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

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  • Surf
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    10 years ago 05/26/2009 8:42pm CDT
    re: Albert
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    Albert,

    I'm not sure the diagnosis will give me peace of mind. I've yet to see any person posting here who has had surgery and then a full year later says, "I'm doing great, no problems."

    Hopefully there are some people out there like that. But it would give me much more comfort to actually hear from some of them.

    That's still a major mystery here at this forum, it seems to me. I'm hoping that you, and Den, and Mello, and JCSportsman, and SH in SC, and soon Mike in Va, can all show fast, sustained recovery and take some of the mystery away.

    Surf
  • Surf
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    10 years ago 05/26/2009 8:45pm CDT
    re: Surf
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    And hockey player.

    Surf
  • Albert
    registered
    10 years ago 05/26/2009 8:56pm CDT
    re: Surf
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    Surf-

    I can tell you this. I will NOT be on this site a year from now. I would think that most people at the 1 yr mark have put the AP in the rear view mirror.

    My goal is this:

    Get pain free and tighten up the compartment.
    If i still have some pain look at my hip tears.

    Until then it is one day at a time.
  • Den
    10 years ago 05/27/2009 7:17am CDT
    re: Albert
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    Albert,

    Do you know that you have labral hip tears or are you just speculating that you might?
  • Surf
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    10 years ago 05/27/2009 7:49am CDT
    re: Den
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    Pushups for the core?

    Has anybody had any luck doing pushups as a way of strengthening the core?
  • Surf
    registered
    10 years ago 05/27/2009 8:04am CDT
    re: Den
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    Den,

    Dr. Hoadley's website, which I visited a month or two ago, stresses rehabilitation:


    All patients diagnosed with a sports hernia must complete a period of rest followed by 4-6 weeks of physical therapy. The majority of patients — if properly diagnosed — will have an excellent response to physical therapy and will not require sports hernia surgery.

    Physical therapy for sports hernia focuses on stretching the low abdominal and lower extremity muscles and tendons. In addition, strengthening of the core muscles is emphasized. Why? The mechanism or cause of the injury is due to an imbalance between muscles inserting on the pubic bone. Almost uniformly — the leg muscles are relatively more powerful than the core or torso muscles. Physical therapy helps to correct this imbalance.

    The ultimate goal of physical therapy for sports hernia is to have the athlete performing pain free at full tilt. If this final goal cannot be achieved with physical therapy and rehabilitation, then sports hernia surgery may be required.



    http://www.sportsherniasouth.com/Sports-Hernia-Surgery.html

    Den, that seems to make sense to me. I'm wondering, did they prescribe a particular set of PT exercises for you before-hand? What are the specific exercises they are talking about?

    Thanks.
  • rem
    registered
    10 years ago 05/27/2009 8:24am CDT
    re: Surf
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    I've read a few interesting things in the last few pages. I've gone through ultimately three ( or five depending on how you count it) SH repairs. Two things I was told by the surgeons that contradict what I've heard here are:

    1) don't use electrical stimulation on an SH.
    2) massage of a SH to break scar tissue is a terrible idea
  • Surf
    registered
    10 years ago 05/27/2009 8:31am CDT
    re: rem
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    rem,
    When did you first come down with sports hernia?
  • Mike in Denver
    10 years ago 05/27/2009 9:02am CDT
    re: Mike in Va
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    Mike in VA

    I sent Andrea from Dr. UM's office an email and she replied immdediately. She will be contacting me in about two weeks to set up a consulatation. Thanks.

    I haven't seen her range of fees on the board. I have only looked through about 18 of the pages though.

    Thanks again.
  • Albert
    registered
    10 years ago 05/27/2009 9:28am CDT
    re: Den
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    Here is what my MRI says:

    The visualized pelvic bones are unremarkable. No right or left avascular necrosis, fracture or significant hip joint effusion is identified. Mild age-appropriate degenerative changes are identified at both hip joints with bilateral anterior acetabular labral tears.

    Here is what Meyers said as he was not convinced these were pain generators but would rule them out during surgery.

    "I did review the patients MRI as well as speak with the reading radiologist. I'm not sure if he has a small little labral tear on his MRI but he clearly has a large right rectus tear and we can see this well on the MRI.

    Diagnosis: Right AP with and adductor component, ?hip problem

    After the surgery he made it a point to tell me the hip waa not involved. How he came to that conclusion i do not know. I will ask him when i speak to him at week 4.

    Who knows what came first the chicken or the egg, however I was told that many athletes in their 40's have labral tears.
  • Mike in Va
    10 years ago 05/27/2009 9:40am CDT
    re: Mike in Denver
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    Mike in Denver,

    This is for my left side only. Conversion from Euro's was done about a month ago.


    Surgery - $6,070.16
    Residence Stay (2 nights for 2 people, w/ food) - $615.72
    Car Service (from airport to office, starnburg)- $296.00
    Medicine - $83.00
    Total - $7,064.88

    Mike in Va.
  • rem
    registered
    10 years ago 05/27/2009 10:09am CDT
    re: Surf
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    The first issue I had was in 2001, a General Surgeon fixed what he called "a hernia with no visible bulge" with a patch. He could feel something, but there was no bulge.
  • Mike in Denver
    10 years ago 05/27/2009 10:30am CDT
    re: Mike in Va
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    Thanks Mike.

    Will insurance pay for any of this? Not the travel and residence, but the surgery and medicine?

    Thanks again.
  • Mike in Va
    10 years ago 05/27/2009 10:35am CDT
    re: Mike in Denver
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    Mike in Denver,

    In my case after exhaustive battles, not a dime. I'm paying 100% as is most of us on this board for any doctor we go see. I have Aetna.

    Mike in Va
  • MeLLoDraMa
    registered
    10 years ago 05/27/2009 10:42am CDT
    re: Surf
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    Surf wrote:

    Den,

    Dr. Hoadley's website, which I visited a month or two ago, stresses rehabilitation:


    All patients diagnosed with a sports hernia must complete a period of rest followed by 4-6 weeks of physical therapy. The majority of patients — if properly diagnosed — will have an excellent response to physical therapy and will not require sports hernia surgery.

    Physical therapy for sports hernia focuses on stretching the low abdominal and lower extremity muscles and tendons. In addition, strengthening of the core muscles is emphasized. Why? The mechanism or cause of the injury is due to an imbalance between muscles inserting on the pubic bone. Almost uniformly — the leg muscles are relatively more powerful than the core or torso muscles. Physical therapy helps to correct this imbalance.

    The ultimate goal of physical therapy for sports hernia is to have the athlete performing pain free at full tilt. If this final goal cannot be achieved with physical therapy and rehabilitation, then sports hernia surgery may be required.



    http://www.sportsherniasouth.com/Sports-Hernia-Surgery.html

    Den, that seems to make sense to me. I'm wondering, did they prescribe a particular set of PT exercises for you before-hand? What are the specific exercises they are talking about?

    Thanks.


    I'm not sure if his theory is valid for most athletes who are 99.9% of the population who experience this injury. If I had a year to 18 months to devote to rehab, MAYBE this would work. Who wants to do that? Forking out a few grand sucks, but me playing soccer and basketball several times weekly is priceless. I figured this out over the last year when due to this injury I was sidelined resting, medicating and rehabing on docs orders. The year of rest and rehab didn't fix my problem, but 35 mins of surgery did. My $.02...
  • Mike in Denver
    10 years ago 05/27/2009 10:43am CDT
    re: Mike in Va
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    In some ways I feel better that I'm not the only one paying for diagnosis so far out of pocket. But, after reading so many peoples battles with this injury, it is very disheartening.

    One thing about my malady that I have noticed that maybe others have noticed. It doesn't really hurt to walk uphill, but going downhill hurts like crazy. Like someone is pulling your lower abs away from the bone. Is this something you or others have experienced?

    Thanks again.
  • Surf
    registered
    10 years ago 05/27/2009 10:43am CDT
    re: rem
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    rem,
    What happened then? What type of sport?
  • rem
    registered
    10 years ago 05/27/2009 10:50am CDT
    re: Surf
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    Hockey, skiing, cyclocross, lifting in the gym...you name it. I played all the above after the 2001 repair, then had what felt like a massive abdominal tear skiing in 2003 and a severe groin pull in 2006 and I had to essentially give them all up over the course of a few years.
  • Mike in Va
    10 years ago 05/27/2009 11:13am CDT
    re: Mike in Denver
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    Mike in Denver,

    I suspect you definitely have a SH. Here are some classic actions causing pain a lot of us have felt and now avoid.

    Racking Leaves
    Pushing Pulling a Lawn Mower
    Riding a Bike
    Walking in Water or Swimming
    Sitting in the car for long periods of time
    Getting in and out of the car/bed
    Any kind of jogging/running or lateral movements with sports
    Walking uphill or downhill (steep grades)
    Sitting for long periods of time at a computer
    Bending over and lifting objects over 20 lbs or moving boxes
    Kicking a soccer ball with the injured leg
    Maintaining balance on slippery surfaces like ice or on a slick floor in socks
    Situps
    Leg Flutters/Kicks while lying on the back

    All of these actions put substantial stress on the lower abdomen and pelvic region where the tear or bulge along the posterior wall of the groin canal is located (in my case). The resulting areas where you will feel pain after these movements include the lower abdomen, the adductors, nerve pain down the inside of the injured leg, and the testicles. Some of this pain is the actual tear and a lot of it is nerve pain caused by the compression of the groin canal where some of your main core nerves are located.

    Keep in mind that there are many different types of SH injuries, which is why diagnosis by one of the top doctors is essential before starting Rehab. Albert is a prime example of this. His knowledge in the diverse types of SH injuries through his diagnosis and surgery is a source of great information.

    In my case, the injury is limited to the tear on the lower abdomen along the groin canal. Dr Muschaweck diagnosed a 1.6cm (cherry sized) bulge/tear in this area via ultrasound on April 16th of this year. After her consultation I started rehab, but it never got better. As soon as I attempted one of the above mentioned movements, the pain always came back. The lower ab pain is pretty much persistent 24x7.

    Any PT you do should avoid stress to this core area and I think should be started only after seeing a doctor for a firm diagnosis. 90% of my PT that I have been doing for 6 weeks is done on my back lying down. Here are the exercises that I have done in order to help reduce the pain while awaiting surgery. These were acquired from Michael Boyle's site and Herniabible.com. These are the first 4 days of rehab. After 10 days I started to feel some relief from the harsh pain. I believe this is because I was able to tighten my lower abdomen and lift the bulge area just slightly off the nerves, but there was still pain..just reduced. I am continuing the routine until I leave for Munich in June.

    Links:

    Mike Boyle Explanation of SH and Rehab (2 articles)

    http://www.sbcoachescollege.com/articles/UnderstandingSportsHerniaI.html

    http://www.strengthcoach.com/public/1606.cfm

    Hernia Bible Exercises

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


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    1.6cm Bulge on Left Groin - Diagnosed April 16, 2009 by Dr. Ulrike Muschaweck in New Jersey

    Day 1 - April 17th, 2009
    Cook Hip Lift- single leg bridge holds - 3 Sets of 10 reps - no pain
Quadruped

    Hip Ext (McGill Bird Dogs) - 3 Sets of 10 reps - no pain (back and arm suspension only, no legs)
    
Side Bridge- short lever - 2 Sets of 10 reps - no pain

    
Supine or Side Lying Adduction- 2 Sets of 10 reps - no pain

    Bodyweight Squats- - 2 Sets of 10 reps - no pain


    Reaching 1 leg Straight leg deadlift - 2 Sets of 10 reps - no pain

    25 Minute Walk - after core exercises - no pain on walk
    Stretch afterwards


    Day 2 - April 18th, 2009
    Pillow Squeeze using a Tennis Ball - 3 x 10
    Cook Hip Lift- single leg bridge holds - 2 Sets of 10 reps (5 sec holds) - no pain

    Laying on Back - arms above head (move opposite feet and hands up and down while moving abs side to side to stretch the core) - no pain


    Quadruped Hip Ext (McGill Bird Dogs) - 3 Sets of 10 reps - no pain (back and arm suspension and legs, but not arms and legs together, legs alone) - no pain

    Hamstring Stretch using jump rope (2 x 10) - no pain


    Side Bridge- short lever - 2 Sets of 5 reps (5 sec holds) - no pain - these are hard
Supine or Side Lying Adduction- 2 Sets of 10 reps - no pain - these feel great on my abductors - do them slow and methodical - don't let foot rest at bottom

    Bodyweight Squats - 2 Sets of 10 reps - no pain
Reaching 1 leg Straight leg deadlift - 2 Sets of 10 reps - no pain - surprised I can do these with no pain - feel great

    25 Minute Walk - after core exercises - no pain on walk
    Stretch afterwards


    Day 3 - April 19th, 2009 (woke up feeling good, thought i'd have pain)
    Pillow Squeeze using a Tennis Ball - 3 x 10

    Shoulder Bridge - 3 x 10 (2sec holds)

    Hamstring Stretch using Jump Rope - 15 sec holds per leg x 3 - felt great - hamstrings are so tight!

    Knee Opener 3 x 10

    Hip Rolls 2 x 15

    Leg Lifts (hernia bible) 2 x 10

    McGill Bird Dogs (Abs and Arms, no legs today) 2 x 10

    Tummy Lifts on Stomach 1 x 30

    Body Weight Squats 3 x 10 (use mirror)

    Reaching 1 leg Straight leg deadlift with volleyball - 2 x10 (reaching to mirror)

    35 min walk - brisk pace

    Stretch afterwards
    20 mins of icing on bulge area


    Day 4 - April 20th, 2009
    Pillow Squeeze using a Tennis Ball - 3 x 10

    Shoulder Bridge - 3 x 10 (2sec holds)

    Hamstring Stretch using Jump Rope - 15 sec holds per leg x 3 - felt great

    Cook Hip Lift - 3 x 10 (3 sec holds)

    Hip Rolls 2 x 20

    Leg Lifts (hernia bible) 2 x 20

    McGill Bird Dogs (Abs and Arms, 2 x 5 with legs only) 3 x 10 - abs and arms

    Tummy Lifts on Stomach 1 x 30

    Side Bridge Short Lever - 2 x 10 (easier today, less shaking)

    Supine or Side Lying Adduction- 2 Sets of 10 reps - no pain

    Body Weight Squats 3 x 10 (use mirror)

    Reaching 1 leg Straight leg deadlift with volleyball - 2 x10 (reaching to mirror)

    35 min walk - brisk pace
    Stretch afterwards
    20 mins of icing on bulge area
  • Surf
    registered
    10 years ago 05/27/2009 11:22am CDT
    re: rem
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    rem,
    How long to get back to sports after the skiing injury?