What Is a Core Muscle Injury? Information and Treatments

Did you know that between 65% to 90% of athletes can return to their activity after surgery for a sports hernia? Sometimes a core muscle injury or a “sports hernia” will tear or strain because of physical activity.

Keep reading to learn more about what is a core muscle injury and the treatment options that are available.

What Is a Core Muscle Injury?

Although a core muscle injury is sometimes called a sports hernia, it is not a hernia at all. It is actually an injury to the soft tissue in your lower belly or groin area. The reason it is not considered a hernia is because there is no bulge that you can see instead it is a tear or a strain.

Although a core muscle injury is not the most common athletic injury it is most common among athletes that are in twisting sports. Males are most commonly the ones that are affected by a core muscle injury.

Symptoms

Usually, one of the first signs of a sports hernia is an onset of aching pain in the lower abdomen area. You might feel groin pain, or if you are a male you might have pain in your testicle area.

If you run or bend forward you might feel the symptoms even more. In some cases, patients also have more pain when they sneeze or cough.

Treatments

When it comes to treatments there are a few options. Initially, a doctor might ask you to just take a break from physical activity and rest up hoping that the symptoms will go away on their own. They might also prescribe anti-inflammatory medications or apply ice treatments.

Sometimes they will also recommend physical therapy to try to strengthen the abdominal and pelvic muscles. You can click for more to see how doctors would rather treat this type of injury.

If any of these don’t work then they resort to surgery. If surgery is the best option then it can take around eight weeks to recover.

Prevention

It is always good to be informed on how you can prevent a sports hernia especially if you are consistently doing things that can cause it. Doing core strengthening exercises like yoga, crunches, pilates, and planks is a great way to make your core stronger and less susceptible to getting injured.

For athletes that are in contact sports that require a lot of quick twisting and quick pivoting then you have to be aware of staying light on your feet when you are playing and when you are practicing.

Feeling Like a Sports Hernia Pro?

Now that you know the ins and outs of a core muscle injury, you can make an informed decision about whether or not you need treatment. When you are talking to your physician if they believe that you do not have a sports hernia you might want to consider getting a second opinion. There are some doctors that do not believe that these injuries even exist.

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