GAA Groin Injuries

Groin injuries can be sustained to the adductor muscles, hips flexors, hip joint or it's surrounding soft tissues. Adductor muscle injuries are the third most common injury in GAA. The adductors are a group of 5 muscles; adductor magnus, brevis & longus, pectineus and gracilis. Their main function is to bring the legs together when contracted and they are also integral to the stability of the hips as they originate from the pelvis and attach to the femur. Groin injuries will make up 6% of injuries each year.

‍

Groin injuries very rarely involve another player as 95% of groin injuries are non-contact. They differ from other common GAA injuries in when they occur as most of them occur during training. Change of direction, kicking, reaching and jumping are the most common mechanisms of injury respectively.

‍

Groin injuries have relatively severe implications for teams and players alike as the average period of absence from play following a groin strain is 25 days. They account for 5.5% of overall time-loss in the GAA.

‍

There is a significant recurrence rate of 21.5% in groin strains in GAA players, making preventative measures an essential element of end stage rehabilitation.

‍

It’s also notable that other groin injuries not involving the adductor muscle group exert a considerable burden on GAA players and their teams. Hip-related groin injury makes up a further 2.7% of all injuries and iliopsoas or “hip-flexor” related groin injury accounts for 2.1% of all groin injuries. Though categorically different based on the structures implicated, adductor strength and muscle length undoubtedly has an impact on non-adductor groin injuries and should be well acknowledged in rehab and prevention programs.

‍

If you have any questions on groin injuries sustain during GAA or not, call our Dublin City Center clinic on 01 441 0100.

‍