My Story
This is my first post on this forum. I have read almost every single post, and I found this site very helpful when I was dealing with my sports hernia so I thought it was time that I shared my story with the group.
I play Ultimate Frisbee at the elite college level so I would not classify myself as a “weekend warrior”, more as a serious athlete. I first experienced pain in May 2008 during my final Ultimate tournament of the season. I felt pain in my lift hip flexor when I ran. I cannot pinpoint an exact moment that I think the injury occurred, but this was the first time I experienced pain. After the initial Injury I took 4 weeks and rested completely. Then in late June I tried to play in a summer league game and I felt severe pain in my left hip flexor/lower ab area. The pain would keep me up at night, and it made standing or walking for long periods of time very uncomfortable.
A few days later I met with my doctor who initially diagnosed it as either a labrum sprain, or labrum tear. I had a hip Arthrogram where dye is injected into the hip joint to show any tears. My athrogram showed no tears in my labrum. I thought that I was out of the woods, and just needed more rest. The doctor prescribed 3 weeks of rest, and then physical therapy. I began physical therapy in mid-July. At this time I was not running, or lifting, just doing the PT exercises. I also received some electro stim treatment. I felt like I was getting better, and in late July my physical therapist told me it was time to begin some light running. I ran a quarter of a mile, and felt some slight discomfort in my hip flexor area. A few days later I ran a half-mile, and the next day the pain was unbearable. I had trouble sleeping, and standing for long periods time. I felt like my pain was as bad as it had ever been.
I went back to the doctor who told me that my symptoms still lead him to believe I had a labrum strain. After some more questions he said that there was a possibility of a sports hernia, but that he really did not think I had that. I began to research sports hernias on the internet, and I became more and more convinced that was what I had. My pain was difficult to pinpoint, but one thing I noticed was that there was increasing pain in my testicles, and pain in my testicles when I coughed. The pain would radiate from my hip into my groin, but I would never describe the pain as a groin injury.
I met with another doctor for a second opinion. The doctor told me he absolutely did not think I had a sports hernia. He said that this was a groin strain, and also a hip flexor strain that required 6-8 months of pure rest. He also mentioned the possibility that I would never be able to play again. To this day my biggest regret about the whole process was not telling that doctor to go f*** himself.
I decided to make an appointment with Dr. Meyers in Philadelphia. I spent countless hours on the internet each night, researching sports hernias. I read every post on this forum, and that is where I came across Dr.Muschaweck’s name. The minimal repair appealed to me immediately because of the quick recovery time. I visited her website, and I found the Michael Owens story amazing. I cancelled my appointment with Dr.Meyers and made an appointment with Dr.Muschaweck in Munich.
I flew to Germany on September 13th, and met with Dr.Muschaweck the 14th. She gave me a finger exam, which was very painful. The pain was not normal she said, and confirmed I had a sports hernia or “sportsman groin” as she calls it. Then she did an ultrasound and printed out a few slides. The defects were visible even to me.
I had always had very minor hip pain on my right side as well, but never though anything of it. Dr.Muschaweck said I would need surgery on my right side as well. I cannot stress enough how wonderful Dr.Muschaweck is. She answered all of my questions, and really made me feel genuinely cared for. Most importantly, she made me feel like there WAS a solution to my problem, and that she was going to fix it. It felt amazing to finally meet a doctor who understood what I was going through.
I had surgery on September 15th on my left side, and then again on September 16th on my right side. The first two days were very tough for me. I think if I had to have only one side done, it would have been much easier. But the experience of two surgeries on back-to-back days, was not a pleasant one. However, Dr.Muschaweck’s staff was top notch. Everyone involved from the nurses to the anesthesiologist were warm and comforting. Dr.Muschaweck herself called me in my room, and met with me every day I was staying in the clinic. She answered every single question I had, and put to rest every fear I had.
I returned home and began my recovery. I stared walking more and more, and slowly progressed into running and then weight lifting. I took things slow at first, not wanting to re-injure myself. There were difficult days, were I felt tightness in the incision areas, or some minor pain in my hip flexors.
Overall my recovery was very smooth. This past weekend I played in my first Ultimate tournament since May. For those who don’t know an Ultimate tournament consists of 6+ hours of sprinting, cutting, jumping, twisting, and diving on two consecutive days. I am happy to report that I felt absolutely no pain whatsoever in my groin or hip area. Exactly two months to the day of my second surgery, I was back on the field going all out, 100% pain free. Amazing.
My main reason for posting my story is that anyone suffering from a sports hernia, or sports hernia symptoms will know there is hope. I remember how frustrating it was when no one could tell me what was wrong with me or how to fix it. I can still remember the despair I felt when the doctors told me, I just needed more rest when I knew that something was very wrong with my body. I felt like I was going insane. It was a truly terrifying experience to have an injury, that seems to be relatively unknown in the world of sports medicine.
My advice to anyone dealing with this injury is to make an appointment with Dr.Muschaweck. The care you receive at her clinic is unbelievable, and extremely affordable. Since my surgery Dr.Muschaweck has personally called me three times to check up on my recovery, and answer any questions that I had. There is even a 24-hour number you can call if you have any questions at any time. The reason why I chose Muschaweck over Meyers is simple, the recovery time of her patients is remarkable. While I was in Germany Dr.Muschaweck emphasized that her technique was minimally invasive, and was much less of a trauma to the body then Meyers’ technique.
If you are suffering from a sports hernia, or sports hernia symptoms do not despair. There IS someone who can help you, and if you are committed to your recovery, you WILL recover and return to the sport you love.
Please contact me with any questions you have my email is:
Epadget11@yahoo.com
Link to Dr.Mushawecks website:
http://www.leistenbruch.de/english/home.html
For the Michael Owens story (A MUST SEE):
http://www.leistenbruch.de/english/media/television.html