Gilmore’s groin: Treatment, symptoms, advice and help

About gilmore’s groin

Gilmore’s groin, also known by the name of ‘sports hernia’ is a complex condition, which has been recently recognized. It is characterized by a musculo-tendinous injury of the lower abdominal and pelvic region.

Gilmore’s groin: Incidence, age and sex

Gilmore’s groin is an uncommon condition, usually encountered in athletes. Young adults are more prone to this groin condition.

Signs and symptoms of gilmore’s groin: Diagnosis

Gilmore’s groin is a gradually progressive condition arising from the repeated overuse of the lower abdominal and pelvic muscles. It is characterised by increased stiffness of affected muscles after long periods of physical activities. This may later progress to pain in lower abdomen and groin which gets exacerbated on coughing, sneezing, running or kicking. Even sudden twisting or turning of body may cause intense pain in the affected individual.

The diagnosis of gilmore’s groin is quite difficult and requires excellent clinical acumen. It is advisable to consult a specialist for detailed physical examination and subsequent detection of this complex condition.

Causes and prevention of gilmore’s groin

Gilmore’s groin is a muscular injury affecting the area where abdominal muscles converge to form the inguinal ring. This is the groin region which is highly susceptible to chronic overuse injury in sports especially football, rugby, hockey and soccer. Preventive measures like using protective sports gear, while training and playing sports may be helpful in preventing such chronic injury.

Gilmore’s groin: Complications

The complications of Gilmore’s groin include persistent pain and discomfort in the groin area even after adequate treatment. This may prevent a sportsperson to continue playing his/her sport.

Gilmore’s groin: Treatment

It is advisable to consult a sports injury specialist for complete evaluation of the condition. Conservative management is the treatment of choice which includes strengthening exercises of pelvic muscles. This should be coupled with improvement in stability of pelvic musculature. Some individuals may not find any improvement with these conservative measures and may require surgical intervention.