Sportsman's groin is frequently found in young men and (less frequently) women.
They suffer pain in the groin area particularly during physical action, e. g. carrying loads or specific movements, or shooting a football, hitting a golf ball or mounting a horse.

Most of these patients are not treated properly, because many physicians and even less skilled or experienced surgeons, do not know the facts about sportsman's groin.
Many of the patients are treated for “inflammation of tendons and muscles”, and – for some time – these treatments really work: anti-inflammatory drugs or cremes may kill the pain. They do not cure the problem.

Where does the pain come from and what is the sportsman's groin anatomically?
If operated on, in every case of sportsman's groin we can find a bulging of the thin wall of the groin, that consists of connective tissue (see also: “groin hernia- what is …”).
This bulge compresses a local sensitive nerve.

Since this bulging varies in intensity, depending on general physical action and some specific movements, the pain –caused by the compressed nerve – also varies.

This bulging of the wall is always and in every single case, a future rupture, and therefore a hole and a hernia.

Correct treatment of sportsman's groin
Since this is nothing else but an incipient hernia, only a (comparatively small) operation can cure it:
There is no way to avoid the complete rupture of the groin wall, once a bulging occurs.

We choose and practise two different methods of operation, that enable our patients to do any sport or heavy work after only three days .

It is important to do surgery before the nerve develops a chronic neuralgia, since in those patients the pain frequently occurs even after surgery and we have to choose special surgical “tricks” to avoid this.

Suitable methods of surgery
Depending on the individual case, the age of the patient, the kind of sports or physical action, etc. we choose either the LICHTENSTEIN-operation, or the SHOULDICE-operation for treatment.
Both operations are usually carried out in out-patients.

For further details please see the descriptions of the operations and FAQ!