Introduction
Pain on the inner side of the thigh can be triggered by a number of causes due to its location. Large muscles and nerves run through the thigh, which can cause pain. Diseased joints can also cause pain.
In addition, because of its proximity to the genitals and the pelvis, pain can emanate from there and radiate into the thigh. Most often, pain in the inner thigh is caused by overloading the so-called adductors. The overstraining of the muscles can cause them to cramp immediately or with a time delay.
Adductors are a group of muscles that run along the inner side of the thigh. These muscles start at the pelvis at the ischium and pubic bone and pull up to the back of the thigh at the part of the thigh bone that is remote from the trunk. The task of the adductors is to bring the legs together.
In addition, the adductors are put under strain, especially in soccer players, because the shooting of a ball is done to a considerable extent by these muscles. However, since humans are not naturally designed to shoot balls permanently, soccer players in particular tend to have adductor strains, especially if they do not warm up sufficiently before the sport. The pain caused by a pulled adductor is particularly noticeable under stress.
If the legs are to be brought together against a resistance, the pain is particularly severe. Since the beginnings of the muscles are particularly irritated during exercise, the areas around the pubic bone and the end of the thigh farthest from the body are particularly painful. Further signs of adductor strain are swellings in the area of the inner thigh.
If the pulled muscle develops into a torn adductor muscle fibre, this can also lead to bleeding into the muscles. As with most sports injuries, adductor pain and torn muscle fibers should be treated with a sports break to give the body time to recover. In the acute phase, cooling is also helpful, for example with cooling packs or special disposable cooling bags.
When the pain subsides, the sport can be resumed slowly, but under no circumstances should you try to “train the pain away”, as false ambition is out of place and harmful. In severe cases, a break from sport of up to half a year can be threatening. Also a so-called thigh fracture can cause pain in the inner thigh.
In this case, parts of the intestine pass through a gap at the bottom of the abdomen, through which the leg artery and leg vein normally run. This gap is also called the “femoral canal”. The femoral hernia is therefore very similar to the inguinal hernia, but the hernia channel is different.
While men are particularly affected by inguinal hernia, almost only women suffer from femoral hernia. This is because the inguinal canal is much narrower in women and therefore very rarely affected by hernias. On the other hand, the usually somewhat softer connective tissue of women favors the occurrence of hernias in general.
The femoral hernia usually makes itself felt by a swelling on the upper, front part of the thigh and is often painful. Unlike the inguinal hernia, the femoral hernia often cannot be pushed back. Therefore, you should not try to push the hernia back yourself, but consult a doctor immediately.
Female patients with known weakness of the connective tissue and increased pressure in the abdominal cavity are more likely to suffer from femoral hernia. Increased pressure in the abdominal cavity is caused, for example, by pressing during bowel movements, coughing, and fluid in the abdomen, a so-called “ascites”. In addition, the pressure in the abdominal cavity also increases during pregnancy, which is also accompanied by a temporary, non-pathological weakness of the connective tissue, which facilitates childbirth.
However, both factors favour the occurrence of thigh fractures. Since thigh fractures almost never recede on their own, surgery is usually necessary to remedy them, since even painless fractures carry the risk of entrapment of the fracture contents, which in the worst case can be life-threatening. There are basically two different approaches to the operation of leg fractures: On the one hand, the fracture can be operated on openly, i.e. with a skin incision at the affected area.
The fracture content is reduced, the hernial sac removed and the resulting gap sutured. Another approach is the minimally invasive technique, in which instruments are inserted through three small incisions in the abdomen and the surgeon views the surgical site with a camera. The individual surgical steps are very similar to the open technique, only the access route changes.Both methods have existed side by side for a long time without any real differences in quality.
Ultimately, the patient must decide together with the doctor which method to use. This topic might also be of interest to you:
- Surgery for inguinal hernia
When standing for long periods of time in everyday life, the vessels in the legs are under particular pressure. This leads to pathological changes in the veins, especially in people who work in professions that involve standing for long periods of time (salespeople, operating theatre personnel, sometimes soldiers), which then become visible as varicose veins.
Simplified, varicose veins are caused by the fact that the blood in the veins accumulates and the vessels are dilated as a result. Normally, veins have valves that prevent the blood from flowing from the body back into the veins. The valves therefore have a valve function.
However, if the veins are dilated, the valves are too far apart to prevent the blood from flowing back into the leg veins along the force of gravity. This further increases the pressure in the veins. If the veins are permanently dilated, one speaks of varicose veins, although these can also become inflamed, which can be associated with considerable pain.
In addition, inflammations of the superficial veins are usually palpable. The inflamed vein is hardened and can be palpated as a superficial strand. Since only superficial veins are affected in so-called thrombophlebitis, there is practically no risk of pulmonary embolism, as can occur in thrombosis.
It is usually a very painful disease, so you should consult a doctor. This doctor will usually prescribe painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen, which are anti-inflammatory in addition to their painkilling effect. As with any inflammation, you can cool the affected area at home.
This is best done with a cooling pad wrapped in a clean cloth and frozen in the freezer. It is easier to store disposable cushions, which produce cold through a chemical reaction. The disadvantage, however, is that these disposable cushions cannot be reused after use.
In an emergency you can of course cool the aching spot with a wet cloth or suitable contents of your freezer. The effectiveness of ice sprays is rather controversial, as they are extremely cold but only have a very superficial effect. Once the most severe inflammation has been overcome, the function of the veins can be improved by compression stockings.
Putting on the stockings is not easy, but compression is one of the most effective ways of preventing the formation of clots in the veins. However, this only applies if the compression stockings are worn consistently. In addition, in severe cases a doctor can also apply anticoagulation to speed up the healing process.
Ointments containing heparin are generally ineffective. Heparin is an anticoagulant, but it is only effective if it is present in the blood. However, the skin is so good in its function as a protective barrier of the body that heparin only remains on the skin, where it is unfortunately completely ineffective.
A thrombosis is a blood clot that forms in a vessel and can eventually clog it. A frequent localization for the formation of thromboses are the veins running through the leg. There are some leading symptoms that can indicate the presence of a thrombosis.
Pain emanating from the affected structure is one of the main symptoms of the disease. In contrast to pain caused by muscles, it is usually permanent and independent of strain and is usually described as dull pain. Dark discoloration and swelling of the affected leg are also noticeable.
A number of factors favour the occurrence of thromboses. Particularly at risk are smokers, women, especially when taking the contraceptive pill (see: Risk of thrombosis from the pill), and people who are bedridden. In addition, thromboses often occur in the affected limbs if the arms and legs are immobilised for a long time, for example when wearing plaster splints or after long-distance flights.
Pregnant women also tend to develop pelvic vein thrombosis in the final phase of pregnancy, i.e. a thrombosis that occurs particularly close to the trunk. In all thromboses, there is also the risk that the blood clot will dissolve and float via the large veins and the heart to the pulmonary vessels, where it can displace the pulmonary vessels and thus cause a so-called pulmonary embolism. In this case, parts of the lung are no longer supplied with blood, which can be life-threatening depending on the size of the embolism.Therefore, if there are signs of thrombosis, it is important to keep the affected leg still and to consult a doctor promptly to avoid pulmonary embolism.
The probability that a thrombosis is the cause of the pain occurring in the inner thigh is generally considered low. Nevertheless, especially if typical risk factors for the development of thrombosis (e.g. pregnancy, medication, prolonged immobilization) and other characteristic symptoms of thrombosis occur, a prompt medical examination of the symptoms should be carried out to prevent serious complications of the disease. For further information, please see our topics:
- Thrombosis
- This pain causes a thrombosis
The pubic branch is a bony structure of the human pelvis.
In total there are two branches that unite towards the pubic symphysis. The inflammation of one pubic branch often leads to the inflammation of adjacent structures. The pain of the inflammation is felt in the groin and from there also on the inner side of the thigh.
The inflammation of the pubic bone is almost always caused by small micro-traumas, such as those that can occur as a result of intense sporting activity. Especially sports with rapid changes of direction are predestined for this. These small bone injuries can lead to an inflammation if they have no chance to heal by relieving the strain.
The penetration of pathogens causing inflammation is only in the rarest cases the cause of a pubic inflammation. Due to their close proximity, ovaries and fallopian tubes are also occasionally triggers for pain in the thigh in women. In this case, the cause of the pain is often inflammation of the fallopian tubes or ovaries.
The physician then speaks of an adnexitis. Cysts on the ovary, which are usually harmless, can also cause the pain. The inflammation in this area irritates the obturator nerve.
This nerve originates from the second to fourth segment of the lumbar spine and, together with other nerves, forms a nerve plexus in the pelvis known as the “plexus lumbalis”. The task of the obturator nerve is on the one hand to innervate the adductors motorically, i.e. to give them the commands to contract or relax. It is also responsible for the sensitivity of the hip and inner thigh.
This means that the sensation of touch and pain in these areas depends on the obturatorial nerve. If the obturatorius nerve is irritated in its course, for example by an inflammation of neighboring organs, this leads to pain in the hip and inner thigh area. All this happens although there is actually no pain stimulus in the painful area.
In addition to the pain described above, however, pain in the lower abdomen is the main symptom of pelvic inflammation. Other important diseases that can cause similar complaints and must be excluded are, for example, appendicitis or an ectopic pregnancy, i.e. an ectopic pregnancy. The suspicion of a pelvic inflammatory disease can be confirmed by a gynaecologist with a smear.
In uncomplicated cases, it is usually sufficient to take antibiotics that act against the typical pathogens that cause adnexitis. If these do not provide sufficient improvement, the pathogens are combated with the appropriate antibiotics as soon as they are known. If an inflammation of the fallopian tubes becomes permanent or an abscess, i.e. an encapsulated inflammation, develops, surgery may become necessary.
As a rule, drugs such as ibuprofen or paracetamol are very effective against the pain. However, ibuprofen must not be taken during pregnancy, especially in the last third. In case of doubt, you should ask your doctor for advice. Paracetamol, on the other hand, is also considered unproblematic during pregnancy.
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