Sportsman's hernia.

Sportsman's hernia (SH) is a controversial cause of chronic groin pain in athletes. Most commonly seen in soccer and ice hockey players, SH can be encountered in a variety of sports and in a variety of age groups. Although there are several reports of SH in women, it is almost exclusively found in men. SH is largely a clinical diagnosis of exclusion. History of chronic groin pain that is nonresponsive to treatment should raise suspicion of SH, but physical examination findings are subtle and most diagnostic tests do not definitively confirm the diagnosis. Conservative treatment of SH does not often result in resolution of symptoms. Surgical intervention results in pain-free return of full activities in a majority of cases.