Sports hernia is also known as athletic pubalgia. It's most common among athletes involved in sports that require twisting and turning at high speed. Soccer, ice hockey, and tennis players are at greatest risk. It's an injury that's been reported just in the last five or six years.

Groin pain on one or both sides is the first symptom. Often the doctor can't find anything with tests or an exam. The exact pathology isn't fully understood and may vary from patient to patient. The structure involved is the inguinal canal. The spermatic cord in men and the round ligament in women are inside this passage. The canal itself is formed by various structures in the abdominal area.

Doctors repairing this injury report tendon, oblique, or fascial tears as the main feature of this injury. The fascia gets torn loose from the internal oblique tendon or inguinal ligament. The athlete keeps playing and putting shearing force across the area. More layers of tissue separate from the inguinal ligament resulting in persistent groin pain.

Surgery is usually needed to repair the damage before the pain goes away.