Groin Strain Exercises

You can begin stretching your groin muscles right away. Stretch gently and avoid any sharp pain. If you have sharp pain while doing these exercises, you should not do them.

• Hip adductor stretch: Lie on your back. Bend your knees and put your feet flat on the floor. Gently spread your knees apart, stretching the muscles on the inside of your thighs. Hold the stretch for 15 to 30 seconds. Repeat 3 times.
• Hamstring stretch on wall: Lie on your back with your buttocks close to a doorway. Stretch your uninjured leg straight out in front of you on the floor through the doorway. Raise your injured leg and rest it against the wall next to the door frame. Keep your leg as straight as possible. You should feel a stretch in the back of your thigh. Hold this position for 15 to 30 seconds. Repeat 3 times.

You may do the next 2 exercises when the pain in the groin muscles decreases.

• Side-lying leg lift (cross over): Lie on your injured side with your top leg bent and your foot placed in front of the bottom leg. Keep your bottom leg straight. Raise your injured leg as far as you can and hold it for 5 seconds. Keep your hips still while you lift your leg. Hold this position for 5 seconds and then slowly lower your leg. Do 2 sets of 15.
• Straight leg raise: Lie on your back with your legs straight out in front of you. Bend the knee on your uninjured side and place the foot flat on the floor. Tighten the thigh muscle on your injured side and lift your leg about 8 inches off the floor. Keep your leg straight and your thigh muscle tight. Slowly lower your leg back down to the floor. Do 2 sets of 15.

Once it is easy to do the leg lifts, start strengthening your thigh muscles and groin muscles with the following elastic tubing exercises.

• Resisted hip flexion: Stand facing away from a door. Tie a loop in one end of a piece of elastic tubing and put it around the ankle on your injured side. Tie a knot in the other end of the tubing and shut the knot in the door near the floor. Tighten the front of your thigh muscle and bring the leg with the tubing forward, keeping your leg straight. Return to the starting position. Do 2 sets of 15.
• Resisted hip extension: Stand facing a door with elastic tubing tied around the ankle of your injured side. Knot the other end of the tubing and shut the knot in the door near the floor. Draw your abdomen in towards your spine and tighten your abdominal muscles. Pull the leg with the tubing straight back, keeping your leg straight. Make sure you do not lean forward. Return to the starting position. Do 2 sets of 15.
• Resisted hip abduction: Stand sideways near a door with your injured side further from the door. Tie elastic tubing around the ankle on your injured side. Knot the other end of the tubing and close the knot in the door near the floor. Pull the tubing out to the side, keeping your leg straight. Return to the starting position. Do 2 sets of 15. For more resistance, move farther away from the door.
• Resisted hip adduction: Stand sideways next to a door with your injured side closer to the door. Tie a loop in one end of the tubing and slip the loop around the ankle on your injured side. Make a knot in the other end of the tubing and close the knot in the door near the floor. Bring the leg with the tubing across your body sideways, crossing over your other leg and stretching the tubing. Return to the starting position. Do 2 sets of 15.