What To Know About Groin Pain for Men

What To Know About Groin Pain for Men

What Is Groin Pain?

The groin is an area of the body that often has ambiguous interpretations, with “groin” sometimes being conflated with exterior genitalia. In fact, the groin covers the end of the abdomen to the beginning of the legs. Any pain in this area would be considered groin pain, and it should be noted that an injury in the groin will not necessarily cause pain in the testicle, and vice versa.

What Causes Groin Pain?

Groin pain can be caused by disease or injury, as with any bodily pain. The more common causes are hernias, pulled ligaments, muscles or tendons, injuring the hip joint, and sometimes a disease that affects the hip joint.

• A hernia occurs when part of the abdominal muscle weakens, and one’s internal organs begin to push through the gap that results from this weakness.
• Pulled muscles, etc, that cause groin pain are frequently associated with sports injuries.
• While sometimes referred to as a “sports hernia,” this is misleading, as it is not an actual hernia
• One point of confusion is that both a hernia and such pulled tendons, ligaments and muscles may present as testicular pain

While the above may be the most common, groin pain may result from other specific conditions that reveal themselves through groin pain. These include:

• Testicular torsion
• A tumor in a testicle
• Kidney stones
• Enlarged lymph glands
• Epididymitis
• Skin infections
• Testicle inflammation
• UTI (Urinary Tract Infection)
• Intestinal inflammation (large or small intestine)

When Should You Seek Medical Help for Your Groin Pain?

While many types of groin pain may heal on their own with rest and medication, one should keep an eye out for symptoms that may present further problems that require medical attention. Catching symptoms early is always a safe bet. 

If the pain can be described as burning, or is accompanied by a swollen scrotum, it is worth consulting a doctor. If the pain is going with no obvious cause, it is also reasonable to speak with your physician. Additionally, if there is blood in your urine, a change in the skin color or growth in size of a testicle, or the pain affects a single testicle for more than 60 minutes (especially if it was quickly onset) then you should also seek the help of a doctor.

What Tests and Treatments Might Help Groin Pain?

Some types of groin pain will rely on care at home, though the specifics depend entirely on the cause of the pain. Always take a doctor’s advice when dealing with groin pain. You can expect different tests depending on the type of pain, to help determine treatment, including:

• Ultrasound
• Urinalysis
• Blood tests

Each treatment will depend on the severity of the pain, the injury or the disease. Hernias are typically treated with surgery to alleviate the problem and the pain. In order to prevent further damage to such sensitive tissue and organs, it is always recommended to seek a doctor’s advice, especially with acute, ongoing and sudden groin pains.