MEDLINEplus Health Information: Return to home page   A service of the National Library of Medicine: Go to NLM home page
Search     Advanced Search    Site Map    About MEDLINEplus    Home
Health Topics: conditions, diseases and wellness Drug Information: generic and brand name drugs Dictionaries: spellings and definitions of medical terms Directories: doctors, dentists and hospitals Other Resources: organizations, libraries, publications, MEDLINE

Medical Encyclopedia

Disease     Injury     Nutrition     Poison     Special     Surgery     Symptoms     Tests

Lumbar vertebrae
 
Overview   Treatment   

Groin pain

Alternative names:

pain in the groin

Home care:

Home care depends on the cause. Follow your health care provider's recommendations.

  • For groin pain caused by a hernia, surgery may be recommended in some cases.
  • For groin pain caused by enlarged lymph glands, appropriate treatment will depend on the cause.
  • For groin pain caused by a kidney stone, medical management may be required if the stone does not pass without intervention.

Call your health care provider if:

  • there is any persistent and unexplained groin pain, particularly if it is a burning pain.
  • there is blood in the urine.

What to expect at your health care provider's office:

The medical history will be obtained and a physical examination performed.

Medical history questions documenting groin pain in detail may include:

  • Has there been any injury recently?
  • Has there been a change in activity, especially a recent strain, heavy lifting, or similar activity?
  • When did it develop?
  • Is it increasing?
  • Is it always present?
  • What other symptoms are also present? Is there a groin lump, pain in the groin, fever, swollen glands anywhere else in the body, blood in the urine, or other symptoms?

The physical examination will include examination of the groin area. A hidden hernia can be found by inserting one finger into the scrotal sac in men while asking the patient to cough. Coughing raises the pressure in the abdomen and pushes the loop of bowel into the hernia opening.

Diagnostic tests that may be performed include:

After seeing your health care provider:
If a diagnosis was made by your health care provider related to groin pain, you may want to note that diagnosis in your personal medical record.


Adam

The information provided herein should not be used for diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Copyright 2000 adam.com, Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.

Health Topics | Drug Information | Dictionaries | Directories | Other Resources