RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Summer is the season of pick-up basketball games and tennis matches, so sports medicine experts are likely to see more patients with groin pain now than during any other season. “We commonly consider groin injuries and muscle strains around the hip to be related more to playing sports than exercising,” says C. David Geier, Jr., M.D., director of sports medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina and a spokesman for the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. This is because exercising on machines follows controlled movements, while most field and court sports require quick bursts of speed as well as frequent changes in direction, which can put strain and stress on muscles in the groin. Pain in the groin is usually the result of overstretching the adductor muscles, which help stabilize the hip joint. When these muscles are stretched beyond their limits, they can tear and become sore to the touch, and even cause swelling and bruising. The result: You’re sitting the next one out.

To prevent groin pulls, be sure to warm up and stretch before activities that leave your leg muscles more vulnerable to tears. And follow this activity-specific advice:

Tennis: This court sport requires a lot of stop and go and side-to-side movement. Constantly shifting your body weight from one leg to the other, as well as changing speed and direction, can lead to missteps that stretch the adductor muscles to their limits. Make sure to wear proper footwear when playing tennis, and keep sneakers properly snug; they should support and stabilize your ankle to prevent twists and falls. Don’t forget to warm up with a light jog and some stretches before starting a set.