I am 31 years old, 5' 10" and 175 pounds. Last December, I experienced pain in
my right groin after doing situps. I halted exercise and the pain went away. In
February, I resumed my exercise program and the pain returned. My physician
diagnosed a hernia and recommended surgery. I also purchased a truss which
seemed to help with some of the sysmptoms. I then met with a surgeon who said
the hernia (if any) was minor and didn't require surgery. I was stumped for
solutions and decided to give it time.
Several months passed and the pain didn't go away. I stopped wearing the truss,
thinking it might be aggravating the problem (compression of nerves, etc.) I
visited a different physician who tried antibiotics (thinking it might be a
urinary tract infection) and anti-inflammatorys. Neither were effective. I also
met with a urologist to rule out groin cancers, etc. Lumbar X-rays and CT scan
were normal.
At its worst, the pain begins in my right groin and I feel numbness in my right
leg. I don't feel tingling or loss of sensation in that extremity. On two
occasions, I've lost feeling in that leg. These instances were not typical of it
going to sleep, it was as if the leg just wasn't there. I had much fun when I
tried to walk on it! Stretching seems to help this particular condition.
The groin pain also affects my right hip/rib area. It almost feels like someone
has dug a knuckle into my side. This sensation is persistent through the day and
is worse when sitting. Standing up or lying down alleviate much of the pain.
I am starting to feel similar groin discomfort on the left side, too. I have
been walking 3 miles, 4 times a week, and do stretching exercises daily. I plan
to roller blade soon to see if that helps.
Do you feel the original hernia diagnosis was correct? What else could be
causing these symptoms? My present physician is recommending a referral to a
neurologist for the leg issues. Any ideas would be appreciated.
Chuck, if you do not have a hernia, then a mechanical etiology might be an
isolated strain of your iliopsoas muscle. These are deep muscles which originate
on the transverse processes of the lumbar spine. As they make their way through
the pelvis, they pick up another head which originates oon the inside of the
ilium. As the two tendons exit the pelvis together, they insert into the hip. As
the define their path out of the pelvis, numerous nerves of the sacral plexus
are located in the viscinity. Might you have a nerve entrapment? Possibly,
another etiology might be a lumbar nreve root entrapment in the upper lumbar
region (L-1,2 & 3 refer pain into the groin and the anterior thigh). All of
these ideas need to be investigate
