Inner Thigh Pain on Long Rides

[Milosboy]

I've been experiencing some inner thigh pain lately on my training rides, that I believe are related to either the adductor muscles or the pectineus, in the immediate groin area just under the hip.
My question is, has anyone else experienced this or is it just me? Does anyone have any ideas of what it may be caused by?
The pain is exclusively when I am lowering my leg in the pedal stroke, and it's only on the left side.

I bring this up because I haven't experienced it in the past year and a half of distance riding I've done, and honestly it can be debilitating at times. It's arrival leads me to believe that there is an issue with my fitting, either in the seat angle or height, or with the position of my feet on the pedals.

[Nurse Ben]

I've had a similar pain from alpine ski touring, usually when I got out and do more than I'm used to, early season for instance. I believe it is the same pain I first suffered from an overtraining injury on road bikes.

Try changing seat position and/or seat height. It's probably a small tear, some overuse in combination with being a young age? NSAIDs, ice if you stand it, rest, no stretching, but certainly some warm up before riding, and add in some cross training to build supporting muscles.

It probably won't hurt you to keep riding, but if it doesn't get better then you ought to have it looked at since it could be something else, like a hernia

[johnfoss]

If it's only on one side, there may be something out of alignment in your riding position. I tend to sit "crooked" on the saddle, with the left side of my pelvis slightly lower than the right. This affects the chafing I get on long rides.

[Milosboy]

Thanks for the responses. I'll rest for now with some light riding, maybe mess with the seat position a bit. I'll take a look at what John said, too. If it's an issue with how I'm riding, I need to solve it now.

[jbtilley]

Several months ago I would get that on both sides all the time. I'd start a ride and notice that those muscles were unusually sore.

I'm sure my case is different because it was probably just an instance where the muscles were fatigued from previous rides. In my case the pain would largely go away once I warmed up and had been riding for a few miles. It still comes back from time to time but not nearly as often.

Over the last several months it's always a new muscle group that gets strained. The strain seems to move from one group to another - I'll have a good week, maybe two, then a strain will occur somewhere new.

[Milosboy]

Originally Posted by jbtilley

I'm sure my case is different because it was probably just an instance where the muscles were fatigued from previous rides. In my case the pain would largely go away once I warmed up and had been riding for a few miles. It still comes back from time to time but not nearly as often.

Mine gets worse as I keep riding. I'm with Nurse Ben that it's just a tear. It doesn't feel like typical soreness. If anything, it's a minor nagging pain that is accentuated as I go along.

Originally Posted by jbtilley

Over the last several months it's always a new muscle group that gets strained. The strain seems to move from one group to another - I'll have a good week, maybe two, then a strain will occur somewhere new.

That's eccentric. I hope you get that cleared up; it sounds torturous.

[jbtilley]

I'm hoping it's just a conditioning thing. One muscle group gets strong enough to allow for harder riding thereby exposing the next weakest muscle group in line. That and I suspect one leg is a hair shorter than the other. Most of the strains occur on the same side.

[Nurse Ben]

Most of the strains occur on the same side.

On one side and you're that side handed or tend to start with your dominant foot forward?

I have all of my joint and crotch issues on the right, I'm right handed and tend to start with my right foot forward. I am beginning to think it has something to do with a short leg, but also I am looking at how I wear my saddles more on my dominant side. This weekend I'm going to build up the right side "cheek" area or reduce the left side, and do some narrowing at the "waist" of the seat.

The jewel thing, it comes and goes, not sure there is a solution to that one outside of surgery

[jrapp]

Nurse Ben-
Thanks for posting this about a possible hernia. I was experiencing a similar pain and went to the doctor today. He said I have a small, small hernia and should not cycle for at least one week and see what happens.