen and treated many variations of it. the labrums should wait till way after any needed sh surgeries, you might find that the labrums can stay as is.

hope it helps, wish i knew more...

john

I'd like to give an update of my own progress as this forum has been invaluable in helping me along from the time I didn't know what was wrong with me to now.

I had bi-lateral pelvic floor repair with Dr Meyers on May 9. While in there he also found an inguinal on my right side.

Prior, I had been playing ice hockey 1-2x/week and spending the other days of the week in the gym (one day off). During football season I would play a weekly touch game as well. I am 41 and in pretty good shape. Around February, I started having pain after my hockey games would end. It was an ugly throb in my testicles along with what seemed like an 'acute ache' (hard to describe) on my left side on the lowermost part of my abdomen/pelvis. After looking around and after a number of fruitless visits to my GP, a hernia surgeon and an orthopedist (none of them knew what was wrong with me and when I suggested an SH they either said it was a myth or that they hadn't heard of it) I found Dr. Meyers, basically by Googling extensively. I also found about Dr. Mushaweck (spelling?) and Dr. Cattey.

As I live in NY and as I found out more about Dr. Meyers I figured he would be the best choice for me.

It didn't take long to get an appointment but his waiting room was packed, basically with athletes and amateurs. I had to wait over 3 hours beyond my scheduled time but everyone was apologetic.

It was an easy decision for me to elect for surgery, I had done my research and suffered for long enough that I was comfortable this was the right option for me. Dr. Meyers, while not forcing the issue, agreed I was a good case.

After the surgery, I stayed overnight and then began the six week 'rehab' regimen (which I suspected would be longer largely because of the posts in this forum). Three weeks of doing nothing followed by three weeks of gradual rehab, much of it in a pool.

Along the way, especially when starting rehab, I would get many sudden, almost excruciating pains all over the area where I was repairing. These would immediately be followed by despair and fear that it had all been for naught and that the surgery didn't work. Virtually ALL of these pains went away pretty quickly and I learned not to go haywire when I experienced one.

I am now at the end of the six week period and although I have not done the program to a T (it requires more time than I think most can give it and I also travel a lot), I have done a pretty good job, spending about 90 minutes a day doing what it tells me, give or take, taking about 1-2 days off a week.

The good news is that the throb in my testicles is completely gone and I feel pretty good that it won't come back. Honestly I haven't felt it since the surgery happened.

The not so good news is that I still have the 'pain' (again, hard to describe) on my left side. However now it feels more like an ordinary pulled muscle, sort of. I am still healing however and I think there is at least a very fair chance this will go away over time, we will see.

I think I was a relatively simple case without a whole lot of complications and, although I would not yet say it was a success, I think I have come a long way and I think, cautiously, that there is a nice light at the end of the tunnel.

I will post again if it gets better or worse.

Hey Willg:

Thanks for the update! If there is one common thread here it's be patient! I'm actually going to see Dr. Meyers next week, so your remarks are very timely. Out of curiosity, did he mention doing an Abductor release? I believe, only based on the posts on this site, that that experience greatly slows the rehab process. At any rate good luck to you - hopefully you can get back out on the ice soon, as I'm looking forward to actually being able to twist through a slapshot again.

One more question, how difficult was it to travel back after the surgery? I live in CA and it's going to be about 8 hours of travel