These are the suggestions I give patients in my Boston area Neuromuscular Therapy center to avoid aggravating groin pain.

Avoid prolonged hip flexion: Muscles that are already tight can cramp up if they are left in a shortened position for too long. When you are sitting, get up often to lengthen the muscles and allow the blood to flow freely again. On a car trip, get out as often as you can to stretch. On an airplane, get an aisle seat to allow you to move around. If you work at a desk, find reasons to get up or get fitted for a workstation where you can stand as well as sit. If you can’t do that without being noticed, see the section on groin stretches for things you can do at your desk. Seats that are deep put you in a jackknifed postion.

Crouching and lifting heavy objects from a flexed starting position can cause cramping. Those in the building trades, mothers with small children and weight-lifting body-builders are susceptible here.

Keep your legs uncrossed when you sit. That position shortens all of the adductors, especially the pectineus.

Check your sleeping position and avoid sleeping curled up in a ball. Even side-sleeping with the knees drawn up can be a problem if you stay in that position for hours. Try going to sleep on your back and see if you can stay there for the first four hours. Stomach sleeping is good if you don’t have a bad neck. The best position I know is turned half on your stomach with your bottom leg fully extended, bottom arm behind you, and your other knee drawn up. At least one hip is straight and the hip is more open on the bent leg. If you have to sleep on your side, put a pillow between your knees to keep your thighs separated.

Active contraction of the inner thighs like horseback riding or anything where you sqeeze your knees together should be avoided when you are symptomatic. For women, sexual intercourse can be painful.

Vigorous use of the legs that stretch the muscles too fast, including long stride fast walking can activate Trigger Points.