Sore groin muscle

[Sandy]

Hi,
After a relatively long break from flexibility strengthening exercises, I did one in class the other day where we line up against the wall with our legs outstretched and my instructor comes around and gently pushes our feet down so we look like we're almost doing the splits. It was all fine and dandy until a short while afterwards where I felt really sore in my upper inner left thigh.(I'm assuming in the groin muscle)

Does anyone else get this and if so have any suggestions on how to deal with the pain and avoid pulling this muscle in the future?

 

[Blindside]

Static stretching should only be done after your muscles are warmed up, were you warmed up?

And the other basic lesson is don't push it, you don't need to be able to do the splits to do martial arts, and if tear something that will take away time from your training.

Lamont

 

[BrandiJo]

lots of streaches.... before light streaches afterwards more difficult streaches but just streach lots and it should help. But as said above the spits shouldnt be a req so dont push it

 

[exile]

Hi,
After a relatively long break from flexibility strengthening exercises, I did one in class the other day where we line up against the wall with our legs outstretched and my instructor comes around and gently pushes our feet down so we look like we're almost doing the splits. It was all fine and dandy until a short while afterwards where I felt really sore in my upper inner left thigh.(I'm assuming in the groin muscle)

Does anyone else get this and if so have any suggestions on how to deal with the pain and avoid pulling this muscle in the future?

Sandy—when I had been doing TKD for around four months, we were doing a floor exercise—just basic front stance movements up the length of the (very long) floor, and as I stepped forward with my left leg I felt something go very wrong. We were well stretched and everything... but it made no difference. I had a sore groin muscle for around four months after that, and even now, many years later, I still get... twinges in that muscle. Little reminders to be extra careful. The thing is, I hadn't actually done anything extreme, or anything period—just a simple movement into a front stance, not extreme, extra deep or anything... it was just one of those things. Your case might be the same. That muscle is very chancey—I've compared notes with other TKDists/karateka and my impression is, this is a very common site for a mild muscle strain.

From my own experience and what others have told me, my conclusion is, (i) you just have to be cautious till the condition repairs itself, and (ii) stretching isn't necessarily a cure-all or sure-fire preventive. In my case, I suspect I had put my foot down at a slightly wrong angle and transfered weight to it with slightly wrong timing... and that's all it takes. Just treat that muscle cautiously in future and you should be OK.

 

[Logan]

You are likely sore because you do not have sufficient strength in your inner thighs. Partner stretching can be dangerous because there is the tendency to push to a greater stretch than you're ready for. If your muscle isn't conditioned, there is a much greater chance for injury.