Kieran Trippier is a well know talented footballer who plays for Tottenham Hotspur Football Club and for England. Unfortunately he sustained a groin strain on 10th November playing against Crystal Palace.
What is a groin strain?
A groin strain refers to injury to one or more of the muscles in the inner thigh. This group of muscles are known as the Adductors due to their role in providing hip adduction (movement of bringing the hip back in to the middle of the body from moving out to the side). The main muscles involved are the Adductor Longus, Magnus and Brevis, with additional help coming from muscles such as Gracilis and Pectineus.
A muscle strain refers to several muscle fibres being torn due to inability coping with the workload. Strains can be graded on a continuum from 1 to 3, whereby a grade 1 represents a very small number of muscle fibres being damaged and a grade 3 being a complete tear.
How do they occur?
This type of injury is common in football and often can result from inability to deal with the load of a single movement rather than repetition. Kicking, twisting, change of direction and jumping movements are the common culprits hence why they are often seen in football.
How long do they generally take to heal?
Rehab ranges from 2/3 weeks to 8 weeks +. This is highly dependant on a number of factors:
- Injury severity
- Rehabilitation program adopted
- General day to day activities
- Any medical conditions that may slow down the process
- Level of healing required before activity can be re-introduced (for Trippier, it is important he can withstand the demands of elite football before going back and risking re-injury)
How would we treat a groin strain at Mike Varney Physiotherapy?
First, a comprehensive assessment must be performed to identify a few key things:
- Severity of the injury: covering strength, range of motion and pain levels
- Identifying key muscle’s damaged and how the treatment needs to be focused
- Any predisposing factors/weaknesses that increase the risk of injury
From this we can implement a pain management strategy which is also aimed at maintaining muscle mass, strength and range of motion whilst recovering. Thus, giving the player/patient the optimal recovery.
Hands on treatment can include manual therapy, massage, electrotherapy, acupuncture and an individualised rehabilitation program can be provided, with education on what’s happening with the injury. We can also carry out regular testing with recognised outcome measures to assess how the recovery is going and whether the player is ready to progress.
If you are struggling with a groin strain call on 01279 414 959 to book an appointment today!
NOV
2018