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Surgical Principles in Inguinal Hernia Repair pp 127–137Cite as

Sports Hernia and Athletic Pubalgia

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Abstract

Groin injuries are common in sports, most of which are muscular/tendon strain-type injuries that resolve with conservative treatment. The term sports hernia or athletic pubalgia refers to a subset of athletic groin injuries that present with exertional inguinal/rectus abdominal insertional pain that limits athletic performance. These injuries not infrequently may have an associated adductor component. The diagnosis can be made based on the history and physical examination and supportive imaging, most commonly with a pelvic MRI. Surgery is indicated for athletes who fail 6–8 weeks of conservative management or who have evidence of a rectus abdominal tear on imaging. A variety of surgical approaches have been used to address this problem that comprises the spectrum from primary tissue repairs to both open and laparoscopic tension-free mesh repairs. In this chapter, the pathophysiology of athletic pubalgia injuries is reviewed along with diagnostic considerations and the different treatment options. The importance of a multidisciplinary approach to the diagnostic evaluation and treatment of these athletes along with structured rehabilitation program cannot be overemphasized and is essential to a successful outcome.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery and Section of Minimally Invasive Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA

    Arghavan Salles & L. Michael Brunt

Authors
  1. Arghavan Salles
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  2. L. Michael Brunt
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Correspondence to L. Michael Brunt .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Knoxville, TN, USA

    Melissa Phillips LaPinska

  2. Department of Surgery, Washington University Medical Center, Department of Surgery, St Louis, MO, USA

    Jeffrey A. Blatnik

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Salles, A., Brunt, L.M. (2018). Sports Hernia and Athletic Pubalgia. In: LaPinska, M., Blatnik, J. (eds) Surgical Principles in Inguinal Hernia Repair . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92892-0_17

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92892-0_17

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-92891-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-92892-0

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