In a lengthy letter, an eighteen-year-old volleyball player sought advice for her problem. Over the past year, she had occasionally experienced groin pain, which would spontaneously disappear or resolve completely with short physiotherapy, only to recur after some time. Initially diagnosed as a groin muscle strain, recent X-rays revealed hip dysplasia.

Her questions revolved around treatment methods and prevention of future pain, as well as the risks associated with playing volleyball with this diagnosis.

In sports physiotherapy, we are always searching for the underlying cause of symptoms that hinder an athlete’s normal training and competition. Muscle strains and partial ruptures are convincingly the most common reasons why young and older athletes seek the help of a sports physiotherapist. As these injuries are usually benign, relatively easy to diagnose, and treatable, we rarely conduct a full examination of surrounding joints, but we should. Processes within them can be direct causes of muscle pain that may appear as a strain but are not, or they can set the stage for muscle damage. We see dozens of cases like this girl’s every year.

Hip dysplasia is a term we use to describe a greater or lesser incongruity of joint bodies (the head and socket). In the hip area, it’s most often a shallow socket compared to the head of the femur. Such a condition may or may not cause pain.

In this particular case, the hip dysplasia isn’t severe enough to warrant a ban on sports activities. However, modifying training loads along with appropriate therapeutic exercises is a necessary change to make. Regular check-ups with an orthopedist and physiotherapist are necessary throughout the entire period of intensive sports activities. As always, a proper and specific diagnosis is half the battle on the road to injury recovery or pain management.