The most common cause of groin pain is a muscle, tendon or ligament strain. The risk of these injuries is higher in athletes who play sports such as hockey, soccer and football. Groin pain might happen right after an injury. Or the pain might come on slowly over weeks or even months. It might become worse if you keep using the injured area.
Less often, a bone injury or fracture, a hernia, or even kidney stones might cause groin pain. Testicle pain and groin pain are different. But sometimes, a testicle condition can cause pain that spreads to the groin area.
Groin pain has various direct and indirect causes. These include the following.
Conditions that involve muscles or tendons:
- Muscle strains (An injury to a muscle or to tissue that connects muscles to bones, called a tendon.)
- Piriformis syndrome (A condition that involves the piriformis muscle, which goes from the lower spine to the top of the thighs.)
- Sprains (and strains)
- Tendinitis
Conditions that involve bones or joints:
- Avascular necrosis (osteonecrosis)
- Avulsion fracture (A condition in which a small piece of bone attached to a ligament or tendon gets pulled from the rest of the bone.)
- Bursitis
- Osteoarthritis
- Stress fractures
Conditions that involve the bag of skin that holds the testicles, called the scrotum:
- Hydrocele (Fluid buildup that causes swelling of the skin pouch that holds the testicles, called the scrotum.)
- Scrotal masses (Lumps in the scrotum that can be due to cancer or other conditions that are not cancer.)
- Varicocele (Enlarged veins in the scrotum.)
Conditions that involve the testicles:
- Epididymitis (When the coiled tube at the back of the testicle becomes inflamed.)
- Orchitis (A condition in which one or both testicles become inflamed.)
- Spermatocele (A fluid-filled sac that can form near the top of a testicle.)
- Testicular cancer (Cancer that starts in the testicles.)
- Testicular torsion (A twisted testicle that loses its blood supply.)
Other conditions:
- Inguinal hernia — when tissue bulges through a weak spot in the abdominal muscles.
- Kidney stones
- Mumps (An illness caused by a virus.)
- Pinched nerve
- Prostatitis — a problem with the prostate gland.
- Sciatica (Pain that travels along the path of a nerve that runs from the lower back down to each leg.)
- Swollen lymph nodes (Swelling of small organs that help fight off infections.)
- Urinary tract infection (UTI) — when any part of the urinary system gets infected.