Sports Hernia – Football

Sports Hernias: The Journey from Diagnosis to Treatment and Recovery

Published November 15, 2018 By William Brown, MD

Sports Hernias Are Often Misdiagnosed

Did you know that there’s a type of hernia that is specific to athletes and active people? Athletic pubalgia, more commonly known as a sports hernia, can be caused by the repetitive turning, twisting, and fast movements that come with tennis, basketball, wrestling, football, hockey, soccer, and even simple running. It develops when a tendon, a muscle, or a ligament is ripped.

If you’ve never heard of a sports hernia, you’re not alone. Many people haven’t, and it’s actually often misdiagnosed as a pulled muscle, a torn ligament, hypertension, a sprain, or even old age. But even though they are often misdiagnosed, sports hernias are common—and serious.

The pain that comes with one can affect the lower abdomen, groin, thigh, and the testicles, and it can make playing sports and engaging in activities very difficult. You may be able to feel it when you…

Weight Lifting & Sports Hernias

Published December 12, 2016 By William Brown, MD

Everyone’s Lifting Weights These Days. Is It Also Causing Sports Hernias?

weight lifting and sports hernia prevention

What do all of our favorite pro athletes have in common these days? Endorsement deals? Cool gear? More than that – today’s top athletes are better, stronger and faster. And they’re using weightlifting to get there. The professional football players that we watch on Sundays spend many hours in the gym during the week. The middle-aged woman’s general practitioner is telling her to use weights to retain muscle tone and ward off weight gain. The elderly in assisted living facilities are lifting dumb bells in group classes.

But most of us are not doing endless squats and deadlifts. Instead, we’re helping a friend move a heavy couch down a few too many flights of stairs. We’re carrying heavy bags. We’re pushing ourselves to move something that’s just too heavy. And, unlike professional athletes, we don’t have experienced trainers to…