If you’re an athlete who plays sports involving running, kicking, or quickly changing directions, you’ve likely experienced adductor tendonitis at some point. This overuse injury causes pain and inflammation in the tendons that attach the adductor muscles in the inner thigh to the pubic bone.
Adductor tendonitis can be quite draining, making it painful to walk, run, or even just spread your legs when sitting down. Home treatments like rest, ice, and stretching often provide minimal relief. Still, if you’ve been struggling with persistent groin pain from adductor tendonitis for a while now, you may want to consider the ancient practice of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) known as acupuncture.
Acupuncture restores power/mobility while lowering pain and inflammation in the adductor tendons, getting you back in the game faster.
What is adductor tendonitis?
The adductor muscle group located in the inner thigh plays a key role in pulling the legs together and providing stability during movements like kicking, turning, and decelerating. These muscles connect to the pubic bone via thick tendon attachments.
Adductor tendonitis occurs when repetitive stress or acute trauma causes tiny tears to form where these tendons attach to the pubic bone, leading to inflammation, pain, stiffness, and weakness in and around the groin area.
While overuse is the primary cause, adductor tendonitis can also develop from:
- Imbalances of muscles or tightness
- A sudden, forceful stretch to the inner thigh
- A straight hit to the groin area
- Improper training
- Poor warm-up before any activity
Symptoms of adductor tendonitis
If you have noticed any of the below symptoms, you likely have adductor tendonitis:
- Groin pain that worsens with activity
- Stiffness and decreased range of motion
- Tenderness when pressing on the pubic bone attachment
- Limping or altered walking pattern
- Twisting or giving way of the adductor muscles
The pain may start mild initially but it usually progresses if the aggravating activities continue. Pushing through the pain often increases muscle tearing and more severe, chronic tendonitis.
Adductor tendonitis is very common in athletes who play soccer, hockey, football, basketball, baseball, and any sport requiring repetitive sprinting, kicking, or quickly changing directions. However, anyone can develop this condition from overuse of the inner thigh muscles.
Acupuncture can relieve groin pain
One of the biggest concerns with adductor tendonitis is the intense, burning pain felt in the groin and inner thigh area with movement. For years, acupuncture has been shown to stimulate the release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers.
These endorphins bind to opioid receptors in the brain and spinal cord, blocking pain signals from reaching the brain. By reducing this pain signaling, acupuncture makes it easier for patients to initiate gentle movement and rehabilitation exercises.
Acupuncture reduces inflammation
When the adductor tendons become inflamed, this intensifies pain and delays healing. Acupuncture increases circulation to the injured area, flushing out inflammatory substances while bringing fresh nutrients and healing compounds.
This enhanced blood flow helps “cool down” inflamed tendons, taking pressure off the aggravated area. Reducing inflammation is a key step in breaking the cycle of repetitive tearing that leads to chronic adductor tendonitis.
Acupuncture relaxes and restores mobility and range of motion in the muscles
Groin injuries often lead to altered walking patterns as people try to avoid movements that provoke pain. Acupuncture relaxes and releases muscle tension not just in the adductors, but also in the surrounding areas like the lower back, hips, and opposite leg to the injury.
As the muscle tension starts to improve, you will regain normal mobility and range of motion in the legs and hips. This is crucial for restoring proper biomechanics and preventing future injuries.
Acupuncture assists with tendon healing & tissue repair
In addition to reducing pain and inflammation, acupuncture has also been shown to facilitate the regeneration of damaged tissues like tendons by stimulating the production of collagen, a key structural component while improving circulation to injured areas. Over multiple treatments, acupuncture sets the stage for the adductor tendons to fully recover their strength and flexibility after a bout of tendonitis.
Sometimes after adductor tendonitis, scar tissue and adhesions can form as the tendons attempt to heal from their micro-tears. This scar tissue limits the normal gliding motion of the tendons, setting the stage for future re-injury. Acupuncture helps prevent this by increasing circulation and breaking up areas of stagnation at the cellular level. With its ability to modulate the healing process, acupuncture ensures proper tendon repair without impingement.
Acupuncture boosts strength and function after injury
Once the initial pain and inflammation have subsided, acupuncture is often combined with rehabilitative strength training exercises to fully restore the adductor muscles and tendons. By improving circulation and reducing residual tension, acupuncture amplifies the effects of these exercises.
This comprehensive approach not only facilitates healing but enhances overall strength and function in a way that prevents future adductor tendon issues from developing, so you can safely return to your previous activity levels with confidence.
Acupuncture can prevent future injuries
Even after recovering from adductor tendonitis, muscle imbalances or faulty movement patterns may increase the risk of re-injury down the road. At Lycoming Orthopedic & Sports Acupuncture, our acupuncturists are highly skilled at uncovering these subtle dysfunctions through techniques like muscle monitoring and motion analysis.
Targeted acupuncture, along with customized corrective exercises, can re-establish proper muscular balance and alleviate any lingering weaknesses or asymmetries.
Acupuncture may help chronic groin issues
For some athletes, adductor tendonitis can become a chronic, recurring issue that doesn’t seem to fully resolve with standard treatment approaches. This is where acupuncture comes in – acupuncture provides an effective solution in these cases by disrupting the pain-inflammation cycle while restoring optimal tissue function.
So, if you remember to include consistent acupuncture treatments as part of an overall management plan, long-standing groin injuries have a chance to finally heal completely.
While recovery times can vary depending on the severity of the adductor tendonitis, you should experience noticeable pain relief and increased mobility within just a few acupuncture sessions with us. Our team will work closely with you to help you stick with the treatment plan, facilitating a full and lasting recovery.
Get in touch with us
Don’t let persistent groin pain from adductor tendonitis keep you on the sidelines. Relying solely on rest and medications often takes a long time to relieve this frustrating injury. But the good news is that acupuncture offers a comprehensive solution to break the cycle of inflammation and dysfunction.
The experienced practitioners at Lycoming Orthopedic & Sports Acupuncture have helped countless athletes overcome stubborn adductor issues and regain their peak performance capabilities. We’re ready to do the same for you.
Contact our office today to learn more about how acupuncture can treat your adductor tendonitis. The path to a full recovery is just an appointment away.
