Pain guide · Hip pain

Groin pain when running: what's likely, the hip stress fracture not to miss, and how to build back

Most groin pain in runners comes from a muscle, a tendon or the hip joint: the inner thigh, the front of the hip, the groin canal, the pubic bone or the joint itself. One cause can't wait: groin or front-of-hip pain that builds with every run, or hurts at night, can be a stress fracture of the hip and needs checking the same day, and eating too little for your training raises the risk.

This guide starts with that and the other warning signs, then maps the likely causes, what to change in your running, how much pain is fine, and a three-stage plan from squeezes and support through adductor and hip strength to the walk-jog programme an NHS sports medicine service uses, with a 3D demo of every move. It teaches; it doesn't diagnose.

3-stage exercise plan When to get help 27 sourcesUpdated 23 October 2026

When to get help first

Exercise is for pain that has been checked or is clearly mild and settling.

Get urgent medical help if

Same day, and stop running now: groin or front-of-hip pain in a runner, sometimes felt in the thigh or knee, that builds with running, hurts with every step or at night, or hurts when the hip is turned to the end of its range. Keep weight off the leg, using crutches if you have them, and get an urgent GP appointment or help from NHS 111 the same day: a stress fracture of the hip (femoral neck) needs urgent imaging.
Severe hip pain after a fall or injury, or you cannot stand, walk or put weight on the leg. In an older adult this can be a broken hip; the leg may look shorter or turned outward.
Same day: a teenager with sudden pain at the front or top of the hip bone after a sprint, kick or jump, often with a pop. A piece of growth plate can pull off the pelvis (an avulsion fracture), and it needs an X-ray the same day.
A hot, swollen hip, or hip pain with a fever or feeling generally unwell (a possible joint infection).
Go to A&E or call 999 for sudden, severe pain in a testicle, testicle pain with feeling or being sick or tummy pain, or testicle pain that has lasted more than an hour or continues at rest. It can be a twisted testicle (testicular torsion), which needs treating straight away. For a lump, swelling or a change in a testicle's size or shape, ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111.
Call 999 or go to A&E now if you have a femoral hernia (a small lump at the top of the thigh, in the groin) and very bad tummy pain, you feel sick or are being sick, you cannot fart or poo, you have a high temperature or feel hot, cold or shivery, or you've suddenly become confused. It may be strangulated, which is an emergency. Don't drive yourself.
Get help from NHS 111 if you have a hernia (a lump in the groin or tummy) and pain in or around it, a bloated tummy, you feel sick or are being sick, your vomit looks like coffee grounds, you're constipated, you have a high temperature or feel hot, cold or shivery, or you've suddenly become confused.
Tingling or loss of feeling in the hip or leg after an injury.
Buttock or leg pain with numbness around the genitals or bottom, new trouble controlling your bladder or bowels, or weakness or numbness in both legs.
A child or teenager with sudden hip, thigh or knee pain, a limp, or who will not put weight on a leg. Hip problems in children can sometimes be felt in the thigh or knee, and in some children knee pain is the only sign.

See a doctor or physiotherapist if

Pain in one spot on the pubic bone, or low back or buttock pain on one side, brought on by running in a distance runner, especially if your periods have stopped or become irregular, you've lost weight or you've had a stress fracture before: stop running and see a GP. It can be a stress fracture of the pelvis or the sacrum, and a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan is the usual test.
A stress fracture from ordinary activity, more than one stress fracture, periods that have stopped or become irregular, or worries that you're eating too little for your training: see a GP about bone health and energy intake.
A lump in the groin, or groin pain with coughing or straining (a possible hernia).
Painful catching or locking deep in the groin, or a hip that gives way: get it assessed.
Groin pain with blood in your pee, pain when you pee, or no clear link to sport: see a GP, as it's unlikely to be a sports injury.
Hip pain that stops normal activities or disturbs sleep, keeps getting worse, or has not improved after 2 weeks of looking after it at home.
Hip or groin pain that hasn't settled after 6 weeks, especially with a normal X-ray, or new hip pain if you take high-dose steroids, drink heavily, or have sickle cell disease or lupus: ask your GP about an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan and a hip specialist. It can be avascular necrosis, which an X-ray can miss early on.

Where does it hurt?

Location narrows the likely causes; it does not diagnose.

The groin or front of the hip, building with every run

Late in runs at first, then limiting the run, then with every step, at rest or at night, sometimes felt in the thigh or knee, often with a limp or pain turning the hip to the end of its range: a possible stress fracture of the hip (femoral neck). Stop running and get it checked the same day.

Read: Stress fracture →One spot on the lower pubic bone, or low on one side of the pelvis

Builds with every run, especially in a distance runner with irregular periods, weight loss or a past stress fracture: a possible stress fracture of the pelvis or the sacrum.

Read: Stress fracture →The inner thigh, close to the groin

With speed changes, sprints, cutting and kicking, pain squeezing the knees together and tenderness on the tendon: adductor-related groin pain.

Read: Groin strain →The front of the hip when you lift the knee

Uphill, in strides and with high knees, and painful lifting the leg against resistance: hip flexor (iliopsoas-related) pain.

Read: Hip flexor pain →Right on the pubic bone at the front, often both sides

Running, kicking, or getting out of a car or bed, and tender on the bone itself: pubic-related groin pain (osteitis pubis).

Read: Osteitis pubis →The lower tummy just above the groin crease, without a lump

Sprinting, sit-ups, coughing or sneezing, and tender over the groin canal: inguinal-related groin pain, often called a sports hernia.

Read: Sports hernia →A lump in the groin or upper thigh that comes and goes

It may get bigger when you cough or sneeze and smaller when you lie down, sometimes with a heavy, dragging feeling in the leg: a hernia. See a GP, and see the warning signs for when it's urgent. The sports hernia guide explains how it differs.

Read: Sports hernia →Deep in the groin, a pinch with deep bending

Sitting low, getting out of a car or running up steep hills: possibly hip impingement.

Read: Hip impingement (FAI) →Deep in the groin, with clicking, catching or locking

Running and turning: possibly a labral tear.

Read: Hip labral tear →The groin and front of the thigh from mid-life, stiff to get going

After runs and in the morning, with stiffness that lasts 30 minutes or less: possibly hip arthritis.

Read: Hip arthritis →A teenager with sudden pain at the front of the hip bone after a sprint or kick

At the moment, often with a pop: a piece of growth plate can pull off the pelvis. It needs an X-ray the same day.

Read: Hip pointer →A child or teenager with groin, thigh or knee pain and a limp

For days or weeks, sometimes with the foot turned out: possibly a slipped upper femoral epiphysis, which needs checking the same day.

Read: SUFE (slipped hip growth plate) →The pubic bone or groin in pregnancy or after giving birth

Walking, climbing stairs and standing on one leg: pelvic girdle pain.

Read: Pelvic girdle pain (SPD) →

Groin pain with a fever, or a hot, swollen hip

With feeling unwell: a possible infection. Get help the same day.

Sudden, severe testicle pain

With feeling sick or tummy pain: possibly a twisted testicle. Go to A&E or call 999.

The outer hip, the sitting bone or the buttock rather than the groin

Our hip pain when running guide maps these.

Read: Hip pain when running →

Understand it

The Doha map of groin painStrong evidence

An international agreement (the Doha agreement) sorts groin pain in athletes by where it comes from, using the history and the examination: adductor-related (the inner thigh), iliopsoas-related (the hip flexor at the front of the hip), inguinal-related (the groin canal) and pubic-related (the pubic bone), then hip-related groin pain, then other causes. A "sports hernia" is inguinal-related groin pain, without a hernia you can feel.

Hip and groin injuries are about 1 in 9 new running injuries in pooled studies, and across 10 studies of 7,353 runners they were 11% of women's running injuries and 6% of men's.

Sources 1, 2, 3

The stress fracture that mustn't be missedEmerging evidence

Stress fractures of the hip (femoral neck) are about 3% of stress fractures in sport, and commonest in marathon and long-distance runners and in women. The pain is felt in the groin or the front of the hip, late in a run at first, then building until it limits the run, then with every step, at rest and at night. In a review, pain at the end of the hip's range was found in 79%, while a heel-strike test was positive in only 6%. Up to two-thirds show nothing on the first X-ray; magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the next test and is close to 100% accurate.

A crack on the upper (tension) side of the femoral neck, or one that has shifted, usually needs an operation, and carrying on running makes shifting more likely. About half of athletes don't get back to their previous level, up to 60% after a shifted fracture, while fractures caught early, before they shift, have done much better. Stress fractures of the lower pubic bones and the sacrum also happen in runners; they're lower risk, and MRI is the preferred test.

Sources 4, 5

Eating enough, periods and boneEmerging evidence

Eating too little for the training you do (low energy availability) harms health and performance in women and men; the International Olympic Committee calls it relative energy deficiency in sport (REDs). In 259 active girls and women, bone stress injuries rose from about 15 to 20% with one risk factor of the female athlete triad (disordered eating, periods stopping, low bone density) to 30 to 50% with several. In collegiate distance runners, there were 32 bone stress injuries per 100 athlete-years: 45 in women and 20 in men.

The higher risk of hip stress fractures in women is thought to come from the triad. The NHS says see a GP if you've missed your period 3 times in a row, and lists doing too much exercise and sudden weight loss among the causes of missed periods.

Sources 6, 7, 8, 4, 9

When a scan helps, and what it can't tell youEmerging evidence

For a suspected hip stress fracture, an X-ray comes first but often looks normal, and MRI is the next test; MRI is also the preferred test for stress injuries around the pelvis. Hip impingement (femoroacetabular impingement syndrome) needs symptoms, examination signs and imaging together, an international agreement says, so a scan finding alone doesn't make the diagnosis; the impingement and labral tear guides explain why.

Adductor and hip flexor injuries are diagnosed by examination. In acute adductor injuries, the MRI grade didn't change the return time for grades 0 to 2, while a complete tear took much longer.

Sources 4, 5, 10, 11

How it usually goesEmerging evidence

In new runners, hip flexor (iliopsoas) injuries took a middle of 71 days to recover and adductor tendon pain 101. After an acute adductor injury, male athletes were back in full training in a middle of 18 days for milder injuries and 78 for a complete tear. Long-standing adductor pain (a middle of 40 weeks in the Hölmich trial) was treated with an 8 to 12 week programme, and hip-related pain gets at least 3 months of exercise.

In pooled studies, 81% of runners returned to sport after a hip or groin injury. No one can promise a date.

Sources 12, 11, 13, 14, 3

What helps, and how strong the evidence is

Active strengthening beat passive treatmentEmerging evidence

In 68 athletes with long-standing adductor-related groin pain, an 8 to 12 week programme of active training for the muscles round the pelvis, especially the adductors, returned 23 athletes to sport without groin pain, against 4 with physiotherapy that didn't include active training. The trial was in athletes, not specifically runners.

Source 13

The Copenhagen adduction exerciseEmerging evidence

In a cluster trial of 652 male semi-professional footballers, a short Copenhagen adduction programme (3 times a week in pre-season, once a week in season) cut groin problems by 41%. In 24 footballers, 8 weeks of it raised lowering (eccentric) adductor strength by 35.7%, with soreness of 0 to 2 out of 10. Both trials were in football, not running.

Sources 15, 16

A return guided by checksEmerging evidence

In 81 male athletes with an acute adductor injury, a programme of basic exercises, progressed alongside a separate running and change-of-direction part, returned them to full training in a middle of 18 days for milder injuries and 78 for a complete tear. Re-injury in the following year was 8%, and lower (5% against 21%) in those who reached a pain-free point on examination before moving on.

Source 11

Hip flexor strengthEmerging evidence

In 33 healthy adults, band hip flexor training 3 times a week for 6 weeks, building from a load you can lift 15 times to one you can lift 8 times, raised hip flexion strength by 17%. We found no treatment trial for hip flexor pain in runners, so the plan borrows this dose.

Source 17

Hip-related pain: at least 3 months of exercise, and keep activeEmerging evidence

An international agreement says hip impingement syndrome needs symptoms, examination signs and imaging together. Consensus recommendations for young to middle-aged active adults with hip-related pain advise exercise-based treatment for at least 3 months, and physical activity, sport included. That supports keeping some running going while you build strength (our reading).

Sources 10, 14

How much pain is OK while you exercise?

The 5 out of 10 rule, starting lowerEmerging evidence

For the exercises, this guide uses the hip hub's rule: during the exercise, pain up to about 5 out of 10 is acceptable. It should settle within an hour or so, and your hip should be no worse that night or the next morning. If it is, do less next time (fewer repetitions, a smaller range, a lighter load), not nothing. The groin strain and hip flexor guides start at 3 out of 10 or less in their first stage, and so does this guide (editorial).

Expect some muscle soreness in the first fortnight of the Copenhagen exercise; built up gradually in a trial, soreness stayed between 0 and 2 out of 10. Soreness isn't groin pain: a sharp pain at the pubic bone or in the groin means stop that exercise (our suggestion). In acute adductor injuries, reaching a pain-free point before moving on went with fewer re-injuries.

Running: easy, straight-line running within the rule, and stop the run for pain that is sharp, builds as you go, or makes you limp. Groin pain that builds with every run, or hurts at night, isn't a pain to manage: stop and get it checked the same day. With any possible bone pain, the rule is no pain during, after or the day after loading.

Sources 18, 16, 11, 4, 19

The exercise plan: 3 stages

Start at the first stage. Each move opens a full guide with a 3D demo.

Stage 1

Settle: squeeze and support

About weeks 0 to 2. Groin or front-of-hip pain that builds with running, or hurts with every step or at night, needs checking before any exercise or running. Otherwise: holds for the adductors, bridges and a side plank from the knees, with easy, straight-line running only within the pain rule, or cross-training. Keep pain at 3 out of 10 or less in the exercises, as the groin strain guide does. Doses are editorial unless a source is named.

Lying adductor ball squeeze demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoLying adductor ball squeezeBeginner · Other / check instructions

5 to 10 holds of 5 to 10 s · As in the groin strain guide

Harder: Copenhagen plank

Glute bridge demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoGlute bridgeBeginner · No equipment

2 sets of 10 · As in the groin strain guide

Easier: Pelvic tilt into bridge · Harder: Single-leg glute bridge

Knee side plank demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoKnee side plankBeginner · No equipment

3 holds of 15 to 20 s each side · As in the groin strain guide

Harder: Side plank

Dead bug heel taps demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoDead bug heel tapsBeginner · No equipment

2 sets of 6 to 8 each side · For pain at the front of the hip, as in the hip flexor guide

Easier: Bent-knee fall-out · Harder: Forearm plank

Stationary cycling demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoStationary cyclingBeginner · Cardio machine

20 to 30 min, easy, if it's pain-free · Not with possible bone pain

Easier: Recumbent exercise bike · Harder: Air bike intervals

Move on when: A firm squeeze is pain-free, and walking and stairs are comfortable.

Follow along: a timer, a cue and the next move, one step at a time.

Stage 2

Build: adductors, hip flexors and one-leg strength

About weeks 2 to 6, three sessions a week: the adductor progression starts, with band hip flexor work and single-leg strength. Running carries on within the pain rule. Doses are editorial unless a source is named.

Side-lying inner thigh lift (Pilates side kick series) demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoSide-lying inner thigh lift (Pilates side kick series)Beginner · No equipment

10 to 12 each side · The move page's dose, a suggested starting point. Our hamstring and groin workout uses side-lying adduction as the Copenhagen programme's first level

Easier: Side kick (Pilates side kick series) · Harder: Kneeling side kick (Pilates side kick kneeling)

Standing band hip adduction demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoStanding band hip adductionBeginner · A band + An anchor point

3 sets of 10 to 12 each side · As in the groin strain guide

Easier: Lying adductor ball squeeze · Harder: Copenhagen plank

Standing band hip flexion demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoStanding band hip flexionBeginner · A band + An anchor point

3 times a week, about 10 min, from a load you can lift 15 times to one you can lift 8 times, over 6 weeks · The hip flexor trial's dose, in healthy adults

Easier: Standing march · Harder: Captain's chair knee raise

Split squat demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoSplit squatIntermediate · No equipment

3 sets of 8 each side · As in the groin strain guide

Easier: Bodyweight squat · Harder: Reverse lunge

Lateral band walk demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoLateral band walkBeginner · A band

2 sets of 10 to 15 steps each way

Easier: Hip abduction machine · Harder: Lateral band walk, band at the feet

Side plank demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoSide plankIntermediate · No equipment

3 holds of 20 to 30 s each side

Easier: Knee side plank · Harder: Side plank with leg lift

Move on when: Side-to-side moves and squeezing the knees together are pain-free, and 30 minutes of brisk walking is pain-free (the NHS service's starting point for running).

Follow along: a timer, a cue and the next move, one step at a time.

Stage 3

Copenhagen levels, then walk-jog back

From about week 6; after a hip or pelvic stress fracture, only when your specialist says the bone has healed. The Copenhagen adduction exercise 3 times a week, then once a week to keep it, as in the football trial; running returns through the NHS service's walk-jog programme, with speed changes, strides, hills and trails last. With hip-related pain, keep the exercise going for at least 3 months, as the consensus advises.

Copenhagen plank demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoCopenhagen plankAdvanced · A bench or box

Short lever (the top knee on the bench) first: 1 set of 3 to 15 each side, 3 times a week, then once a week · Our hamstring and groin workout's levels, from the Norwegian football programme. Not during acute groin pain; expect soreness for a fortnight, as the move page says

Easier: Hip adduction machine

Treadmill jogging demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoTreadmill joggingIntermediate · Cardio machine

Every other day for 30 min: week 1, jog 1 min and walk 1 min; week 2, jog 2 and walk 1; week 3, jog 4 and walk 1; week 4, jog 9 and walk 1; week 5, jog 15 and walk 1; week 6, jog 30 min · The NHS service's programme: move up a level after a week without pain, and down a level if you get pain. Flat ground outdoors counts

Easier: Treadmill walking · Harder: Sprint intervals

Single-leg Romanian deadlift demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoSingle-leg Romanian deadliftAdvanced · A dumbbell

3 sets of 8 each leg

Easier: Dumbbell Romanian deadlift

3D demoSkippingBeginner · No equipment

3 runs of 20 m, then strides

Easier: Ankle bounces (mini pogo) · Harder: Alternate-leg bounding

Lateral bound (skater jump) demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoLateral bound (skater jump)Beginner · No equipment

3 sets of 6 to 8 bounds (3 or 4 on each leg), resting a minute between sets · The move page's dose. Last, once side-to-side moves are pain-free; for trail and cross-country runners

Harder: Bench jump-over

Move on when: The walk-jog programme's rules: up a level after a week without pain, down a level with pain, and from week 7 no more than about 10% a week, as the NHS service advises. Sprints, speed changes and hills should be pain-free before you race (our suggestion).

Follow along: a timer, a cue and the next move, one step at a time.

What to change for now

What to change in your running today (written steps)

Our 3D figure can't show these changes. They come from reviews of hip and pelvic stress fractures, an NHS service's return to running programme, NHS pages and a large cohort of runners, and where a step is our suggestion, it says so.

1. Groin or front-of-hip pain that builds with every run, or hurts at night or with every step: stop running, keep weight off the leg and get it checked the same day.
2. One spot on the pubic bone, or low on one side of the pelvis, that hurts with every step: stop running and see a GP; MRI is the usual test.
3. Otherwise: easy, flat, straight-line running within the pain rule, every other day at first. Leave out sprints, strides, sudden speed changes, steep hills, cutting and kicking for now, and bring them back last (our suggestion: they load the adductors, hip flexors and lower tummy wall).
4. With pain at the front of the hip, uphill running and strides go first (our suggestion).
5. Keep each run within your longest pain-free run of the past month: single runs far beyond the recent longest went with more injuries in 5,205 runners. The NHS suggests doing a similar run 3 or 4 times before adding pace or distance.
6. Eat enough for your training. See a GP if you've had a stress fracture from ordinary training or more than one, your periods have stopped or become irregular, or you think you may be eating too little.

Sources 4, 5, 20, 21, 22, 6, 9

Injections and surgery

A stress fracture on the upper (tension) side of the femoral neck, or one that has shifted, usually needs surgery: a specialist's decision. Hip arthroscopy and sports hernia surgery are covered in their own guides. For long-standing adductor pain, the trial evidence is for active strengthening, not passive treatment.

Sources 4, 13, 15

Positions to swap, and why

Habit or position	Why it matters	Instead
Running on through groin pain that builds with every run	A stress fracture of the femoral neck can shift if you keep loading it.	Stop, keep weight off the leg and get it checked the same day.
Sprints, strides, sudden speed changes and cutting	They load the adductors, hip flexors and lower tummy wall (our reading).	Easy, straight-line running.Try: Treadmill jogging
Stretching the adductors hard as the fix	The trials that helped built strength, and the inner thigh stretch's own page says skip it after a recent groin strain.	Squeezes and side-lying lifts.Try: Lying adductor ball squeeze
The Copenhagen plank while the groin is acutely painful	The move page says avoid it during acute groin pain.	The ball squeeze.Try: Lying adductor ball squeeze
Deep hip positions into a pinch, with deep groin pain	The pinch position is the one the impingement test uses, as the impingement guide explains.	Strength work above the depth that pinches.Try: Glute bridge
Steep hills and high-knee drills with pain at the front of the hip	They load the hip flexors (our reading, as in the hip pain when running guide).	Flat, easy running.Try: Treadmill jogging
Rolling a recent groin strain	The adductor rolling move's page says keep off a recent groin strain.	Gentle loading.Try: Lying adductor ball squeeze
Training hard on too little food	Low energy availability harms bone, in women and men.	Eat enough for your training, and see a GP if your periods stop.

Routines to follow

Hamstring and groin injury prevention

The Nordic hamstring and Copenhagen adduction programmes from the football trials: a 10-week build, three adductor levels, then once a week in season.

15 minIntermediate6 movesA wall, An anchor point

Pilates for runners: trunk, hips and single-leg control

A 30-minute mat Pilates workout for runners, adapted from one small trial's programme: the abdominal series, side kicks for the hips, planks and balance.

30 minIntermediate18 movesA wall

Strength workout for runners at home

A 40-minute strength workout for runners at home: hops, Bulgarian split squats, single-leg deadlifts, step-ups, calf raises and side planks.

40 minIntermediate15 movesA wall, A bench or box

Run-walk intervals for beginners

A 30-minute beginner run-walk session: a brisk walk, then 1-minute jogs with 1-minute walks, building to 3-minute runs over your first three weeks.

30 minBeginner5 movesCardio machine, A wall

More moves for this area

Questions people ask

When is groin pain from running serious?

Groin or front-of-hip pain that builds with running, hurts with every step or at night, or hurts turning the hip needs a same-day check: it can be a stress fracture of the hip. A hernia lump with pain, sickness or a fever needs NHS 111, and 999 if it's a femoral hernia with very bad tummy pain or you can't fart or poo. Sudden, severe testicle pain needs A&E.

What causes groin pain when running?

Usually a muscle, a tendon or the joint: the inner thigh (adductors), the front of the hip (hip flexors), the groin canal, the pubic bone or the hip joint. A stress fracture comes first in a runner whose pain builds with every run.

Can I keep running with groin pain?

Not with a possible stress fracture. With a strain or tendon pain, easy, straight-line running within the pain rule is usually fine; leave out sprints, speed changes and hills for now (our suggestion).

Is it a groin strain or a hernia?

A strain hurts on the inner thigh tendon, especially squeezing the knees together. A hernia is a lump that may get bigger when you cough and smaller when you lie down; a "sports hernia" is groin-canal pain without a lump. See a GP about any lump.

Is groin pain from running more common in women?

Hip and groin injuries made up a bigger share of women's running injuries (11% against 6%), and hip stress fractures are commoner in women. Eating too little for your training and periods stopping raise the risk of bone stress injuries.

Do I need a scan?

For a suspected hip stress fracture, an X-ray comes first and then MRI, because the first X-ray is often normal. Stress injuries around the pelvis are best seen on MRI, and hip-related pain needs symptoms, an examination and imaging together.

What exercises help groin pain?

Strengthening: an active programme for the muscles round the pelvis helped athletes with long-standing adductor pain, and the Copenhagen adduction exercise cut groin problems in footballers. Neither was tested in runners.

Should I stretch my groin?

Not hard while it's sore: the trials that helped were built on strength, not stretching. Gentle movement within the pain rule is fine.

Could not eating enough be part of it?

For bone, yes: low energy availability harms bone in women and men, and bone stress injuries became commoner as risk factors stacked up. See a GP if your periods have stopped or become irregular, or you've had more than one stress fracture.

How long does a groin strain take?

After an acute adductor injury, athletes were back in full training in a middle of 18 days for milder injuries and 78 for a complete tear. Long-standing pain was treated with an 8 to 12 week programme. No one can promise a date.

Why does the front of my hip hurt when I lift my knee to run?

Usually the hip flexors (iliopsoas), worse with strides, hills and high knees; band strength work builds them. Pain that builds with every run is the stress fracture check instead.

Related exercise guides

Other pain guides

Sources

Exercise education, not a diagnosis or treatment plan. It is written from the guidelines and studies listed above; review by a clinician is pending. If your pain follows an injury, is severe, is getting worse, or comes with any warning sign listed on this page, get it assessed. Health disclaimer.