# Inner thigh injury



## KennyG (Mar 6, 2007)

Back in Jan of this year, I injured my inner thigh due to going a little too hard on consecutive rides too early in the season. I think I severely strained or possibly even tore a muscle in my inner thigh. I didn't feel it while riding, but I had a dull ache in my leg for a week or two after the incident. I took the next moth almost totally off to heal, only riding about 5 hours in Feb and at a VERY slow pace. I also took the time at this point to have a pro fit done at a LBS to make sure that my position was okay - been riding for 12 years but never had a comprehensive fit done. After some slight mods to my fit (about 1 cm lower and 1 cm more forward saddle) and about a month off, I gradually increased my riding time and intensity over the next couple of months until now. I have also become more proactive with stretching after my rides. 

During my comeback, I have felt the pain return briefly (at a much lower level) following only 3 rides - one was a 2.5 hour road ride in March, and the other two have been MTB rides of around 2 hours with some steep climbing. One of these MTB rides was this past Monday – I felt a little twinge in the same inner thigh area when walking starting a couple of hours after the ride and lasting most of the rest of that day.

Has anyone else out there ever had a similar pain/injury on the inner thigh (about half way between the groin crease and the knee on the inner left thigh). I could actually feel a sore spot on my leg in this area pressing with my fingers for a month or two after the injury. The guy that did my fit told me the injury could have been a result of my saddle being too high. It is frustrating that after 4 months now, I still feel like I have to keep from going too hard because it does not appear to be totally resolved and I worry that I may re-injure it and be back to square one. I have never had a non-impact (non-crash) cycling injury linger this long! Any ideas or suggestions?


----------



## tom_h (May 6, 2008)

I had a much milder form of this injury on inner right thigh ... ... there are several muscles in that region collectively referred to as the "adductors".

I think it happened during an especially strenuous hill climb during a group ride (KOM attempts and all that) .

After about 8 weeks, thigh feels "almost normal", and in the beginning I took about 10-12 consecutive days as complete rest, no cycling. Since then, I've been cautious to increase my weekly mileage and intensity in more gradual stages , around 15%.

I don't have any sure-fire suggestions, other than a good physical therapist ... I didn't visit one for this injury, but maybe I should have ... a good PT has usually shaved a couple weeks off my recovery time for muscle strains.

Since my initial injury 8 weeks ago, I'm now more focussed on stretching adductors before & after a ride. In first few days, ice application helped some. Plus, I didn't ride for some 10-12 days. 

After about a week, I started tub soaking in hot water & epsom salts... felt good ... the magnesium in the salts is absorbed through skin and supposed to have anti-inflammatory properties, but I suspect the hot water alone did most of the work. I think I'll continue with weekly tub soaking, regardless ... it is soothing to the leg muscles 

Sorry I can't offer any thing more specific or helpful. Your injury seems far more significant than mine


----------



## The Moontrane (Nov 28, 2005)

You should go ahead and do 10X20’s on consecutive days to bring the injury to serious trauma. :nonod:

Soft-tissue injuries suck donkey schlong. If you had broken your femur, you’d be healed by now because you’d have stayed off the leg until the bone mended. Because you don’t have intense pain, you can move about, ride, walk up stairs, etc.

It can take months for pulled/strained/torn muscles to heal. I had a bout with a strained ham/glute that took 9 months to fully heal.

You wrote about comeback rides of 2.5 and two at 2 hours (steep climbing), respectively – WHAT?! After I strained my quad tendon I rode 45-minute rides through the neighborhood for two weeks. 

You have to be aware of and make use of time as your ally. Riding only flats or doing something else which doesn’t aggravate the injury is a way for you to properly heal. You’re just now coming back from this, so you might be in new territory. Take whatever time you need.


----------



## KennyG (Mar 6, 2007)

The Moontrane said:


> You wrote about comeback rides of 2.5 and two at 2 hours (steep climbing), respectively – WHAT?! After I strained my quad tendon I rode 45-minute rides through the neighborhood for two weeks. QUOTE]
> 
> 
> I didn't do any rides of this magnitude until 2+ months after my injury. The month following my injury, I only rode 5 hours total and at a very mild pace - about the same exertion as a casual walk. I also took a full 11 days off without riding at all. I am now trying to build back up to being able to do occasional 4-5 hour rides with mountain climbs, which are part of my routine when not injured. I guess part of getting a little older (35 now) is that injuries linger longer - but 4 months sucks!


----------



## specializedrider (Aug 24, 2005)

Have you tried using a foam roller or a "stick" to massage the area? It is an eye-opening "experience" the first time if you have been neglectful of your legs and stretching. 

Here is a great source I have used (as was recommended to me by my PT):
http://www.performbetter.com/detail.aspx_Q_ID_E_4918_A_CategoryID_E_487
http://www.performbetter.com/detail.aspx_Q_ID_E_4404_A_CategoryID_E_487

and some exercises:
http://www.performbetter.com/catalog/assets/Exercisesheets/PDF/FoamRoller.pdf

It could also be you have tightness in other parts of your legs/hips, a muscle weakness/imbalance, or a problem with your bike fit that is aggravating this area (like maybe you need some cleat wedges). My $$ is on the first two things though.


----------



## brentster (Jul 12, 2007)

I've had chronic pain in that area for nearly a year. It starts at my groin and works its way down. Rest doesn't really help. The one thing that makes it tolerable is an ice pack after each ride while watching TV for about 20 minutes. It makes a huge difference.


----------



## muscleendurance (Jan 11, 2009)

physio


----------



## otoman (Mar 8, 2004)

See a PT!!!

That being said, consider hip tightness as a cause - i.e. your inner thigh is having to work hard to counteract the lateral pulling forces of your tight glutes/hips

Try this: Put the outside of your left ankle on your right knee while standing on your right foot. Now lower yourself to a seated position and feel how much "pull" there is on your left hip/butt. If you can easily get down to a right angle with your right knee, you are good. If you feel a lot of tightness, that might have contributed....


----------



## muscleendurance (Jan 11, 2009)

this said:


> see a PT!!!


 a power-tap


----------

