Studies on the use of steroid injections for groin tendon problems are not plentiful. Research shows that one to three steroid injections of soft tissues for acute and/or chronic inflammatory pain can be beneficial. More than that and the risk outweighs the benefit because steroids are known to break down collagen fibers that make up tendons and muscles.

There are different problems that can cause groin pain. Before making a decision about your training regimen, see a sports medicine specialist for an examination and diagnosis. If you have a simple tendon strain, the treatment approach is very different from a sports hernia or stress reaction (fracture).

Competitive and recreational sports athletes can develop painful groin symptoms from a pulled muscle. The condition is called adductor enthesis. Adductor refers to the group of four leg muscles that attach to the pubic bone in the pelvic/groin area. Enthesis is the place where the tendon meets the bone. Usually this spot is a mixture of fibrous and cartilage soft tissue.

Immediate weight-bearing after surgery for hip fracture has been proven safe and effective in several studies. But as a general protocol, the medical practice of getting people up and walking again right away has not been adopted universally.

Preoperative testing is not uncommon before surgery -- especially for older adults who are at risk for complications from surgery. The surgeon wants to do everything possible to reduce those risks and assure the best results possible.

Older adults with hip fractures often have an underlying diagnosis of osteoporosis (brittle bones). As you have indicated, we know that complications associated with hip fractures in this age group are common -- and can be deadly.

Anticoagulation with Coumadin is a way to thin the blood and prevent blood clots that can travel to the heart, lungs, or brain and cause stroke or death. There's a lot of debate yet about the best way to handle situations like you described.

Many times patients who fall and break their hip wonder, Did I fall and then break my hip? Or Did I break my hip and that's why I fell? There is some new evidence that many patients fall and break their hips -- and the reason they fell was because they were having a silent heart attack.

Health care for seniors is taking a decided turn in other countries. In Italy, for example, hospitals that focus on the care of older adults are being developed. With the special needs of this population being addressed, problems like hip fracture can be treated with a geriatric-orthopedic multidisciplinary approach. This article reports on efforts to use an immediate weight-bearing early ambulation (IWB-EA) program after surgery to repair a hip fracture.

Surgeons are faced with many decisions when approaching surgery for patients with a hip fracture. Is the patient in good health? If so, then there's a green light for going ahead with the procedure. Does he or she have a heart health history? If that's the case, the patient needs cardiac testing before going into surgery. Studies show that patients with pre-existing heart problems have an increased risk of heart attack and even death after hip surgery for a hip fracture.