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Sports hernia

Posterior Inguinal Wall Weakness ‘Sports hernia’:

  • Usually male football players who have a long history of gradually worsening, poorly localised pain aggravated by activity, especially kicking

  • These patients are often classified as having ‘inguinal insufficiency’, ‘footballer’s hernia’, ‘sportsman’s hernia’ and ‘Gilmores Groin’

  • This diagnosis is controversial as to its existence. If a patient presents with groin pain , please see the section on adductor strain or tendonopathy

Pathology:

It is thought that dilation of the external inguinal ring may be caused by a number of different pathologies, including :

  • A tear in the transversalis or external oblique aponeurosis. This may be due to an increase in intrabdominal pressure in sport

  • A tear in the conjoined tendon. This may be due to intense sporting activity, particularly kicking which places an increased downward pressure on the conjoined tendon and muscle fatigue.

  • A separation of the inguinal ligament from the conjoined tendon

  • Tearing of the conjoined tendon from the pubic tubercle

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