Groin pain

Diagnosis and treatment

Interview with Dr. R. Lorenz, published on 6th March, 2009 in the Nürnberger ZeitungOur practice specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of groin pain due to the many patients with so-called „groin problems“. Many people believe that a hernia is often the source of groin pain. In reality, however, there are many other illnesses that can lead to acute or chronic groin pain. The following common causes are, above all:

  1. Orthopedic causes
    • Degenerative diseases of the spinal column, especially in the upper lumbar spine area
    • Degerative diseases of the pelvis and of hip joints
    • FAI (femoro-acetabular impingement)
    • Pubic bone inflammation (osteitis pubis and symphysitis)
    • Adductor irritations (in inner thigh muscle group)
    • Tendon insertion irritations
    • Pelvic instabilities and deformities,
    • Pelvic tilt positions and shorter legs
  2. Surgical causes
    • Inguinal hernias as well as „soft strips“
    • Injuries/sprains of the muscles in the pelvic and in the groin area
  3. Urological causes
    • Bladder- and ureteral stones
    • Hydroceles and varicoceles
    • Testicular or epididymal inflammation and -tumors
  4. Gynecological causes
    • Fibroids in the uterus
    • Diseases of the fallopian tubes and ovaries
  5. Neurological/neurosurgical causes
    • Intervertebral disc diseases

The precise pain questionnaire can very often give clues to the cause of groin pain. The additional clinical investigation could very well continue to encircle the causes. Additionally, in selected cases, a variety of imaging techniques are used to further finetune the diagnosis. For this purpose, the x-ray examinations, scintigraphies, computed tomographies and magnetic resonance imagings also belong here apart from our permanent and personally performed ultrasound examination. All radiological examinations can be carried out at the Health Centre in Klosterstrasse on the same floor. Naturally, the treatment always comes down to the cause of the groin pain. Quite often surgery is not necessary. Many conservative treatment methods come rather into play here, such as medicinal treatment, special pain therapy, neural therapy, manual therapy, physiotherapy and osteopathy.

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