Inguinal pain in sportsmen

Inguinal disruption is a condition of chronic inguinal pain in athletes, with an incidence of 0.5-6.2% causing many athletes being affected. Inguinal disruption is defined as groin pain where no obvious other pathology exists to explain the symptoms. Appropriate treatment is important for fast resumption of sport activities of the athlete and is aimed toward it specific pathology.

Management of inguinal disruption may start with conservative options (rehabilitation programs, physiotherapy). In case of on-going inguinal pain, surgical repair can be undertaken. The Totally Extraperitoneal Patch (TEP) technique ensures a comprehensive view to the hernia floor and its insertion area. Moreover, the preperitoneal approach is associated with less chronic postoperative pain and a fast recovery to daily activities.

Endoscopic TEP hernia repair with implantation of a lightweight mesh could therefore, be an appealing technique in athletes
with inguinal disruption.



This study will provide a complete assessment of the inguinal area in athletes with chronic inguinal pain before and after
treatment by the Totally Extraperitoneal Patch (TEP) technique. The study population are patients older than 18 years with inguinal pain during or after playing sports longer than 3 months without previous inguinal
surgery and without benefits from physiotherapy.



The aim of this study is to analyze whether treatment with the Totally Extraperitoneal Prostetic technique (TEP) reduce inguinal pain in athletes (“inguinal disruption”)

Treatment with the TEP technique reduces pain in athletes with (chronic) inguinal pain.

- Preoperative

- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 weeks

- 3 months

- Inguinal ultrasound

- X-pelvis/hip

- MRI

- Totally extraperitoneal patch (TEP) plasty