Athletic Pubalgia which is more commonly referred to as Sports Hernia is a constellation of symptoms including lower abdominal and groin pain. Sports Hernia can often be a misnomer as it can be found in athletes and nonathletes alike. However, certain sports do place people at higher risk of developing Athletic Pubalgia.

Athletic Pubalgia can be a very confusing topic. Simply defined it is a weakness or tearing of the rectus abdominus insertion on the superior pubic ramus. Most lower abdominal or groin injuries in the athlete are self-limiting and often resolve spontaneously over 3 to 4 weeks.1 The differential diagnosis for lower abdominal and groin injuries is broad. It includes things such as hip joint injuries, injury to muscles of the thigh, injuries to the abdominal wall, and even injuries to the genitourinary system.2,3 This broad range of symptoms can make it difficult to fulfill the diagnostic criteria associated with Athletic Pubalgia, which can significantly delay diagnosis and treatment.

Gilmore was the first to recognize and surgically treat a syndrome of lower abdominal and groin pain in a group of athletes.4 He reported his experience of 313 athletes who presented with groin pain and eventually underwent surgery.4,5 Gilmore found that most of the athletes who suffered from this issue were soccer players. During the same period in Europe, there were similar reports of lower abdominal and groin pain in soccer players that was referred to as pubalgia by D.C. Taylor.6 Taylor published about a group of athletes who were unable to compete due to abnormalities of the abdominal wall in the groin region.6 These abnormalities included palpable and non-palpable hernias, as well as microscopic tears and avulsions of the internal oblique muscles.6 Gilmore and Taylor's described a muscular based injury in athletes. However, there is a second historical hypothesis posed separately by Gullmo, Ekberg, and Polglase. They all individually believed the issue was related to a posterior inguinal wall hernia.7,8,9