Getting around a pulled groin muscle

CLynch309

I pulled a groin muscle while playing tennis last October and with the exception of walking the dogs up and down the hills of North L.A., haven't exercised since. Simply getting in and out of a car or sitting down and crossing my legs or an unexpected tug on the leash (75-pound dogs) can "tweak" that muscle and cause it to yell at me and remind me its not right. It seems to be healing, slowly, but it's obviously impacting my ability to exercise and lose weight.

Other than walking, anyone have any suggestions for an exercise I can do until it heals? Anyone know how long those suckers typically take to heal? Also - any suggestions for treatment? When it was at its worst, I was alternating heat and ice. No idea if that made any difference whatsoever, but either it made it hurt less or it made my head feel better because I felt like I was doing something rather than sitting around waiting for it to get better.

Nopedotjpeg

Mine might not be as bad as yours, but I have a pulled groin muscle as well that flares up now and then. I still do pretty much any exercise I did before, but I'll try to always stretch and include several groin stretches after my workouts. You might consider just doing these stretches a few times a day to begin with before you try working out at all.

jdjefferson

I don't know your situation, exactly, but I did have a lingering issue with a groin muscle about a year back. I have a high threshold for pain, so I just ran with the pain anyway. But what helped me was core exercises. This will strengthen the muscles and help to take some of the workload off the groin. I found stretching to be a waste of time (others swear by it--there's no evidence it works or doesn't)
I would recommend a visit to a PT--they will have better advice!

bahacca

I was also going to suggest making sure to stretch that muscle several times a day, if necessary. Swimming is the only thing I can think of that would probably not be very painful. Depending on how high up in the groin it is, you can try an exercise bike as well. Try both the seated kind and the more upright kind.

jdjefferson

I would just like to add that if the muscle is indeed still injured, you probably should not stretch it. You will only make it worse. If it's just sore or tight, stretching *may* provide some relief.