What is Osteitis Pubis (OP)?
The medical term used to describe sports-related groin pain. Osteitis refers to ‘bone inflammation’, while pubis refers to the specific affected bone. Commonly, OP is an overuse injury, that can be triggered by a specific event. It is characterized by pain deep within the front of the pubic bone, which is caused by inflammation. The specific area affected, is the pubic symphysis.
The injury is prevalent amongst load-bearing athletes, such as runners. Soccer players and foot players are also prone to this, due to the frequent kicking pattern.
How does it happen?
The primary cause of OP is instability in the pelvic region, especially if the instability occurs at the articulation between the two side of the pubic bones at the front of the body. The pelvis plays a core role in stabilising, weightbearing and in a number of functional movements, such as walking and running, therefore it is likely to become irritated and inflamed.
What are the signs and symptoms?
Some of the aggravators of OP include: weight-bearing activities, with running and kicking. Pain is often more prominent on one side, however can be bilateral. The pain is usually located at the front of the pelvis and may radiate into the hip and groin area as the condition worsens.
Those experiencing OP tend to have a history of a previous groin strain, as well as lower back pain. It is also common to have a history of a sports hernia in the hip area. Like other inflammatory conditions, the pain may be worse when in use, better when resting and worse overnight into the morning.
How can Physio help?
The physio will be able to assess, diagnose and treat OP in order to get you back to your pre-injury sporting level.
During assessment, the physio will analyse muscle length, strength and control in order to determine the cause of the condition. Your posture in standing, walking and running will also be assessed to determine any irregularities.
Due to the acute nature of OP, it is likely that rest will be prescribed initially to allow the bone time to heal. Following this period, they will be able to progress you through a rehab program aimed at getting you back on track.
The rehab program is likely to retrain your muscles to correctly stabilize the pelvis when walking, running and kicking, as well as increase flexibility to help stabilize the pelvis. The physio will give you specific exercises to target the strength and flexibility of these muscles. After appropriate time participating in the rehab, the physio will look to progress you to running and kicking, allowing a gradual return to sport.
The information in this newsletter is not a replacement for proper medical advice.
Always see a medical professional for an assessment of your condition.