Causes

The most common cause of groin pain is a muscle, tendon or ligament strain, particularly in athletes who play sports such as hockey, soccer and football. Groin pain might occur immediately after an injury, or pain might come on gradually over a period of weeks or even months. Groin pain might be worsened by continued use of the injured area.

Less commonly, a bone injury or fracture, a hernia, or even kidney stones might cause groin pain. Although testicle pain and groin pain are different, a testicle condition can sometimes cause pain that spreads to the groin area.

Direct and indirect causes of groin pain can include:

• Avascular necrosis (death of bone tissue due to limited blood flow)
• Avulsion fracture (ligament or tendon pulled from the bone)
• Bursitis (joint inflammation)
• Epididymitis (testicle inflammation)
• Hydrocele (fluid buildup that causes swelling of the scrotum)
• Inguinal hernia
• Kidney stones
• Mumps
• Muscle strain
• Orchitis (inflamed testicle)
• Osteoarthritis (disease causing the breakdown of joints)
• Pinched nerve
• Piriformis syndrome
• Retractile testicle (testicle that moves between the scrotum and abdomen)
• Sciatica
• Scrotal masses
• Spermatocele (fluid buildup in the testicle)
• Sprains
• Stress fractures
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Tendinitis
• Testicular cancer
• Testicular torsion (twisted testicle)
• Urinary tract infection (UTI)
• Varicocele (enlarged veins in the scrotum)