Abdominal wall muscle tears in hockey players.

Groin pain in athletes may be due to muscle strains, referral of pain from internal organs, and/or hernia. This study includes ten elite level hockey players unable to continue their careers due to groin pain. These patients did not present with the typical causes described above, including hernia. They were explored surgically and were found to have tears in the floor of the inguinal ring which were repaired either directly or with a synthetic mesh reinforcement (seven cases). All the patients have subsequently returned to hockey. Because these patients presented with symptoms similar to hernia, but did not have a hernia at the time of surgical exploration, they were considered to have a condition previously described as "sportsman's hernia".