Pilates Rehabilitation for Sports Hernia
For those athletes that are consistently involved in sports such as roller, ice hockey and/or soccer they have undoubtedly found that there is a lot of torque required from the body to perform such activities. This “twisting and turning” at high speeds puts hockey and soccer athletes alike, at a high risk for sports hernia. A sports hernia isn’t by definition the same as other types of hernias. Sports hernia is a severe tearing of the abdominal muscles of the lower abdomen. Very painful, and insidiously common to hockey and sports athletes, a few symptoms may include: pain in the lower abdomen when sneezing or coughing and unilateral pain in the groin. Some studies have shown that if the pain in the groin lasts longer than eight weeks you may be suffering from sports hernia.
Simon Kemp, MB, BS and Mark Batt, MB wrote in The Physician and Sports Medicine Journal, Volume 26 explaining that the technical occurrence of what happens to the body during the process of sports hernia is quite specific, “these injuries occur because adductor action during sporting activity creates shearing forces across the pubic symphysis that can stress the posterior inguinal wall.” The pain stemming from sports hernia is most likely to be felt during exercise or during activity more so than dormancy. When an athlete goes to see a doctor, the signs of a typical hernia will not be detectable. This makes sports hernia a fainter version of a definitive hernia injury and can sometimes go unnoticed, unless the doctor is aware of an individual’s involvement with torque heavy sports.
For most patients that suffer from sports hernia, surgery is the byway to recovery. Although not preferred by most athletes, because it deters activity for an indefinite amount of time and also presents the possibility of prolonged recovery that has the potential to modify one’s abilities after the fact, it does address the problem. However discontinuing hockey or soccer post-surgery doesn’t have to be the case as long as the surgery is successful and the patient has clearance to seek out rehabilitative treatments. Kemp and Batt recommend that anyone who has undergone sports hernia surgery should only seek “structured rehabilitation” which they believe “should enable athletes to return to sports activity 6 to 8 weeks after surgery.”
Pilates is a great rehabilitative addition to an active recovery for a few specific reasons. Sports hernia rehabilitation needs to include conditioning that will provide stability and balance for the hip girdle, while increasing flexibility and strength all throughout the pelvis. The abdomen has also suffered major trauma and will need to be strengthened through a series of controlled, slow and gentle core exercises. Any jerking or fast paced movement throughout the abdomen is strictly prohibited; making a lot of calisthenics off limits while one is involved in any type of rehabilitative program.
If you are involved in sports activity with a propensity for twisting at high speeds, consider Pilates as a preventative measure as well. Pilates will strengthen the abductors and adductors and will increase flexibility within the hip region while correcting imbalances, which account for the large majority of sports related injuries.