Anterior groin pain in athletes as a consequence of bone diseases: etiopathogenesis, diagnosis and principles of treatment.

Although athletic injuries at the hip occur less commonly than injuries in the extremities, groin pain is an insidious condition in athletes with significant morbidity, which leads to time away from training and competition, and may result in a career ending event. The anatomy and biomechanics of hip and pelvis are among the most complex and controversial in the musculoskeletal system. Groin pain may result from an acute or chronic repetitive trauma and also from systemic diseases. The differential diagnosis of hip pain is broad and includes bone injuries, intra- and extra-articular pathologies, neuropathies and also visceral diseases. All these make an accurate diagnosis and well-organized treatment plan critical. The different available imaging modalities are effective useful when selected on the basis of a through history and physical examination, thus facilitating the treatment. This article briefly summarizes the different hip and groin conditions affecting athletic patients and highlights specifically bone injuries that determines anterior pelvic pain.