This page offers the answers to some of the most common questions related to pain occurring within the groin area, as well as the procedures used to diagnose and treat it effectively. Click on the questions to reveal the answers. Additional questions and answers about spine-related pain and our procedures are featured in the Ask the Doctors section.

1. What are the common causes of groin pain?

   The hip & low back can create groin pain. It is important to rule out other common causes such as hernias before evaluating the hip & low back.

2. Can my groin hurt even though the pain is coming from my spine?

   Yes, very commonly the nerves in the lower back can create groin pain.

3. Can my hip create groin pain?

   Yes, when the hip joint becomes inflamed the most common location of pain is in the groin area.

4. Can you diagnose whether the groin pain is coming from the hip or the back just by doing an MRI?

   It may be difficult, as most patients will show some level of degeneration in their lumbar and hip MRI. There is no correlation between the degeneration that you see on an MRI and pain. In other words you can have a MRI of the hip that looks severely degenerative and have no discomfort.

5. How do you diagnose whether the groin pain is coming from the hip or the low back?

   Using a continuous x-ray machine, we place an anesthetic inside the hip joint. We will then assess the patient to see if the pain is gone. If the pain is not relieved then we know that there is another reason that the hip hurts. We will then place an anesthetic on the nerve that goes from the hip to the groin. If the pain is gone within ten to fifteen minutes after the procedure we then have a diagnosis of a lumbar nerve that is creating “referred” pain to the hip.