Understanding Femoral Nerve Compression
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Surgically Treating Adductor Longus Tendon Avulsion Injuries in Sports
Your groin and hips are amazing feats of bioengineering that use multiple muscles, bones, tendons, and ligaments to provide stability when you walk, run, or engage in sports. An injury to any one of these key components can keep you sidelined unless you get the right kind of medical care.
Injuries that cause groin pain can be challenging to diagnose and difficult to treat. Fortunately, at Anthony Echo MD, with two offices in Houston, Texas, our board-certified surgeon specializes in expertly diagnosing the cause of your pain providing the best course of treatment possible.
According to research, the majority of sports-related groin injuries involve the adductor tendons. This type of injury usually requires surgical intervention to ensure the athlete can return to play.
If you’re worried about your groin injury and the surgery required to treat it, keep reading to get a closer look at how Dr. Echo uses his surgical expertise and skill to treat these injuries.
What is adductor longus tendon avulsion?
All adductor injuries involve the muscles on the inside of your thigh. The adductors are used to pull your legs together, and injuries typically occur when these inner thigh muscles are stretched too far.
The adductor longus runs from the pubic bone to the femur, and the spot where the muscle and tendon meet is the most common location for this type of injury. Adductor longus tendon injuries are most common in team sports that require pivoting and twisting, like football, basketball, or rugby.
Adductor longus tendon injuries usually involve tears to this tendon, and according to recent research, avulsion (complete detachment) is present in about 75% of these injuries. Symptoms of adductor longus tendon avulsion include:
- Severe pain on the inside of the thigh
- A “popping” noise at the time of the injury
- Bruising or tenderness in the affected area
- Loss of strength in the thigh
If you suspect this injury, it’s important to seek a medical evaluation right away to get the right diagnosis and begin treatment. Once this tendon and muscle are injured, your risk of re-injury increases, especially without the right care.
Surgery for adductor longus tendon avulsion
Before scheduling surgery, Dr. Echo conducts a clinical exam and discusses your symptoms to better understand your injury. He may also order an MRI to confirm the diagnosis before determining whether adductor longus tendon surgery is necessary.
Understanding the surgery
On the day of your surgery, Dr. Echo uses ultrasound technology to map the key physiological “landmarks” along your thigh, such as muscles and veins. Once this map is in place, you receive general anesthesia to keep you comfortable and free from pain throughout the surgery.
Dr. Echo makes a small incision in your thigh to access the injured tissues. He works to position the tendon in the correct location and re-attaches it to the bone using anchors and high-strength medical sutures.
Dr. Echo then carefully attaches the tendon and muscle so the repair works with the same force and direction as your natural movement. To avoid future injury, it’s important that the repair doesn’t create too much tension.
Once the tendon repair is complete, Dr. Echo closes the incision and our team applies a sterile dressing. You can expect to wear a brace during the first phase of your recovery to help keep the tendon in a neutral position and allow it to heal.
Understanding the recovery
The first phase of recovery typically requires you to avoid bearing weight on the affected leg for four to six weeks and engage in physical therapy starting about two weeks after your surgery.
In phase two, you’ll work on regaining your full range of motion and rebuilding your strength. This phase usually lasts until about 12 weeks post-op.
The third phase, usually about 12-16 weeks after surgery, focuses on increasing your strength further and building up your endurance.
Finally, in phase four (typically 16-24 weeks post-op), you’ll work toward returning to sports by progressively building up your abilities. Most patients are cleared to return to their game about six months after surgery.
If you suspect you’ve injured your adductor longus tendon, don’t wait to contact the Anthony Echo, MD office in Houston, Texas, most convenient to you. You may also request a consultation online now.
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