A groin bruise is caused mostly by strain in specific called groin strain which is an injury or tear to any of the adductor muscles in the thigh, this strain can lead to bruising on inner thigh near groin These abductor muscles are present on the inner side of thigh.
Sudden movements typically trigger an acute groin strain leading to bruise, like kicking, twisting to change direction while running, or even jumping. Mostly athletes are at risk for this type of injury.
Groin strains with simple bruises aren’t usually serious, although sometimes a severe strain can take a long time to recover from. In this article I have tried to explain everything related to bruising on inner thigh near groin keep reading.
what you will read next :
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- What are the symptoms of bruising on inner thigh near groin?
- What are the possible causes of bruising on inner thigh near groin?
- How to diagnosis bruising on inner thigh near groin?
- What is the treatment for bruising on inner thigh near groin?
- What are the risk factors for bruising on inner thigh near groin?
- How can we Prevent bruising on inner thigh near groin?
- What the Recovery time for bruising on inner thigh near groin?
What are the symptoms of bruising on inner thigh near groin?
symptoms of a groin strain that causes groin bruise can range from mild to severe, depending on the severity of the injury. They can include following:
- Pain which is usually felt in the inner thigh, but can be located anywhere from the hip to the knee.
- Decreased strength or we can say weakness in the upper leg.
- Swelling.
- Bruising.
- Difficulty walking and in running without pain
- Snapping a sound at the time of injury
Less commonly there are few other causes which can lead to it they are mentioned below as follows :
What are the possible causes of bruising on inner thigh near groin?
- Groin strain
Most common and important cause of bruising on inner thigh near groin is this groin strain. Groin strain that leads to inner thigh bruise is most common among both the professional and recreational athletes. It’s typically caused by straining the adductor muscle while kicking, so it’s more common in the athlete’s dominant leg that is the one which is used the most . Groin strain can be caused by turning quickly while running, skating, jumping or by turning during other activity. Movements which require the abductor muscles to both lengthen and contract at the same time usually cause a groin strain leading to inner groin bruise as this puts stress on the muscle and can lead the muscle to overstretch or even tear. Although sports are usually the most common cause of it but a groin strain with inner groin bruise can also occur from following:
- Falling
- Lifting very heavy objects
- Other types of exercise like resistance training
- Overuse any of a muscle can lead to a long-term strain and bruise
Less commonly there are few other causes which can lead to it they are mentioned below as follows :
- Inguinal hernia
- Urological issues
- Other thigh related issues
- Testicular inflammation
- Bursitis
- Contusion
- Fractures in leg or hip
- Trauma
How to diagnose bruising on inner thigh near groin?
To diagnose what’s the cause for inner thigh bruise whether it’s a groin strain, the doctor will first want to know how did the injury happen and whether the circumstances indicate a groin strain or something else. Circumstances include the activity that a person was doing while the injury happened, present symptoms, and whether there was any similar injury in the past. Next, the concerned Doctor will do a physical examination which important to see if the bruise, which could involve stretching the adductor muscles to see if stretching is painful, as well as testing the range of motion of the leg that how does leg work are there any changes . Any pain felt during the physical exam will help the doctor to identify where your injury is located.
In addition to knowing the location of the strain, the doctor can also evaluate how serious the injury is.
There are three degrees of groin strains that can cause bruises in inner thigh area:
- Grade 1
A grade 1 groin strain happens when the muscle is stretched over and over or is torn, damaging up to 5 percent of the muscle fibers leading to pain. In this case one may be able to walk without pain, but running, jumping, kicking, or stretching can be painful.
- Grade 2
A grade 2 groin strain is a tear that damages a bulky percentage of the muscle fibers causing redness sometimes. This can be painful enough to make even walking difficult. Even to bring the thighs together It will be painful .
- Grade 3
Grade 3 groin strain is a tear which goes through most or all of the muscle or even tendon. This typically causes a sudden, severe pain at the same time when it happens. Using the injured muscle at all will be so painful like with a slight moment it can be painful. There’s mostly evident swelling and bruising in the thigh . Even one may be able to feel a gap in the muscle caused by injury when touched.
Could it be something else? Yes it can be. A groin strain can sometimes be confused with other problems due to it’s symptoms like with following conditions:
- a stress fracture it’s hairline break in the pubic bone or in femur.
- bursitis of the hip it’s the inflammation of the sac of fluid present in the hip joint.
- a hip sprain its the inflammation or injury to the tendons or muscles of the hip in the body.
Due to these reasons a doctor will often start with an X-ray and follow up with an MRI procedure to confirm the diagnosis and rule out other type of injuries
What is the treatment for bruising on inner thigh near groin?
Immediately after injury occurs, the goal of treatment for a groin strain is to reduce pain and swelling as much as possible. The first few days of treatment follow the following protocol for any type of muscle injury be it adductor or not :
- rest
- ice
- compression
- elevation
- nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs called as NSAIDs
Depending on the severity of the strain and injury, additional treatments may be needed to speed the healing process. These could include following:
- physical therapy
- Few massage therapies
- Sometimes heat and stretching
- electrotherapy
- If it’s grade 3 strain, surgery is the main option to repair the torn fibers, especially when the tendon is involved
What are the risk factors for bruising on inner thigh near groin?
The primary and most common risk factor for groin strain leading to bruising is playing a sport that involves kicking, running or turning suddenly while running, and jumping. Needing to change direction continuously and suddenly also is a risk factor.
The most common sports people to get groin strain with a bruise in thigh are soccer players and ice hockey players. But , athletes in many other sports can be at risk of it including people who play basketball, football, rugby, skating, tennis, and do martial arts.
Among the athletes who play these sports, an additional risk factor which can affect is how much they practice during offseason as well Athletes who do stop training during the offseason are more likely to lose muscle strength and flexibility as they’re not playing which puts them at more risk for injuries if they begin training without taking the time to build up their muscle strength and flexibility back.
Previous groin strain history is another risk factor, as the muscle is weakened from a previous injury can lead to more injuries in future.
How can we Prevent bruising on inner thigh near groin?
- One of the best ways to prevent groin strain is to avoid using the adductor muscle that much without proper training and preparation. Specifically if one plays a sport that’s likely to cause groin strain, it’s better to regularly stretch and strengthen your adductor muscles.
- Continue training throughout the year if possible even in off season as it will impact chances of getting a injury. As if a break is taken from training, work back up gradually to the former level of activity to avoid straining muscles
What the Recovery time for bruising on inner thigh near groin?
- Recovery time for a such injuries depends on the degree of the injury as we know. In general we can say , one can gauge the level of recovery by level of pain. As the adductor muscle is recovering, avoid activities as much as you can that involve or can lead to pain.
- Resume doing the activities slowly which will enable the muscle to heal fully and prevent one from developing a recurrent groin strain injury in the future .
- The length of time one needs to recover will also mostly depend on the level of fitness before the injury. There’s no definitive time frame as such since it’s different for every single individual. But ,as generally we can expect the person to rest several weeks before being able to return to full activities after a groin strain mostly.
Here’s an estimated recovery time depending on the grade of injury :
Grade 1: it can be two to three weeks
Grade 2: can be two to three months
Grade 3: can take four months or more