Groin pain during running: where does it come from?

What do we mean by groin complaints?

The groin forms the transition between your lower abdomen and upper leg. Various muscles, tendons, and joints come together in this area.

For athletes, the adductors are an important muscle group. These muscles are located on the inside of the thigh and help, among other things, to stabilize and move the leg inward.

While running, they help you keep your pelvis and legs under control with every stride. Especially when you run faster, tackle hills, or change direction, the load increases.

Groin complaintscan manifest as, among other things:

• A dull ache in the groin
• A pulling sensation on the inside of the thigh
• Stiffness after running
• Pain when accelerating or sprinting
• Sensitivity when lifting or moving the leg sideways

What causes groin complaints in runners?

There isn't always one clear cause. Often, a complaint arises because the load is temporarily greater than what muscles and tendons can handle.

You build up too quickly

A common scenario: your running is going well, and you add more kilometers or faster training sessions in a short period.

Your condition might be able to handle such an increase just fine, but muscles and tendons often need more time to adapt.

Especially a combination of more kilometers and higher intensity can quickly increase the load around the groin.

You introduce speed training

During a relaxed endurance run, your movement pattern is different than during an interval training. As soon as you accelerate, your strides become more powerful, and the range of motion increases.

The muscles around the thigh and hip therefore have to exert more force. Those who suddenly add many intervals, hills, or sprints may start to feel this in their groin.

Fatigue changes your running technique

During a long endurance run, muscles gradually become fatigued. This can change the way you move.

For example, your pelvis may become less stable, and other muscle groups have to work harder to compensate. This can put extra strain on the adductors.

That also explains why some runners only start to feel something in their groin in the last kilometers of a long training session.

Strength and stability play a role

Running seems primarily a forward motion, but meanwhile, your body has to control sideways movements with every landing.

For this, strong glutes, hip muscles, adductors, and good core stability are important.

When these muscle groups do not work together sufficiently, the load on the groin can increase.

Why a compression short for groin sensitivity?

During running, muscles constantly move and vibrate. As a workout becomes longer or more intense, fatigue also increases.

The compression of the Herzog PRO Compression Short gives the muscles a firm and supported feeling. The shorts help limit muscle vibrations and support the thigh muscles during repetitive strain.

This can be particularly pleasant during:

• Long runs
• Interval training
• Hill training
• Competitions
• Workouts with many changes in pace

Of course, a compression short does not prevent every groin injury. Incorrect training build-up or an existing injury cannot be solved with a piece of clothing. Therefore, see compression as part of a total package: smart training, sufficient recovery, strengthening muscles, and providing support where it makes sense.

Not only interesting for your groin

An important advantage of the Herzog PRO Compression Short is that the support is not limited to one small area.

During running, your groin, thighs, hamstrings, and gluteal region work together as a chain. The shorts enclose a large part of these muscle groups.

This also makes them interesting for runners who, for example, notice that their thighs or hamstrings start to feel fatigued during longer distances.

From complaint to structurally stronger running

Do you regularly suffer from your groin? Then don't just look at the spot where it hurts.

Also ask yourself:

• Have I recently increased my mileage quickly?
• Have I started doing more interval or hill training?
• Am I taking enough recovery time?
• Am I training my hips, adductors, and glutes?
• Do the complaints mainly arise when I get tired?

Precisely by looking at the whole picture, you can often better understand why complaints keep recurring.