Sports Hernia Surgery: All Of Your Questions Answered

Sports Hernia Physical Therapy | Written by Jon Chambers | Updated on 27 December 2021

Before we get into any rehab procedures, or the method I personally used to completely come back, it is absolutely critical to talk about the darker side of this debilitation: full-on surgery.

Do I Need Surgery?

In most cases, you will need to get surgery for the injury. While it seems daunting at first, the procedure is one that can be replicated well by a skilled doctor–but you must make absolute sure that you pick the correct one.

There are many options when it comes to choosing a physician, but there are several key things to consider. In the world of athletic pubalgia repair, it’s critical that you understand there are two ways to go about treating the injury:

  1. Insertion of a mesh-like material to help strengthen the affected area, usually plagued by micro-tears
  2. ‘Minimal Repair Technique’ pioneered by the German Dr. Muschaweck

Beyond a shadow of a doubt, it is critical that mesh be absolutely avoided when looking to correct this debilitation. Why? Mesh inserted in the pubic crease will cause great shearing forces on the already-tender injury site. Just think about it–the hip region is a very ‘high-traffic, compound area’ that is constantly being strained anytime you take a step. Now imagine that area has small tears throughout, with a large piece of foreign mesh to make things even worse. Each movement of your legs will cause the mesh to flex against the musculature deficiency; this is not good.

Instead, you should seek out a doctor that is skilled and trained in using the minimal suture repair approach. This methodology uses stitches, and your own organic tissue, to ‘double over’ the effected area, strengthening and reinforcing it. Here is a video outlining the process:

It can be tough to find a doctor who knows what they are doing when it comes to this specific procedure. However, if you are serious about resolving your issue once and for all, with 100% recovery, it is absolutely imperative that you do your research to locate a medical professional who knows what they are doing. Plenty of general doctors will jump at any chance to perform this repair, but in reality have very little actual knowledge. Do you want to be someone’s practice dummy? I sure don’t.

How Much Does It Cost Though?

My minimal suture repair surgery cost just over $6,000. I had to procedure done at Rutgers hospital in New Brunswick, NJ. It may be a large financial burden, but if you’ve lived with this pain for any extended period of time, you know just how terrible it is. 10 times of of 10, I would go through with the surgery if I had to do it all over. My quality of life improved dramatically, and I can once again train 100% pain free.

If you are on the fence about whether or not to get surgery, that’s okay. Before you even venture in that direction you must begin with the rehab protocol. Not only does it have the chance to heal you without going under the knife, if you do end up having to go down that path, your surgery will have a much higher chance of success because you have taken the critical steps to prepare your body!

About the Author

Squatting 500 pounds on an ohio rogue bar with a sports hernia

Jon Chambers

Jon Chambers is a powerlifter, strength coach, sports hernia expert, and writer involved in the strength training community for almost a decade on a mission to create the best strength and fitness guides on the web.