Four Ways To Help Your Pulled Groin Muscle Heal Faster
Pulling a muscle in your groin can be very painful, not to mention inconvenient! Since you use these muscles each time you stand up, walk, or even turn to the side, this muscle pull can seriously inhibit your levels of activity until it heals. Thankfully, there are a few things you can do to help speed healing and get back in the game sooner.
Apply a compression bandage.
Compression can help a muscle strain heal by keeping inflammation at bay. Wrapping your thigh with a compression bandage can be a bit of a challenge, and you may need to have a (very close) friend help you with this. Make sure the bandage is not so tight that it impedes the circulation to your lower leg, but also keep it tight enough that it feels like it's actually offering support. If you really cannot get a compression bandage on comfortably, consider wearing tight compression shorts instead. This should compress the area enough to keep most inflammation at bay.
Stretch your groin.
Some gentle stretching can help ease the tension in your muscle as it heals. An easy way to stretch your groin is to sit on your couch and then fold the one leg up so that your knee is to the side and your foot is directly in front of you. Then, gradually lower your upper body, bending forward at the waist as you feel the stretch through your thigh. Hold the position for a few seconds and release. Repeat this stretch two or three times, and do it a few times each day.
Take an ice bath.
Your groin, once again, is a tough area to ice. The easiest way to ice it may be to fill a tub with cold water and sit in it, taking a full-on ice bath. This will do a great job of bringing down inflammation and easing your pain. Make sure you stretch before your ice bath rather than after. It is not a good idea to stretch muscles that are cold and stiff.
With the tips above, your pulled groin muscle should heal up faster. If a week or more passes and you are still feeling sore, reach out to a physical therapist. They can recommend specific exercises that will not only help heal your pulled groin muscle, but may also make you less likely to injure it again in the future.
