Groin & Pelvic Pain

Definitely a sensitive topic to bring up for most people.  Unfortunately many people do not even mention they have issues in this area until after the massage (big No-No!) if they even mention it at all.  What can your massage therapist do?  If the groin pain has anything to do with muscle, tendon, or ligaments it can certainly help with bringing relief.  There may be other reasons for having groin pain such as hernia, kidney stones, bone injury or fracture.  Testicular pain and groin pain are actually different, but conditions started with testicular pain can spread into the groin region.  Examples of these may be testicular cancer, urinary tract infections, epididymitis (testicle inflammation), bursitis, and pinched nerves to name a few (which massage is contraindicated for).

Is the groin pain acute?  If so, you can wait and see if the body will recover (which it usually does).  Is your groin pain a chronic condition that just seems to not go away?  Then massage may be able to help if there isn't more serious conditions already diagnosed by a primary care physician.  Not sure when you should contact a physician?  If there is groin pain for no reason (no past injuries, etc.), burning pain, pain with swelling in the scrotum, or blood in your urine (which should be an instant docs visit as well).

So how can massage help with groin pain?  There are trigger points in the abdomen muscles that can send referred pain right down into the groin.  I would perform trigger point therapy over those areas; as well as myofascial release on the pelvic floor muscles.  What is the pelvic floor?  Its basically muscles that protect the pelvic floor organs, assists with urinary and fecal continence, and aids in sexual performance.  You can read more about pelvic floor HERE.  A lot of problems can come from the pelvic floor, which is why that would be worked on in a session for groin pain.  The iliopsoas muscles (the body's strongest hip flexors) which are deep in the abdominals can also cause groin pain.  Those muscles would get stretched and worked over as well.

The muscles above are a few of the muscles that can cause your groin pain.  Do any of these pain patterns seem familiar?  Then focused massage to these muscles might be what is needed.  Muscles of the inner thigh would also be worked over to ensure we have all our bases covered.  Proper draping would be utilized so that anyone receiving massage in this area will have adequate privacy.  In no circumstance will genitals be uncovered at anytime while working in these areas.

Is this something you may be suffering from?  Have you discussed this issue with your primary care doctor?  If you haven't had any success in relieving chronic groin pain issues maybe it's time to give massage a try.  I also notice that when clients come to me for groin pain, they also have hip or pelvic pain.  More often than not, athletes suffer from both when they come to my office. 

There are many points in the hip that can contribute to pelvic pain.  Some of the muscles in your low back and Glutes can refer to the front of the body affecting the groin area as well.  Performing massage in these areas of the hip can certainly help with low back and hip dysfunction.  Looking at the picture to the right, its amazing how many points in this particular area can cause pain.  Squeemish about getting your hips worked on?  No worries, your therapist can easily work over the sheet to get to these pesky problem areas.  Groin & pelvic pain can stick around for quite some time, so I would always suggest at least three or more sessions of massage to make a difference.  At the very most, I hope you would give massage a try to see if it makes a difference for you.  If you're ready to give it a shot, you can make an appointment at my office online right HERE.  I hope to help you with your pain relief!