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

Hey, I new to this forum. I was curious what your experiences is with surgeries in the u.s. and in europe. I have had some sort groin problem for about 17 months from playing soccer. I saw a doctor 2 months ago in Cyprus, a island in the Mediterannean Sea, and he said I had adductor tendinopathy and the ultrasound doctor saw problems with my adductor brevis and my pectineous muscles. No here in Louisville, KY could diagnose me or get me better. I am wanting to go back to Cyprus, or maybe Germany..., if they can't get me any better now that I have given my doctors here a diagnosis. The doctor here has mentioned getting proloterapy if the iontophoresis I m doing doesn't work. Can you give me any information about these treatments and surgery. I don't know if what I have has the same solutions, but I am trying to get some information because I don't trust the people here, since they show no experience with chronic groin problems.

Before considering any surgery try and find a doc that dosent use patches or mesh. This is no easy thing to do nowdays. Most surgeons in the US use mesh to save time. There have been all sorts of problems in the last few years. some pretty straightforward surgeries are becoming nightmares.Mesh is disintegrating and becoming infected and peoples bodies are rejecting it. Doctors aren't doing anything malicious but the materials they are using aren't proven longterm and there have been counterfeit meshes sold by reputable suppliers.Check out this link of some real horror stories of mesh gone bad.

http://www.topix.com/forum/health/hernia/TE4DF83JKBNACOFNO/p8

I just went to munich and had the bi lateral sports hernia operation with Dr. M. Just wondering if anyone else went to her and how long it took for the swelling nder the incision to go flat. It looks like she implanted hotdogs under my scars still.

My repair is six weeks old. The swelling was mostly gone by four weeks. Mine was more like a thumb buried in me.

Check out this great interview with Michael Owen the day after his surgeries at Muschawecks in Munich.

http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/3009_owen.shtml

Here is my alternative thoughts on many of the questions, symptoms, and treatments not working to correct or "heal" this injury.

It is very similar to the mystery of piriformis...

The bottom-line is this: this injury is most likely tension induced pain...yes it is real physical pain but the bio-chemical process igniting the pain is oxygen deprivation to nerve and muscle tissue in these areas....it is no differnt than piriformis, sciatica, lower back pain, back spasms, and many cases of itbs and knee pain.

Many of you have read my post before regarding tension induced pain or tms, tension myositis syndrome....If you have been challenged with any of these type of pain injuries and are not healing then you are not treating the "real" cause.

And if your expert docs are offering diff opionions of how this mysterious injury is working within your body but you are still in pain...and if you have had one of these injuries and it was "fixed" but now you have a new mysterious injury like the abovve mentioned...then you need to consider that the real cause is the

inner tension you are creating in your body that causes this type of chronic pain. Most of you will not agree with the suggestion that you must stop all of these physical treatments that are not working for you....but if you want to end the pain you need to do that...most of you will say "nonsense" to the idea that this is "stress" inner tension related....but if you will do a little research and read about a lot of the cases that are discussed on my runningpain web site you may find that they are very similiar to your experiences.

I'm not posting this to suggest that all of your injuries are tension related, but

I am quite familiar with the groin/lower abdominal pain that was identical to my piriformis and sciatica pain...and all of these were successfully healed by addressing the "inner stress" issues that were the ultimate casue.

Monte Hueftle

I think that most sports injuries can be traced back to a slight weaknesses or injury that has been ignored. This leads to tight and weak muscles that after time cause bad alignment and injury. The body can adapt for a while , posture may only be slightly affected but eventually a stress comes along that is too much and something stretches or tears.

I rode a bike for 25 years . I never stretched at the time I wanted my body to adapt completely to the bike. I lifted weights all of the time. This lead to a forward tilted pelvis which resulted in tight hamstrings and tight calves. Looking back I could have probably avoided my injury if I had worked more on flexibility and posture .

My problems came from only a sore big toe. This eventually affected my inner calf , which put more stress on my adductor which finally tore. This put even more stress on all of my core muscles. My left adductor, left testicle and my left inguinal canal all hurt. Sometimes only one part would hurt then they would all hurt. I got at least five professional diagnoses which were wrong. I had fibromyalgia, chronic groin strain, labrum tear, obturator neuropathy, disc problems and Charcot-Marie-tooth syndrome. I eventually diagnosed myself with a sports hernia that turned out to be two separate inguinal hernias. Three MRI's, two CAT scans and two conventional ultrasounds found no hernias before I went to Germany.

Here is a site that has some good info on hernias,about surgery and some good exercises for avoiding injury. The sites author is against rushing into surgery and more into trying to fix oneself.

I am not sure I agree about waiting on surgery,I waited for 5 years , but there is some useful info. I do agree that a strong and balanced core is essential to managing and avoiding groin pain.

http://www.groin-hernia.com/herniabible/index.html

Try looking at an imbalance in the pelvic alignment. If the pelvis is misaligned in some way, stretch tension could be placed on any of its connections. The Sacro Iliac joint and the Symphysis Pubis are the two places that move with in pelvis. Any sciatica problems, lower back pain, gluteal pain, referred pain down the hastrings/leg are related to the SI joint moving in a direction it isn't intended to and eventually being held muscularly in such a position. Osteitis Pubis, these specific sports hernias and persistent abdominal pain are the result of the Symphysis not moving in the direction is it designed for, and having this repeated many times to get the chronic or long-term effect.

Pelvic Energy Technique is a Physiotherapy derived term for this re-balancing of the pelvis. A good Osteopath should be able to get the pelvis realigned and any therapy that is holistic should aid.

Just find someone who can re-balance your hips before the surgery option. If you are in Australia i can direct you to some people.

enter-the-zone@hotmail.com

There is a simple laser surgery technique that can be done. You will be out of season for 2-4 weeks, but usually you are good after that. An athlete I coached had the procedure done and 4 weeks later he was back on the track doing fall conditioning work. We are now 10 weeks into the first pahse and he is still feeling ok.

Some say that you can continue without the surgery, but I guess that depends on how good you want to be. We decided to get the operation because the worst situation would have been that it got worst during USA's or some other important race.

Let me know if you have other questions.

David

mikel

good luck with your surgery! i hope it gets you back in the lineup for some waves asap.

i actaully met with dr um the other day and had a long chat with her and her husband regarding the injury. from what i can tell, lingering pains are basically from two things: nerve irritation that has triggered the nervous system to be in chronic pain and/or scar tissue that entraps small nerve endings.

she injected some cortizone into a nerve on each side of me- the ilioinguinal nerve. my right side feels little pain and the left is somewhat better, but that is the side with the big scar tissue buildup.

the neural therapy i had twice (so far) before seeing her really helped out dramatically. i look forward to getting it again in a few weeks.

the injury can and will cause the imbalances we have all read about and posted on, and, of course, an imbalance already in existence can set one up for the fascial tearing that a sports hernia actually is. dr um has not dealt much with predisposition factors other than the collegen disorders but she (and he) are not dismissing the theories whatsoever.

so all these posts are great! combined, i think we have a book's worth of information.

i will post more later, my wrist is very sore which is why i am staying off computers for a bit.

but i am definitely almost there. lifted loads of firewood the past two days, and did some vigourous hiking...

oh yeah,

the ilioinguinal nerve (do some research to see where the nerve, when irritated, can cause pain) can be injured in the sh injury itself with some but not all patients. in those that tear oblique/ aponeurosis (spelling?) of the obliques can especially have this nerve irritated by scar tissue, etc...

that is what i am experiencing, in addition to the transverse fascial tear...perhaps some of you are as well.

Hi Johnny et al,

5 1/2 months post surgery (Meyers) and I believe I am officially good to go.

I played tennis last night (aggressively) for the first time in a LONG TIME and it felt great. No twinges, no pain, nada.

I really think I owe a lot to neural therapy...two sessions was enough to thoroughly break up old and new scar tissue, allowing "remodeling" to occur nearly pain free. I couldn't believe how good I felt while playing tennis, it was as if nothing had ever happened...and this tedious journey (2 years exactly) has seemingly concluded. Johnny - I know you're an advocate as you realized benefits from neural therapy too.

I can't stress enough, however, the importance of resistance training. Whether it's weights, tubing, therabands, pilates, yoga or whatever...don't attempt exercise without first developing a strong foundation. It's a lot of work, but your body will perform better. Just 2 months in the gym and I've notice a world of difference in strength and agility.

Please ask questions, as many as you'd like. We are all here to help you find the right approach for this crazy injury.

Here's to good health.

Joe

Just thought I'd chip in since I've been following this thread for a while. I'm a serious lindy hop and balboa dancer. Felt a pop in lower abdominals while dancing on August 7, 2007. Used to dance about 2 hours a day, 4-5 days a week.

Ceased all exercise/activity after that because of pain in the right abdominal/groin/testicle. Hard to get out of bed, walk, get out of car, etc. Haven't pushed it at all and my day job is mostly sitting, so it's been almost complete rest for almost two months.

No hernia upon palpatation. Been treating at home and at work conservatively with heat. NSAIDs for two weeks when pain was acute, now use Tylenol at work since I've read that NSAIDs can slow healing.

Started a course of PT. PT says I definitely have abdominal strain and strain (both grade 2 or grade 3) at the top of the right quadricep, but he's also concerned that I may have hip issues and a hernia as well - even though nothing on palpatation so far. Probably going to get ortho consult in about a month. Will keep you guys posted and offer some solidarity from the world of dance.

Hopefully, I won't need to go under the knife, but I suppose it's early days for this compared to some of you guys. About the only useful thing I can offer is a devotional to St. Jude or praying the St. Jude Novena - if anyone of you guys are into prayer. It's worked for me without fail in the past.

-dancer_gary

Joe,

That's great news, as it had seemed that your progress was slowing than almost anybody. I'll see Dr. Meyers again in two weeks, but based on what you told me, I don't see any way I can have surgery until late March-I have to finish a big job and then have a trip planned and I know that even if I try and take it easy I'll end up trying to lift more than I should. (Lifting anything moderately heavy away from my body is probably the most difficult thing for me at this pont-of course that's because I've already given up soccer and running.) Keep us posted. By the way-did you have the adductor release?

Jeff

Hi Jeff,

I didn't have the adductor release even though they have been pretty tight in the past. I think there are others here who've had it done, with success, but I'd rather just have a skilled chiropractor or rolfer get in there manually vs. a surgeon making incisions.

It really does sound like your quality of life is suffering; I am able to do things now that used to cause all sorts of pain, and for that I'm relieved and grateful I found a solution. So, the surgery might be the best option for you.

Good luck, Jeff, please let us know what Meyers says.

Joe

PS Everyone is different...you may bounce back much more quickly than me or you may need several months. Either way, it's surgery and you never know how recovery will go. I hope it's smooth for you, should you choose to have the procedure done.

Hello,

Just finished reading all 47 pages, reckon I know enough to perform the surgery on myself now, lol.

Here's my story.

I live in England and play a lot of soccer. About 4 years ago, I had the groin and lower abdominal pain. I saw every specialist I could, had MRI, ultrasound, herniagram, CT scan, all came up clear. I had a steroid injection into my pelvic bone, tried PT saw a chiropractor. All in all, I was out of action for 15 months, just when I was about to give up, I found out about Gilmore's groin/SH on the net. I went to see Jerry Gilmore in London, who did the "stick the finger where it hurts test" He diagnosed me with bilateral groin disruption. He prescribed 4 weeks of straight line runnning, jogging building up to sprinting and abductor stretching and strengthening exercises, up to 400 per day. If this did not help, the only hope would be surgery.

Well lo and behold after about 3 weeks, the pain entirely went without surgery, I have never been so happy in my life.

Since then I have played 3 full seasons of soccer, also done weight training, swimming, everything with no pain. Since the injury I have always worn Vulcan support shorts to protect the groin when I play.

Then, this August just as the new season was about to start, I woke up one morning with the same pain as I had before. I couldn't believe it. As I now believe I knew what the injury was, I have rested and last week, tried the straight line running, but as yet no joy.

I say Michael Owen was having the surgery in Munich so contacted the clinic, emailed my notes and have booked the surgery in for November.

This forum has been like a weight lifted off my mind as sometimes with this injury, you feel no-one believes you.

I would really appreciate some feedback and any advice, certainly with any pre and post op exercises that will help.

Also, I have the following questions :-

Having read the whole forum, I haven't seen anyone who has made a full recovery without surgery, yet I went 3 full years without a single twinge, can anyone shed any light on this or had a similar time with no pain before it came back.

I have read that your recovery post op will depend on how long you have had the injury, is it likely that I have had the injury for the full 4 years, or is there a chance this new pain is a new SH not related to 4 years ago.

I am both excited and scared about having surgery, but not playing football is actually very depressing and I worry, I'll never play again.

Thanks for listening

Mark

hey mark,

does sound like a sports hernia, sorry but at least you know where to go for treatment!! that means germany, only an hour flight for you luckily.

for those following my drama for their own sakes...

i was diagnosed (and manually treated) with an entrapped ilioinguinal nerve as well as entrapped femoral nerve, right off the corner of the pubic bone and adductor attachments. the next day i walked around boston for 8 hours while wearing a belt, which is awesome because i have been beltless due to pains up until last week, when it hurt only mildly to wear a belt.

the ilioinguinal nerve is what causes the pain in the perienum, scrotum, and testicle, aas well as other spots along the nerve's path. um's cortizone shots the other week helped, but the manual therapy i think kicked it out, i hope. i had been waiting for that appt for 8 months. docs would not have found it, and if they have, prolly would have offered surgery, which only would create more scar tissue.

j

All I want to do is play golf. It has been one month since my injury and yesterday I played for the second time. My solution is swing slower, maintain my balance, and wear a women's girdle. Abrupt movements still cause pain (like when I slipped getting out of a bunker). I think the girdle helps because my stomach is like a fifth appendage and when it moves away from my body (like swinging a golf club) I have pain. I won't be getting surgery for the time being. I will keep you informed. Just thot I would chime in on behalf of us "non-flat-bellies"

Steve

Michael Owen played soccer for Newcastle, 9 days after having surgery in Munich !! I hope I have the same recovery time.

I'm 3 weeks out of surgery and going back to work. I had bi lateral SH surgery from Dr. UM. I still have sore abs above where the incisions are Maybe strained when they were pulled out of the way for surgery. and also a random shooting pain from my belly button to the scar on the rigt side. Did anyone else that went to germany have these symptoms? If so for how long? how long before your swelling went down? any answers would be appreciated. Thank you