nagging groin soreness

[bikesandcars]

I noticed a month ago when squatting I had a soreness / tenderness in my right groin. I don't know what I did to aggravate it, my previous lifting session I had no pain. I went lighter that day.

I stretched on my day off

the next session I lifted normal and the pain started around 95 lbs warmup and continued past 185 but didn't get worse between 185 and my working set that day of 225.

I've continued to use a lacrosse ball to loosen it up, I stretch it out with bands. I also do light exercises with bands to warm up and on off days. All of this helps, but it just won't go away.

I took 2 weeks off lifting due to life and it felt great, started squatting and there it was again.

It's impacting my squat form, comfort, confidence, but not so much the weight I can push. Any thoughts besides I'm getting older and getting older sucks? It's not a sharp pain, but it lets me know it's there.

[Will Morris]

I noticed a month ago when squatting I had a soreness / tenderness in my right groin. I don't know what I did to aggravate it, my previous lifting session I had no pain. I went lighter that day.

I stretched on my day off

the next session I lifted normal and the pain started around 95 lbs warmup and continued past 185 but didn't get worse between 185 and my working set that day of 225.

I've continued to use a lacrosse ball to loosen it up, I stretch it out with bands. I also do light exercises with bands to warm up and on off days. All of this helps, but it just won't go away.

I took 2 weeks off lifting due to life and it felt great, started squatting and there it was again.

It's impacting my squat form, comfort, confidence, but not so much the weight I can push. Any thoughts besides I'm getting older and getting older sucks? It's not a sharp pain, but it lets me know it's there.

I had really good success rehabbing a nagging groin injury by cutting my sets back to sets across of 2. Stretching is not likely to make it any better. Isometrics before and after your set might be of value, as that seems to inhibit the pain response fairly powerfully. When it got really bad, I worse a singly ply squat suit with the shoulder straps rolled down and I was able to squat very heavy for doubles without any pain. Two years later, I am nearing PR levels again, have virtually no pain, although it does still pop back up on occasion.

[bikesandcars]

I had really good success rehabbing a nagging groin injury by cutting my sets back to sets across of 2. Stretching is not likely to make it any better. Isometrics before and after your set might be of value, as that seems to inhibit the pain response fairly powerfully. When it got really bad, I worse a singly ply squat suit with the shoulder straps rolled down and I was able to squat very heavy for doubles without any pain. Two years later, I am nearing PR levels again, have virtually no pain, although it does still pop back up on occasion.

I concur on stretching.. the area felt really tight so I've tried rolling / release therapy and stretching. The stretching part seems to make it feel better during the day but it doesn't help the pain when under weight.

I should add. It doesn't hurt belt squatting. I feel it more when deadlifting. I really feel it when doing lunges.

It also bothers the hell out of me after sitting at my desk too long or in my car for a while, conversely walking and moving seem to help.

It's in the adductor area but not sure if it's muscle or tendon, the area feels tight.

Thanks, I'll try some lower reps and some belt squats to help recovery and get leg volume.

[Matt James]

Isometrics before and after your set might be of value, as that seems to inhibit the pain response fairly powerfully.

Will, if you have a minute, can you elaborate on this? Reason I ask, is I've had a similar experience with regard to isometrics helping to get through some ongoing hip abductor pain, especially including the isometrics as warmups to my squat work sets. (full story in this thread: Glute Medius pain/weakness

I don't want to derail this thread but I guess my question would be, are targeted isometrics something that can be applied more broadly for nagging soreness?

[Will Morris]

Will, if you have a minute, can you elaborate on this? Reason I ask, is I've had a similar experience with regard to isometrics helping to get through some ongoing hip abductor pain, especially including the isometrics as warmups to my squat work sets. (full story in this thread: Glute Medius pain/weakness

I don't want to derail this thread but I guess my question would be, are targeted isometrics something that can be applied more broadly for nagging soreness?

I'm aware of one small scale study that looked at isometric resistance training and patellar tendon pain in volleyball players. They measured cortical excitability and cortical inhibition, as well as Maximum Volitional Isometric Contraction strength pre and post bout of isometric resistance training. Small study size, as I believe it was 8 subjects or something like that, but measures showed a reduction in cortical inhibition that was very close to the improvement in pain for these subjects. They also increased their MVIC strength. It is definitive, but it is certainly better than a lot of physical therapy evidence out there. Especially when you consider this intervention was selected to "keep people in the game", so to speak.

[bikesandcars]

Good discussion on isometrics, I'll try that too. I"ll try to zero in on the range of motion that I feel the most pain in, then bring in some isometrics to cover those ranges. As this is injury prevention I will load the isometric slowly and smoothly until I either feel pain or am maxxed.

[bikesandcars]

To follow up: 1 month later my progress has been quite good, I'm squatting and deadlifting with no significant pain and seem to slowly be getting better every week.
my "rehab protocol" was basically this:
- Foam roll almost every morning concentrating on all leg muscles especially the adductors but including quads, hams, It-band / abductors, lower back)
- Stretching following foam rolling (I don't view this as rehab, but it doesn't seem to be a detriment)
- occasional adductor isometrics (not squat isometrics), lying on my back compressing my foam roller between my feet, raising off ground to vertical. At first this was very hard and slighly painful. The more I can do the better I keep feeling.
- occasional band exercise (put band across front of squat rack, do adductor work by taking a wide stance, putting foot inside band, and bringing feet together).
- Getting more movement including short runs or tire drags 2 x per week, more low speed cardio like 1.5 mile walks (with and without vest).

I took a major reset between the holidays and now and also tried some different programming but now I'm back doing NLP 2x per week with my buddy, we started light and so far so good.

[jbackos]

Stop stretching and foam rolling and all the other associated silly bullshit (quoting Rip). Flexibility is acquired by correct movement and strength relationships between the muscles during said movement. I’m going to be 59 next month and I haven’t stretched for years, yet my flexibility for the lifts is fine. I warmup with the empty bar until I can attain proper position. Sometimes it takes one set, sometimes more but I don’t go up until the movement is correct.

Also beware of single joint assistance work. I used to do it but have eliminated all single joint work, believing now that working a muscle on its own will probably fuck up the strength relationships between muscles involved in a movement. Strength training, OL, and powerlifting are NOT bodybuilding.

[Dust Devil]

"occasional adductor isometrics"

I solved some adductor pain by using the adductor machine at the gym. 3 x 10. Seems like that'd be a lot more effective than isometrics.

[bikesandcars]

"occasional adductor isometrics"

I solved some adductor pain by using the adductor machine at the gym. 3 x 10. Seems like that'd be a lot more effective than isometrics.

That's a great idea. Unfortunately I work out at home and don't have one of those. I think those are "girls machines" but would use one in a NY Minute if It would help rehab that issue faster.

The band work I was doing was similar (albeit standing not sitting).

I should clarify also: I want to give most credit to time (going by) and to de-loading and starting another linear progression making sure I'm squatting and deadlifting correctly. I feel better and better every session even though I've mostly stopped specific rehab, accessory work and specific stretching.