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From Groin Pulls to Hamstring Strains: A Physical Therapist’s Guide to Common Athletic Injuries

You explode off the starting line, cut hard to change direction, or stretch for a ball…and suddenly feel a sharp grab in your inner thigh or the back of your leg. Walking hurts, running is out of the question, and your first thought is, “Did I just pull something?”

Groin pulls and hamstring strains are among the most common athletic injuries in runners, field and court athletes, weekend warriors, and even people who stay active with recreational sports or fitness classes. They are frustrating because they often seem to happen in a split second, then take much longer than expected to fully heal.

The upside: with the right early care, structured rehab, and smart return-to-sport planning, most people make a strong recovery. At Cawley Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation, we help athletes and active adults across Northeast Pennsylvania navigate that journey every day.

In this guide, we will cover:

Groin Pulls and Hamstring Strains: What’s the Difference?

Groin Pull (Adductor Strain)

A “groin pull” typically involves the adductor muscles—the muscles along the inner thigh that pull your leg toward the midline and help control side-to-side movement. These muscles are heavily involved in:

A groin pull is a strain—overstretching or tearing—of one or more of these muscles or their tendons.

Hamstring Strain

Your hamstrings run along the back of your thigh from the pelvis to just below the knee. They:

A hamstring strain is an overstretch or tear of these muscles or their tendons. These injuries can range from mild to severe, sometimes involving a partial tear near the sit bone or behind the knee.

What Do These Injuries Feel Like?

While only a medical provider can give you a diagnosis, groin and hamstring injuries often share some common features.

Common Signs of a Groin Pull

Common Signs of a Hamstring Strain

Both injuries can be graded from mild (Grade I) to more severe (Grade III), depending on how many fibers are involved and how much strength and function are affected.

When Should You See a Professional?

Not every twinge requires a clinic visit, but you should seek prompt evaluation if:

A physical therapist can help differentiate between a mild strain and a more serious tear, guide early protection, and create a plan that fits your sport and schedule.

Why Do Groin and Hamstring Injuries Happen?

These injuries often involve a mix of factors rather than one single cause.

Sudden Load on a Not-Ready Muscle

Most strains occur during high-speed or high-force actions, such as:

If the muscle is not warmed up, fatigued, or weaker than the demand of the movement, fibers may overstretch or tear.

Muscle Imbalances and Weakness

If the adductors or hamstrings are weaker than their opposing muscle groups (like abductors or quadriceps), or if certain parts of the muscle are undertrained (for example, the hamstring near the hip), they may be more vulnerable under stress.

Limited Mobility

Tight hip flexors, limited hip rotation, or stiff hamstrings and glutes can alter your mechanics and place extra strain on the groin or hamstrings, especially with big strides or high kicks.

Poor Movement Mechanics

Subtle issues such as:

can increase load on specific muscle groups. A physical therapist looks at these patterns carefully.

Training and Recovery Errors

Common patterns include:

Understanding which of these apply to you helps shape both rehab and prevention.

If you have recently pulled your groin or hamstring and are unsure what is safe to do next, getting a clear plan early makes a big difference.
Contact Us today for a free pain assessment.

Early Self-Care: The First Few Days

If you suspect a groin or hamstring strain, early steps typically include:

Avoid aggressive stretching or deep massage directly on a fresh strain in the first few days, as this can irritate healing tissue.

How Physical Therapy Helps Groin and Hamstring Injuries

Physical therapy guides you through each phase of recovery so you do not rush or plateau.

1. Assessment and Diagnosis

Your therapist will:

From there, you get a clear picture of what was injured and what the roadmap back to sport looks like.

2. Calming Pain and Protecting the Injury

In the early phase, treatment focuses on:

The goal is to keep you moving within a safe zone while healing starts.

3. Restoring Flexibility and Strength

As pain settles and tissue heals, treatment progresses to:

A key part of this stage is eccentric training—strengthening while the muscle lengthens, which is important for running, deceleration, and change of direction.

4. Sport-Specific Training and Return to Play

Once basic strength and flexibility have improved, your therapist adds:

You will likely follow a stepwise return-to-sport plan, gradually increasing intensity and complexity while monitoring for pain or tightness. Your therapist helps you decide when you are ready to return to practice, scrimmage, and full competition.

Sample Rehab Exercise Progressions (General Examples)

Everyone’s program is unique, but here are a few categories of exercises commonly used in groin and hamstring rehab.

Gentle Isometrics (Early Stage)

Controlled Strengthening (Middle Stage)

Advanced Strength and Power (Later Stage)

All progressions should be supervised or at least planned by a professional if you are coming back from a significant strain.

Reducing the Risk of Future Groin and Hamstring Injuries

No plan can guarantee you will never get injured, but you can lower your risk by addressing common weak spots.

Warm Up Intentionally

Trade rushed, static stretching for:

This prepares muscle and tendon tissue for the demands to come.

Strengthen Through a Full Range of Motion

Include exercises that train your adductors and hamstrings:

Balance your program so that hamstrings and adductors are not far behind quads and hip flexors in strength.

Train Movement Quality, Not Just Muscles

Incorporate:

These skills help your body share forces more evenly, rather than overloading one muscle group.

Manage Training Load

Try to avoid big jumps in intensity or volume. Gradually introduce:

Listen to early warning signs like persistent tightness, mild pulls that keep returning, or fatigue that does not resolve with normal rest.

How Cawley Physical Therapy Supports Active Adults and Athletes

At Cawley Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation, we understand that being sidelined is more than just a physical problem—it affects your mood, routine, and connection to your team or favorite activities. Our approach to groin pulls, hamstring strains, and other common athletic injuries includes:

Whether you are a competitive athlete or simply want to get back to pain-free recreation, our goal is to help you return stronger and more resilient than before.

If you have been stuck in a cycle of “almost better” followed by another pull, it is time for a different approach. Contact Us today for a free pain assessment.

Frequently Asked Questions About From Groin Pulls to Hamstring Strains: A Physical Therapist’s Guide to Common Athletic Injuries

1. How do I know if I have a mild strain or a serious tear?

The severity of a strain depends on how many muscle fibers are involved and how much strength and function you lose. Mild strains usually feel like a sharp pull or localized soreness, and you can often still walk with only mild discomfort. More serious tears may come with a distinct “pop,” immediate difficulty walking, significant bruising, or a visible dent in the muscle. You might not be able to push off, sprint, or lift the leg without sharp pain. Because it is easy to underestimate an injury in the moment, a physical therapy or medical evaluation is the safest way to gauge severity.

2. Should I stretch a pulled groin or hamstring?

In the first few days after an injury, aggressive stretching is usually not a good idea. The muscle fibers and connective tissue are trying to heal, and forcing a deep stretch can irritate the area or even worsen the tear. Early on, it is generally better to focus on relative rest, gentle pain-free movements, and light muscle activation. As healing progresses and pain decreases, your physical therapist will gradually reintroduce stretching and more dynamic mobility. The key is to target the right amount of stretch at the right time, based on how the tissue is healing and how your body responds.

3. How long does it take to recover from a groin pull or hamstring strain?

Recovery time depends on the severity of the strain, your general health, and how quickly you address the injury. Mild strains may improve significantly within a couple of weeks, while more moderate injuries can take several weeks to a few months. Severe tears—especially those involving tendon damage—can take even longer and sometimes require surgical input. A well-structured physical therapy plan aims to guide you through each phase of healing, prevent setbacks, and ensure that strength, flexibility, and confidence are in place before you return to full-speed activity. Patience and consistency are important for long-term success.

4. Why do my groin or hamstring strains keep coming back?

Recurring strains often mean that the underlying issues were never fully addressed. You might have returned to sport before the muscle regained full strength, especially in lengthened positions or during high-speed movements. Other contributors include imbalances between muscle groups, limited hip or trunk mobility, poor movement mechanics, and rapid increases in training load. Sometimes the area feels “fine” at rest or during light activity, but it is not ready for sprinting, cutting, or heavy kicking. A physical therapist can look at the bigger picture—strength, flexibility, control, and technique—to identify gaps in your recovery and create a plan to fill them.

5. Can I keep working out or playing if I have a groin pull or hamstring strain?

You may be able to stay active, but it usually means modifying what you do and how hard you do it. Pushing through sharp pain or trying to play at full intensity can turn a mild strain into a more serious injury. Instead, many people do well with a “relative rest” approach: avoiding painful movements while staying active in ways that do not aggravate symptoms. That might include cross-training, upper-body work, or carefully selected lower-body exercises. A physical therapist can help you decide what is safe to continue, what needs to pause, and how to gradually reintroduce higher-level activities as you heal.