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About 9 months ago I noticed a pain in my lower abdomen whenever I was doing sit ups. It felt similar to the hernia I had the year before, but since there was nothing bulging through, the doctors suggested that it was a groin pull.

I pretty much ignored it and went about my routine of working out, running, and playing basketball. Of course none of that helped and it gradually got worse. Instead of just being in my lower abdomen, I also feel it in my groin and sometimes back further toward my butt.

I stopped working out about 3 months ago and started doing physical therapy (with a physical therapist, not just doing it myself). We do all sorts of stretches and some light strength training.

I have only been doing it for about 6 weeks (which is how long the doctor suggested I should do it), but at this point it hasn't helped at all. I do the training I was told to do at home and meet with them twice a week, but the pain hasn't improved.

The therapist said that the doctor might want to do a plasma-rich blood injection. In theory, that should stimulate healing in my groin. From what I have read, it is kind of up in the air whether or not that is a real solution or if it is just a theory being put in to practice.

Has anyone had a plasma injection before? Did it help? Is there anything else I should be doing to fix this problem? What should I expect from the doctor if PT hasnt helped? This has really been causing me a lot of problems and I don't feel like im any closer to fixing it.

bsayegh
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  • Just out of curiosity: did your condition improve since last year? Athletic pubalgia and other abdominal conditions are notoriously difficult to diagnose/treat. – BKE Jul 17 '15 at 13:22
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    It isn't perfect but it has improved. I did PT for a total of 4 months and it did get to a point where the pain wasn't as bad, but I still couldn't run or do lunges. I started going to the gym and doing light leg workouts. Squats with a little weight, leg press, things like that. While it never got totally better and it still hurts to run, I can play basketball without it bothering me that much. I think the key was the exercise. It also helps to get VERY warmed up before doing any athletic activities. Still cant run or do lunges, but a big step. – bsayegh Jul 17 '15 at 17:53
  • Glad to hear, and good luck. I am suffering from such symptoms, too, and I was surprised how much confusion there is among doctors and physios. Finding a good sports doctor and physio is key. If they have no specific experience in this area, or the treatment does not improve after a few weeks/months, move on. Also, getting the proper diagnosis is key, as it might happen that 5 doctors give 5 different diagnoses. So much depends on yourself managing this well. But never give up, because it is possible to heal completely. Unfortunately I can not be more specific, but I hope this helps. – BKE Jul 23 '15 at 22:18

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I can't give you medical advice - (not a doc), but I can give you some links to hopefully help answer some of your questions.

Here is some information on Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP). The treatment is relatively new so evidence for its outcomes is still being collected. For example, using PRP for elbow tendinitis (tennis elbow) has shown clinical significance, but other studies for other sites are equivocal or lack sufficient controls.

This article has some good information on groin pain and the athlete. It points out that there are a "number of potential differential diagnoses for athletes with chronic pain in the groin and lower abdominal region".

This article discusses therapy for adductor injuries and points out that "by the time patients are getting into the clinic to have something taking care of, they have had multiple strains of the same area"; and as far a treatment, "many of those protocols are at minimum 12 weeks duration to start to see changes within the tendon itself".

Other than that, I don't have any direct info for you and I've never had a plasma injection. If it were me I'd be sure to have an MRI to see what all was involved given that your pain is spreading.

Also, here are a couple of videos that you can run by your therapist. The first is with voodoo floss and addresses the soft tissue. (You mentioned exercise but no soft tissue or manual therapy work.) The second video is by Kelly Starrett, a physical therapist. It is more for gaining range than for treating an injury, but it does speak to the joint capsule as well as the soft tissue.

I realize this does not really answer your question, but hopefully it provides some help in gathering information. Good luck.

BackInShapeBuddy
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  • The voodoo floss video is interesting, but I don't know if it would work for me. My injury has been around for almost a year now. Had I done any of these things when I initially started feeling pain, they would have done wonders. I have thought of it being a Sports Hernia, but I have had a doctor tell me that it isn't even really thing. My current doctor believes that Sports Hernias are real, but they are too hard to diagnose. Thanks for the research! – bsayegh Aug 11 '14 at 13:22
  • You are welcome and good luck. – BackInShapeBuddy Aug 11 '14 at 19:32