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

I noticed my first symptom around September 2007. I sneezed and got a sharp pain in my left testicle. About a week after that, I couldn't spring anymore and I had a dull ache in my groin. But I didn't know what it was at that time obviously.

Surf,

Are you asking people who haven't had surgery? Obviously, I already had surgery. I can do situps, crunches, pelvic tilts... pretty much anything I want to do. But I still have some tightness on the left side compared to the non-injury side.

Den,

Any thoughts or guesses on how you had acquired the underlying injury? Were you playing much soccer at that time? By the way did you have an inguinal hernia in your MRI?

Den,

Seems to me you're very close to full recovery.

I wasn't really in competitive game-playing shape. I also previously had a groin pull earlier that year. And I was doing some pretty rigorous kicking drills with my left leg around the time of the injury, which ultimately I think led to the problem. So, to me, I'm not really guessing as to how it happened.

I did not have an inguinal hernia during manual tests, MRI, and it did not show up during surgery.

I'm not really close to full recovery -- in my opinion. I haven't corrected all of the weaknesses in affected muscle groups yet. I won't go out and try to play again until I'm confident that all issues have been resolved. And I still have tightness in my adductors, hamstrings, glutes, and hip flexors. This doesn't mean I have pain -- because I don't have any. But I have stiffness.

Den,

Can you get out of bed and out of a car like a normal person and without pain?

I could do that before surgery. But I can jog now, and hopefully can play soccer this fall. But that's pretty wishful.

I'm approximately 10 weeks post op w/ UM and at 95%. I can finally lift my left leg w/o hip, groin, testicle pain though my lower back still bothers me a bit when I run. What I've found out is that pushing the envelope a bit athletically has provided some gains. I continue to theorize based upon my recovery from this injury and others that athletes have to continue some form of sport specific activity during recovery in order to allow the injury site to heal in a manner that will allow for future athletic activity.. Clear as mud??:) This of course is pure speculation on my part, but moderate running w/ lots of stretching (w/ a day or two in between runs) over the past two weeks has really seemed to loosen up the groin area and reduce pain to both my groin and left lower back.

On Thur I played in my first 90 min outdoor soccer match w/ a local German club. I played well enough to be selected to start in a German cup competition tomorrow. Not gloating; I'm just increasingly more certain the surgery worked for me and will for others. I definitely didn't heal overnight and I'm still not back to pre-injury form, but I'm miles from where I was on May 19th, the day prior to my surgery.

Good luck all. I'm located approximately 3 hours from Munich near a town called Kaiserslautern. If anyone is headed to Germany over the next several months for surgery or any other reason, please feel free to use me as a sounding board for travel tips, etc..

Ciao.

M.

MeLLoDraMa,Your continued improvement is excellent news. I may be following your path to Dr. Muschaweck if I can't succeed in my rehab efforts without surgery.

MeLLoDraMa wrote:

What I've found out is that pushing the envelope a bit athletically has provided some gains. I continue to theorize based upon my recovery from this injury and others that athletes have to continue some form of sport specific activity during recovery in order to allow the injury site to heal in a manner that will allow for future athletic activity..

I'm thinking the same thing. And like somebody else said, getting the blood flowing through athletic activity helps the whole healing process, maybe.

What kind of stretching has worked for you? How often do you stretch?

2.5 weeks post op from Dr Meyers ...Bi lateral repair, bi lateral adductor release and belly button hernia repair

THE REHAB:

- walking 1 mile am and pm.....80% inclines, declines and some stairs.....plus I mix in some light jogging when I get to flat areas...do about four to six 60 yard runs

- 5 days per week of pool therapy...walking and running fwd/bkwd...Hip stuff....side slides....scissors....partial squats.....heel raises...jumping jacks

- stretching 1-2x per day, other exercises and massaging the adductors 2x/day

- just started up the lunges...1 set of 10 for now....I plan on hitting the gym either this week or the following week to start doing some elliptical, treadmill,, stair stepper, Hip exercises/cable stuff etc

- I want to start taking some dry swings with a bat in a few weeks and work up to swinging with my chute on it to add some resistence and throwing a ball,,,just in case I feel good enough to play Fall Ball...but Ill probably hold off till the spring.....plus Id like to add some upper body stuff at this point

Once I can do full out sprints for a good week I will start doing the agility running stuff

THE PAIN AND SWELLING ETC:

- Right side has lots of swelling in the pubic region which causes pain and limits my running at this point.....Right Glute and hip also get tight and achy

- Left side usually feels real good except for on and off pressure in the low ab area

- All black and blue is gone...what ever is left is a very light yellow....right side had most of the black and blue into the man parts....that side had the larger incision also

- occasional stiffness/ache in low back and SI area...probably from developed dysfunctions form over the years which are trying to work themselves out

- incisions are still puffy

OTHER:

I plan on getting an FMS screen once I feel stronger and less pain...plus I will use the CORE X system at some point when i feel ready to further strengthen

All I can say is If this was just a one sided repair to my original left sided injury Id probably be able to sprint at this point but the other (latest injured side) is holding me back at this point due to the large swell I have there which causes pain and tightness....hopefully it will stat going down soon

JCSportsman,

For 2.5 weeks, it seems to me you've made outstanding progress. All that steep walking and stairs...quite a tough challenge.

What are your thoughts about the idea that an occassional day off for rest can help consolidate gains?

Given the nature of your injury, I think you chose right by going to Dr. Meyers.

At this point I wont take a total day off...Dr Meyers just told me dont do too much of one thing but to keep plugging away.....so for instance If I do a lot of the pool walking/running on a certain day I wont walk as far or jog as much on my 1 mile walks for that day...but once I get into the gym stuff I do there will only be 3-4x a week since it will be more hardcore strengthening ...same with the Core X system.....probably only 3x a week for that

If the right side swelling is still bothersome after next week he did say I should go on the anti Inflam Indocin to help out...Id rather not but if needed I will....I know it Helped Albert get over the hump.

My most common symptoms are pain in groin, adductors and spermatic cord, all mainly on my left, but sometimes on my right, too.

At night I try to sleep mainly on my back and stomach because sleeping on either of my sides seems to make me worse.

For example if I fall asleep sleeping on my left side, then when I wake up, typically in the middle of the night to turn over, I have difficulty coming out of that left side position without pain. I have to roll out of it very, very slowly.

The right side is similar, but not as bad.

I'm wondering, who here at LetsRun, with surgery or without surgery, is able to sleep on their sides?

I'm thinking maybe the inguinal nerve is being compressed while I'm sleeping maybe? Just don't know.

Thanks.

Seriously surf, I need to ask you a question.

Is it you that are scaring this young boy who are gonna get surgery? It seems like he did it anyway.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=114645711

Meyers insists that you work through any discomfort within reason. I do not think you can consolidate gains. It is a unique recovery I must say. Whenever I try something new and push it I get the RA soreness the next day....go back at it.....slightly less inflammation.....by 3rd or 4th day body has adapted to that activity. It is tough on the mind to know your body will have that reaction and not get alarmed.

I just had it again recently for:

1) Full Planks (not on elbows)

2) Weightlifting

3) Cable pulls with ab/TVA Isolation

4) Rotating stairmaster (one with the rolling staircase...the reason this one makes me tender because I am forced to lift my entire leg up each step)..

** but Meyers says to soldier on....

It is amazing how strong i have gotten in terms of function.

The only thing I am lacking is a great stretching routine. I seem to be very tight from ankles to knees....

I am very nervous of more tears. So it was suggested i try AIS (Active Isolated Stretching)....My friend swears by it and many athletes/dancers do also.

Here is the link to where I am going this Thursday. I think this is the last piece of my puzzle.

http://www.whartonperformance.com/index.html

Here is the inventor of the system and his site. The Whartons trained under Aaron Mattes

http://www.stretchingusa.com/

Surf-

I am not a doctor, but it seems like your pelvic compartment is going through what myself and JC's did. It is starting to unwind a bit. What you are experiencing in laymans terms (according to Meyers) is a compensatory situation. He told me the anaology of an old dresser drawer is suffice. When you have no stability on one side when you lay on it during the nite it will get so sore you will have to turn over and lay on the other side and so on...

I did this for 2 of the 4.5 years. I still have a phobia of side sleeping but i do it. If you have an RA tear you have nothing to anchor that side of he pelvis.

To me this says this is no joke anymore and surfboard therapy has to be shelved. You need to get looked at before you unwind totally and start to effect your hips. You are older so you probably already have some age appropriate hip degeneration.

I would pay the $250 and see Meyers ASAP. Then you can put together a plan of attack. Or go on E-Surance and get Anthem/BC/BS and pay the premium for 2 months and then see him.

I was lucky. Unbeknownst to be I had just switched from Aetna to BC/BS a few months before i even heard of Meyers.

I think my out of pocket is only going to be about $1500....well maybe a bit more for the deductible.

Make plans now surf....You have crossed the threshold i think of being able to heal on your own....

Rick,

Yes. Others say go for it. I'm urging prudence for such an important decision.

By the way, Rick, how old are you? Where from in Europe?