MRI findings in athletic groin pain: correlation of imaging with history and examination in symptomatic and asymptomatic athletes

Review written by Dr Joshua Heerey info

Key Points

  1. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) hip and groin findings are common in male athletes with and without groin pain.
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BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE

Longstanding groin pain is common in athletes involved in multi-directional sports (1,2). Groin pain can be debilitating for an athlete, affecting performance, ability to train and compete and their quality of life (3). Establishing a correct diagnosis is challenging due to the proximity of bony, musculotendinous and intra-articular structures.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is often used in diagnostic workup of an athlete due to the complex anatomy of the groin region and its superiority in evaluating soft tissue structures. Several studies have provided evidence of specific MRI findings associated with chronic groin pain in athletes. However, many of the studies were small, used different terminology and did not clarify the relationship between the MRI pathology and clinical findings (4). Moreover, many of the MRI findings are also evident in asymptomatic athletes, questioning their clinical relevance (5). There is a critical need for high quality studies to understand the importance of groin MRI findings in symptomatic athletes.

This study sought to evaluate the differences in prevalence and diagnostic accuracy of pelvic MRI findings between asymptomatic athletes and those with longstanding groin pain.

Longstanding groin pain is common in athletes involved in multi-directional sports.
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The presence of specific MRI findings in an athlete with groin pain may assist the clinician in explaining the severity of their symptoms and difficulty in participating in sport.

METHODS

  • This study included 34 elite professional symptomatic male athletes (mean age 23.5 years) with non-acute groin pain (gradual onset and >3 weeks in duration) and 51 elite professional asymptomatic control athletes (mean age 24.7 years) with no history of groin
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