Groin strain and bursa injury and inflammation during yoga

Don’t try to force yourself when doing yoga moves, be careful of pulling your groin and getting injured! A 48-year-old woman did leg stretching exercises frequently to sculpt her body lines. Suddenly, she felt a severe pain in her groin. She thought it was a tendon strain and sought medical treatment because she was unable to walk and had to sit in a wheelchair. In fact, it is the improper pulling of the groin that causes injury and inflammation of the synovial bursa.

Yang Zhenjia, attending physician of the rehabilitation department, said that bursitis is usually caused by impact or minor trauma, most commonly occurring in the buttocks, outer thighs and shoulders, and bursitis in the groin is relatively rare. (Photo provided by Chengxin Hospital)

The patient came to the clinic and said that he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his groin while doing yoga leg stretches. Although he immediately stopped the exercise and rested, the pain did not ease. He had seen a doctor and was diagnosed with a tendon strain. He took painkillers and rested more, but after a few days, he was unable to walk and felt severe pain in his groin when he took a step.

Iliopsoas bursitis is easily misdiagnosed as joint degeneration

Yang Zhenjia, attending physician of the rehabilitation department of Taichung Cheng Ching Hospital's Zhonggang branch, said that the patient was diagnosed with iliopsoas bursitis, which caused him to feel pain. He was even misdiagnosed as having joint degeneration and was recommended to undergo surgery. In fact, with just one precise injection, the patient can say goodbye to the pain.

Synovial bursae are commonly found around the joints of the body. Their function is to secrete lubricating fluid to help the flexibility of the joints. There are also synovial bursae near the iliopsoas muscle near the groin. When the groin is improperly pulled, the bursa may be injured and inflamed, and the pain will be felt in the entire groin, so it is easy to be mistaken for just a tendon strain.

There is also a synovial bursa near the iliopsoas muscle near the groin. If the groin is pulled improperly, the synovial bursa may be injured and inflamed. (Photo provided by Chengxin Hospital)

Bursitis caused by trauma to the groin is less common

Bursitis is usually caused by impact or minor trauma, most commonly occurring in the buttocks, outer thighs, and shoulders. Bursitis in the groin is less common and difficult to detect with imaging.

Dr. Yang Zhenjia pointed out that bursitis occurring in the shoulder can easily develop into frozen shoulder, causing the patient to suffer long-term pain. There are also patients whose bursitis near the joints was misdiagnosed as joint degeneration and who were recommended to undergo surgery. Later, symptomatic treatment only required an injection of an injection into the affected part of the bursa, which immediately relieved the pain and ended the pain.

【Doctor's Tips】:

The pain of bursitis sometimes feels like a dull, stabbing pain, or it can be so immediate that the patient is unable to move. It may heal naturally after 3 to 5 days, but some patients may suffer from the pain for several years. People who love yoga are advised to do it within their ability when bending or stretching their limbs and not to force themselves too much.