ABSTRACT
Painful groin syndrome is generally considered the most frequent overuse syndrome in some athletic activities, e.g., soccer.78,79 The term groin pain, itself, clearly indicates the site and the principal symptom of the syndrome. However, neither the site nor the pain is precisely defined. When considering the location and anatomic structures affected by overuse, together with the locations and characteristics of pain, the location might be precise, but it could also be a case of diffuse vague pain in the groin region, small pelvis, and upper leg regions. The term syndrome is fully justified; indeed, the symptoms are numerous and so are the causes of pain in the groin region. Hence, it is not surprising that the modern medical literature abounds with terms defining pain in the groin region: necrotic osteitis pubis, anterior pelvic joint syndrome, traumatic pubic osteitis, Pierson syndrome, gracilis muscle syndrome, pubic stress symphysitis, pubic symphysis osteoarthropathy, symphysitis, pubic chondritis, and post-traumatic necrosis of the pubic bone.71,78 These terms and expressions have commonly been used to describe adductor tendinitis, rectus abdominis tendinitis, avulsion injuries of the adductor tendons, postoperative changes without infection in the symphysis region, and a number of arthrotic changes. According to Morelli and Smith61 groin injuries comprise 2 to 5% of all sports injuries, and adductor strains and osteitis pubis are the most common musculoskeletal causes of groin pain in athletes.
