"My hip and groin have been niggling for weeks — can I keep playing footy (Aussie Rules)?"
This is one of the trickiest questions we get asked, and honestly, there isn't a one-size-fits-all answer — which is exactly why hip and groin pain trips up so many AFL players. Unlike a sharp hamstring strain where the "stop and get assessed" message is obvious, groin pain tends to creep in gradually, sit in a grey area, and leave players unsure whether they're dealing with something serious or just normal footy soreness. Let's unpack why that grey area exists, and how to actually navigate it.
Why hip and groin pain is so common — and so easy to get wrong
Your hips and groin work hard in every direction, all game
Unlike a lot of running injuries that come from repetitive movement in one plane, AFL asks an enormous amount of your hips and groin in multiple directions simultaneously — sprinting, sudden changes of direction, kicking, tackling, and stabilising against contact. Because these muscles are constantly working to accelerate, decelerate, and stabilise from all angles, they're under a huge and varied load across a season. That's part of why hip and groin issues are so prevalent in AFL compared to sports with more predictable movement patterns.
Strength ratios matter as much as raw strength
This is a big one, and it's often missed. It's not enough to know your adductor (inner thigh) strength in isolation — what really matters is the relationship between your adductor and abductor (outer hip) strength, along with how those numbers compare to normal ranges and to your other leg. A player can have "strong" adductors that are still weak relative to their abductors, and that imbalance is one of the most consistently linked factors to groin injury risk in field sport athletes. Testing this properly gives us a genuine, measurable target — rather than just guessing based on how the muscle feels.
Hip and groin pain is a genuine grey area — which is why accurate diagnosis matters
Groin pain is notorious for having several possible sources — it might be muscular, related to the hip joint itself, involve the pubic symphysis (joint at the front of your pelvis), or even abdominal strains and hernias. Two players can describe almost identical symptoms and be dealing with completely different underlying issues. This is exactly why "just rest it and see" is such a risky strategy with groin pain specifically — without an accurate diagnosis, you genuinely don't know whether you're managing a minor muscular niggle or loading through something that needs a different approach entirely.
Some pain is okay to play through — but you need to know which kind
Here's the part that often surprises players: we don't expect footy to be entirely pain-free, and for many groin issues, playing with a controlled, low level of discomfort is actually a reasonable and safe part of managing the injury — as long as we know what we're dealing with. The key word is controlled. Pain that stays mild and settles quickly after the session is very different from pain that escalates during the game, lingers for days, or changes how you're moving. The problem isn't pain itself — it's playing on pain without knowing which category yours falls into.
What this means for you
Get your strength properly tested, including the ratio between adductor and abductor strength, not just how "tight" or sore the area feels.
Don't self-diagnose based on symptoms alone. Groin pain sources overlap significantly, and treating the wrong one wastes valuable time.
Track your pain pattern, not just its presence. Does it stay mild and settle after the session, or does it build during play and linger afterward? That distinction matters more than whether it hurts at all.
Don't assume rest is automatically the safest option. For many groin issues, staying active with the right modifications is actually part of effective management — but that call needs to be an informed one.
When to see a physio
Come in as soon as hip or groin discomfort becomes a regular pattern rather than a one-off tweak — even if it's mild. Because there are so many possible structures involved, getting an accurate diagnosis early makes every decision after that point far more straightforward, including whether and how you should keep training and playing. It's also worth booking in if pain is changing during a game, not settling within a day or two, or if you've noticed a strength imbalance between sides.
At Reforge Physio, we test what's actually happening in your hips and groin — strength ratios, movement patterns, and an accurate diagnosis — so you're not guessing whether it's safe to keep playing. You're making that call with real information behind it.
