Have you ever experienced groin pain after running?

If that’s the case, you’re not alone; here’s all you need to know.

Groin pain after running might make you hate your regular workouts.

Whether you feel the soreness during your run or after you’ve stopped, it’s something no runner likes to deal with.

Groin pain after running can be caused by a variety of factors, and unfortunately, it is a common complaint among runners.

If you’ve been experiencing groin pain after running, it’s crucial to know you’re not alone.

To assist you, we’ll go through the most prevalent causes of groin pain after running and how to treat groin pain if you’re presently suffering from this common running injury.

Why Does My Groin Hurt After Running?

A tear in a tendon, tissue, or ligament of the adductor muscles, which run down the upper inner thigh, is the most prevalent cause of groin pain after running.

The discomfort may occur suddenly or gradually build up over time.

The majority of groin pain difficulties in runners are not caused by a single event or catastrophic accident.

Both professional and amateur runners may feel groin pain after running at some point in their careers.

There are several causes for this, and most of the time, there is nothing you can do to prevent it from happening in the first place.

The following are some of the most prevalent causes of groin pain after running:

1. Undertraining

Not in terms of distance, but in terms of strength training.

A runner with healthy hip and gluteal muscles is believed to be a happy runner.

Running necessitates strength training.

We fail to stimulate or recruit our gluteal muscles much too often.

They are essential for maintaining appropriate running mechanics and increasing a runner’s efficiency.

2. Overtraining

Overtraining is a major concern for runners, and if you don’t give your body enough time to relax and recover, you may have groin pain after running.

Allow yourself days off each week to relax and recover to avoid overexerting your muscles and causing more soreness.

In runners, groin pain after running is frequently an indication of overuse or overtraining.

Usually as a result of raising your pace or distance too soon without first establishing a solid base.

This is why it’s critical that you spend 80 percent of your weekly running effort on easy days, with one to two days of heavy exertion.

3. Trail Running

Adductor strains are rather prevalent among trail runners or road runners who go on their first trail run.

This sort of injury is caused by utilizing muscles in a new way and should heal rapidly.

4. Weak Hip and Glute Muscles

Runners are renowned for failing to supplement their running with strength training, which leads to injury!

This produces hip and gluteal imbalances, which influence our gait.

Weak glutes cause your hips to pull your leg forward rather than push off from the forefoot.

Strength training is essential to include in your weekly training schedule; otherwise, you may develop weakness that leads to problems, such as groin pain after running or other problems.

5. Overstriding

Overstriding during speed training might result in groin pain after running.

Long strides are sometimes mistaken for faster pace by runners; however, they really slow you down and increase your risk of injury.

The extended leg is rigid and stiff, impairing the body’s capacity to absorb landing forces.

Excessive stride length during running might place undue pressure on the groin.

Movements that require you to extend and then tighten the muscle can cause groin pain after running, which can lead to a tear in this area over time.

6. Poor Recovery

Not allowing your muscles to recover after intense efforts is a typical error made by many runners, which results in fatigued and swollen muscles.

The recovery period is actually when the body strengthens and becomes more capable of handling the next massive load of exercise, whether it’s miles or weights.

The best-trained runners have a solid recovery strategy.

Recovery enables your heart, muscles, bones, and tendons to fully recuperate from your exercise efforts.

Overtraining will actually reduce your fitness level as well as your strength, endurance, and stamina.

Respect your body’s need for rest.

If you are a beginning or fairly intermediate runner, take at least one or two full days off every week.

7. Femoral Neck Stress Fractures

Stress fractures are caused when a bone is subjected to an excessive amount of weight or stress.

Stress fractures can occur in runners who attempt to raise their distance too soon.

Stress fractures of the foot and tibia are more prevalent than stress fractures of the femoral neck.

Femoral neck stress fractures, on the other hand, are significantly more concerning.

Women are more likely than males to suffer from femoral neck stress fractures.

They are especially frequent among extremely active, skinny women.

These women generally have irregular menstrual periods as well.

Many people have inadequate vitamin D levels, which may contribute to stress fractures.

Some fractures will recover with crutch walking, while others will necessitate the use of a few screws to keep the fracture together.

The majority of femoral neck stress fractures heal quickly.

After the fracture heals, most runners will be able to resume their active running careers within a few months.

8. Adductor Strain

The adductor muscles are connected to the pelvis and the inside of the thigh.

They function to support your leg in any side-to-side action.

Runners who generally run on the road may have hip pain after a tough trail run.

As a result, a change in your usual running route or pattern may cause some of the muscles around the hip to ache.

Many muscles in the groin and hip are stressed during trail runs or running on uneven terrain.

If you are not prepared, your adductor muscles will have to work harder than normal.

When you run on uneven ground or a trail with a large incline, your adductors have to work harder than usual.

Stretching and adductor training is essential for reducing the likelihood of them establishing groin pain after running.

While these are the most prevalent causes of groin pain after running, they can also be caused by straining your adductor muscle.

This is common in ball sports, but it may also happen when you jump or twist rapidly while running.

If you fall while running, you may experience groin pain after running as a result of the fall, either immediately or as a result of the fall.

Overuse of any muscle in your body can eventually result in pain or discomfort, which is how groin pain develops.

Common Symptoms of Groin Pain After Running?

Here are some of the potential symptoms of groin pain after running:

• Lower abdominal pain that extends into the upper and inner thighs.
• Men’s testicular pain.
• Perineal ache (the area in between the genitalia and the anus).
• Running or changing direction aggravates pain in the upper, and inner thigh.
• Sneezing, coughing, or activating the abs causes pain.
• Pain felt after running, particularly the next morning.

Is it ok to Run with Groin Pain?

Initially, groin pain after running appears to be minor and tolerable. Running through the pain, on the other hand, is probably not the ideal option. Continuing to run will simply cause further injury, which might put you out of action for weeks rather than days. If the pain lasts more than a few days, it’s important to address it as an injury.

How To Prevent Groin Pain After Running?

A runner with powerful hips and glutes is less likely to sustain an injury.

We frequently neglect to activate our glute muscles, which are essential for efficiency and appropriate gait.

Devoting some time to strength training will aid in the prevention of groin pain after running and other common running problems.

Preventative exercises don’t take much more time or effort, but they make a big impact in minimizing the probability of injury.

Here are a few of our best prevention tips for groin pain after running:

1. Perform A Proper Warm-Up

A warm-up is essential before going for a run.

Warming up your glutes and muscles for five to ten minutes before running might help you avoid injury or groin pain after running.

After your run, be sure to stretch your legs and body to avoid cramping.

2. Work on Improving Your Hip Strength

Groin pain after running is frequently caused by abnormalities in your hip flexors, buttocks, and pelvic muscles.

There are several exercises you can take to increase your strength in this region, and every dedicated runner should participate in regular strength training workouts to avoid injury.

Pelvic floor movements, glute bridges, and resistance band routines can all help you build hip strength.

Also, groin pain after running can also be caused by a restricted range of motion in your hip, so keep this in mind when exercising.

3. Consider Your Running Surface

If you are habitual of running on roads or on a treadmill, you should take precautions if you switch to trail running quickly.

Take things gently at first, especially if you’re exploring a new route, to prevent any unexpected curves or dips that might put extra strain on your joints and muscles and trigger groin pain after running.

4. Have a Good Amount of Rest

While we’d all like to exercise every day of the week, rest is critical for runners and other athletes.

If you are a beginning or intermediate runner, you should gradually increase your running frequency rather than pushing your body too hard too early on.

If you experience even the slightest soreness in this area, take a break or reduce your workout to prevent worsening the issue.

Given below are some more effective prevention tips for groin pain after running that will help you out:

• Warm-up and stretch properly, paying special attention to the lower abdominal and hip muscles.
• Have a biomechanical evaluation.  Have your muscle balance/imbalance examined, and then follow the workout prescription.
• Use self- and professional massage on a regular basis.
• Avoid ‘strange activities’ that include quick directional changes and elevated intra-abdominal pressures, such as playing football or tennis on occasion if you are not habituated to the pressures of these sports.
• Wear shoes that provide adequate support and fit properly.
• Always gradually raise the intensity of your physical activity — no more than a 10% increase every week.
• If you experience pain or tightness in your groin or the inside of your thigh, stop exercising.
• Do thigh muscle strengthening exercises on a regular basis, especially if you’ve experienced groin pain in the past.

How To Treat Groin Pain After Running?

If you’ve recently experienced groin pain after running, the best part is that there are treatments to address this problem both temporarily and permanently.

The intensity of your groin injury will determine how soon you recover and if you can walk or run again while experiencing groin pain after running.

If you detect groin pain after running, your first priority should be to lessen pain or swelling in the region.

Rest, ice, compression, and elevation are all standard muscle injury treatments.

Don’t ice this region for more than 20 minutes at a time, and give your groin area a 20-minute rest before resuming icing.

If you put ice directly on your groin, you risk damaging your skin.

If you are suffering from pain and are unable to rest or sleep due to the injury, you may need to think about taking anti-inflammatory medicine.

If your pain is extremely serious or you believe this is a long-term problem, we recommend you seek additional assistance.

Physical therapy, massage, stretching, and heat treatment can all help to relieve inflammation and avoid more problems in the long run.

With groin pain after running, the worst-case scenario is a surgical procedure to restore the torn fibers, so the quicker you can take preventative measures, the better.

However, this is not always necessary, and rest and good medical treatment from a physiotherapist or doctor can help.

Rest is essential for recovery from any injury, and you should attempt to take some time off when your ailment first starts to avoid it worsening.

If the groin pain after running does not go away after a few days, you should contact a doctor or a physical therapist.

In the long run, you’ll need to think about methods to prevent this problem from recurring, and these are topics that all runners should think about anyhow to stay fit and healthy for many coming years.

It is also worth noting that there are different workouts you may do to reduce groin pain after running.

However, if you have a severe groin injury, you should consult with a physical therapist before undertaking these exercises.

A hip adductor stretch must be held for 20 to 30 seconds while resting on the floor and lowering your bent leg to the ground.

The butterfly sit-ups and resistance band stretch can also aid with the relief of pain in this area.

At-Home Treatment Options

The following are some at-home treatments that may help with groin pain after running.

• Rest: Though it may be difficult for the most active among us, it is critical to rest the wounded region for at least 1-2 weeks until the soreness disappears.
• Pain relievers: Over-the-counter medications such as Tylenol and Advil are good for treating groin pain after running in the short term.
• Icepacks: When applied to the groin and thigh, icepacks are a simple and efficient technique to reduce pain.
• Heat: Some people may find that heating pads adjusted to a comfortable temperature are more beneficial than ice, while many others like to alternate between heat and ice.
• Support: For certain causes of groin pain after running, tight-fitting undergarments can be relaxing.
• Stretching: Stretching the affected region gently can aid with healing and should be done before every workout.

Professional Treatment Options

If at-home therapies are ineffective, ask your doctor about the following.

• Physical therapy: A specialist can provide more advanced techniques as well as target therapy to a specific location of the damage.
• X-rays: A doctor may ask for X-rays or other forms of scanning, such as CT or MRI, to determine the source of your groin pain after running.
• Steroid injections: If your pain is caused by inflammation in a joint or the surrounding region, steroids can help.
• Antibiotics: While antibiotics are not often used to treat groin pain after running, your doctor may prescribe them if a bacterial infection is detected.

Final Thoughts

Groin pain after running is something that no runner wants to encounter.

You may try to lessen the probability of this happening in the first place by following the recommendations provided above, and then address groin pain after running if you do detect this issue during your training sessions.

Runners have a variety of aches and pains throughout their life, and it’s an inescapable element of the sport.

However, by avoiding overtraining your body and allowing yourself adequate recovery, you can avoid similar concerns in the future while still enjoying your regular run.

FAQ’s

1. Will stretching help me to get relief from groin pain after running?