How to Treat a Pulled Groin
Strenuous activities, like exercise, may cause damage to your muscles especially if you don’t warm up correctly. A groin pull is also known as a muscle strain. This happens when the muscles of your inner thigh is torn or stretched too much. Here are some tips to treat a pulled groin.
Causes:
A pulled groin may happen because of various reasons. Some of them are as follows:
Wrong movements. When you don’t follow correct body techniques in performing your activities, there’s a big chance that you’ll strain your muscles.
Weak muscles. When you’re not strong enough, it’ll be hard for you to accomplish strenuous tasks without causing harm to your muscles.
Fatigue. Your muscles can only do a certain task for a certain period of time. Performing demanding tasks for long periods will put strain to your muscles.
Symptoms:
Pain
Inflammation
Stiffness
Bruises
Treatments:
Follow the R.I.C.E. Method when treating a pulled groin.
Rest is important to give time for your muscles to heal. Protect the affected area and be sure to immobilize it. Avoid rigorous activities.
Ice will soothe you muscles. Place ice packs over the affected area or have a slush bath for about 15 minutes. Do this for the first few hours and days after the injury. Ice packs will help lessen the inflammation and pain in the affected area.
Compress. Use an elastic wrap to compress the affected part. This will help lessen the swelling. Avoid wrapping the injured area too tight. If the pain or swelling worsens and the affected area becomes numb, loosen the elastic wrap.
Elevate. Raise the injured part to promote circulation and reduce inflammation. Do this at the level that your most comfortable with. Don’t try to raise the affected area to the point that it gives you more pain.
Heat. You may try to apply heat on the affected part when the inflammation has subsided.
Return to your normal activities slowly. After being at rest for a while, your muscles need to get used to your activities again. Slowly perform your tasks, taking great care of not overworking your muscles.
Medications:
You may take over the counter medicines like acetaminophen or any anti-inflammatory drugs. Be careful when choosing the drugs you’ll take. Take note of the medicine’s side effects and drug interactions. It’s better to consult a physician if you want to take medicines for your pulled groin.
A pulled groin can easily be prevented by warming up before performing any rigorous activity. Stretch your muscles correctly and follow correct body mechanics when doing your tasks. Like what most people say, prevention is better than cure.