Sports hernia has been increasingly described over the last 40 years and the successful diagnosis and treatment can be frustrating and elusive for both patient and physician.
The hallmark symptom for sports hernia is groin pain, specifically reproducible point pain. The differential diagnosis is extensive and includes pelvic stress fractures, pelvic avulsion fractures, osteomyelitis, referred pain from the hip and lower spine, and classic inguinal hernias.
It is now understood that the injuries that fall under the sports hernia umbrella term include tears in the transversalis fascia, external oblique aponeurosis, conjoined tendon, and inguinal ligament.
In addition, a dilated superficial inguinal ring without the protrusion of intraabdominal contents typically seen in a classic inguinal hernia has been described.
A variety of surgical approaches for sports hernia have been described with laparoscopic and tension-free procedures gaining increasing acceptance because of the high rate of success and more rapid return to vigorous activity.
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