Abstract
INTRODUCTION
A groin pain is a common medical problem for recreational and professional athletes characterized by pain or discomfort in the inguinal or anterior pelvic region. 1 For athletes, groin pain is a significant injury, usually associated with major time-loss and sometimes career-ending injuries. 2 It should be considered as a symptom, not a disease, having various pathologies as a cause, it accounts for approximately 5–18% of all athletic injuries. 3 Currently, numerous terms have been used to explain the groin pain. In the 2014 Manchester Consensus Conference, the Doha 2014 agreement meeting, and the 2016 Italian Consensus Conference that, despite the publication of these three consensus statements, terminology in the literature is still difficult to make an adequate diagnosis and treatment.4–6
Nonsurgical interventions are the first-line recommendation for the treatment of groin pain. Among nonsurgical interventions a wide variety of interventions are included as: heat or deep friction massage, electrotherapy, muscle stretching,7–9 and acupuncture.10,11
Acupuncture treatment is highly effective in addressing groin pain and whether the discomfort is due to strains, overuse, or specific conditions, the acupuncture treatment provide a targeted and noninvasive approach to alleviate symptoms. 12
CASE PRESENTATION
A 32-year-old male bodybuilder presents with persistent pain in his right groin. The patient reports that the pain started 3 weeks ago after increasing his weight training intensity with squats and deadlifts. He explains the pain as dull and achy, localized to the right groin area, exacerbated by weightlifting and certain movements such as hip flexion and adduction. He has tried reducing his training intensity and incorporating rest but has not experienced significant relief pain. The patient has no significant past medical history. He denied any previous surgeries or chronic medical conditions. He does not take any regular medications and denies any recent changes in medication use. The patient is an avid bodybuilder and engages in rigorous training programmes 6 times per week. He follows a high-protein diet and take various nutritional supplements, such as whey protein. The patient denies fever, chills, or unintentional weight loss. Not found dysuria or any changes in urinary habits, no abdominal pain or changes in bowel habits, no numbness, tingling, or weakness in the lower extremities.
The acupoints are often selected based on patient ability to alleviate pain, reduce inflammation, and promote recovering, including SP10 (Xuehai), SP6 (Sanyinjiao), GB34 (Yanglingquan), SP12 (Chongmen), SP11 (Jimen), ST30 (Qichong), ST36 (Zusanli), and LR3 (Taichong). Needles were correctly inserted and manually stimulate until the deqi sensation was elicited. Sterile disposable 0.25 mm × 40 mm stainless-steel needles were used for the treatment. The needles stayed in place for 20 min. During retention, the patient was encouraged to relax comfortably.
EVALUATIONS
The primary outcome evaluation was the visual analog scale (VAS) for pain. It is graded from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst possible pain) and has proven its usefulness and clinical validity for the evaluation of pain.
TREATMENT OUTCOME
The patient underwent a total of 12 acupuncture sessions over a 6-week period. Significant improvement was noted after the third session, with the pain intensity reducing from 7/10 to 3/10 on the VAS. By the conclusion of the treatment sessions, the pain further decreased to 1/10, accompanied by marked improvement in mobility and training.
CONCLUSION
This report underscores acupuncture as a valuable and effective treatment option for groin pain, offering significant pain relief. Further research and larger scale studies are recommended to validate these findings and elucidate the mechanisms of acupuncture in groin pain management.
AUTHOR’s DISCLOSURE STATEMENT
No potential competing interest.