I’m looking for either experience with or recommendations for physicians in the NYC area (or other) that treat sports hernias/athletic pubalgia but would at least consider non-surgical approaches, if not recommend them.
After months of reoccurring adductor / groin issues on my left leg, I’ve got a possible athletic pubalgia diagnosis and I’ve had an MRI done. I started with the HSS and was referred to Dr. Mark Zoland, who specializes in the SH surgery (but to his credit did not push me into surgery). The MRI results were somewhat inconclusive - there is some fluid buildup consistent with AP, but there are no tears of the adductor or abdominus and there is strong evidence of tendinosis in the adductor. From my research, the sports hernia surgery (which is already somewhat controversial) won’t necessarily fix this issue. The surgery is also still considered elective, and therefore out of pocket.
If it were 100% certain to resolve with minimal side effects, I’d be much more likely to head that route, but I’m trying to discern the best approach to at least attempting to address the tendinosis non-surgically and see if time and the right therapeutic approaches (or even injections) will resolve this instead.
Let me also state that I’ve read the many threads on sports hernias on Slowtwitch and LetsRun and haven’t been able to find the answers I’m looking for, hence trying this out.
At this point, I’ve been out of steady training for a year, I’m in my 40s and I’m a new father so it’s most important to do what’s right for my body and family long-term rather than trying the quickest route.
If you have experience with this, recommended approaches or someone you would refer me to for a 2nd opinion (I have the MRI report and images), I would be most appreciative.
Why not see dr Meyers and know for sure? Many insurances do cover it. According to his staff it’s about 50 percent. You could be racing within a month and he’s at a high 90 percent+ success rate.
I’ve been thinking about that, too, and may go see him but I guess I’m stuck on one thing, which is that I have no confirmed tears in the adductor or the abdominus. Isn’t that mainly what the surgery addresses?
I’m not sure I’d trust an mri that wasn’t done with dr Meyers. I also had bilateral tears and only one side was visible on Mri. Since you’re close, I think it would be worth the visit. Maybe you check with your insurance first and see if they cover it.
I think I had it around March 08 and I was racing within a month. I was literally pulling out the last stitches the night before. You are running with in a week pain free. It was pretty incredible compared to the pain I was in before the surgery.
Why not see dr Meyers and know for sure? Many insurances do cover it. According to his staff it’s about 50 percent. You could be racing within a month and he’s at a high 90 percent+ success rate.
Even if it didn’t go well for you, doesnt exactly mean I’m lying. But thanks. There is a reason people come from all around the world for him. Including all the top athletes.
Most pain was abdomen. I couldn’t sleep, sneeze or pick up my kids without pain. I couldn’t run at all after a few months. I also had bilateral hip pain and testicle pain. Pretty textbook.
I should add that I got a real hernia a few years later through the incision. That’s pretty common with open abdominal surgeries though.
Even if it didn’t go well for you, doesnt exactly mean I’m lying. But thanks. There is a reason people come from all around the world for him. Including all the top athletes.
Sorry, I didn’t mean you…I meant his staff. Insurance is not accepted. Virtually no kinds of insurance that I am aware of. And, to make matters worse, almost no insurance will reimburse you the 50% out of network provider rate for your $500 consult and your $10k surgery, because what he does hasn’t met the standard of clinical care, in their eyes. For your insurer, you might as well try eastern philosophy for your pain.
90% success rate is also pure bullshit…if you ask, they won’t supply empirical data to support that.
Were you running in a WEEK pain free? That’s phenomenal, but that sure wasn’t the case for me. I don’t remember them misleading me about that piece. But I also had a labral tear repaired, so I think that was the reason for my extended recovery needs.
I believe it sometimes works, but I also believe the success rate is much lower than that. And I believe he’s also a bit of a charlatan, and will pretty much tell everyone that comes into his office that they need surgery. It’s very easy to ‘find’ a sports hernia when, if you did an autopsy on 100 healthy, 28 year old non-athletic men, you’d probably be able to ‘find’ a sports hernia in the majority of them. I won’t claim to be unbiased, but if I could go back in time, I would have sought second opinions, instead of being blinded by all the Division 1, pro, and semi pro athletes in his waiting room. “If they are here, it will definitely work for me!” Very expensive mistake for me.
I’m curious where you guys are, or Meyers at any rate. My boyfriend just had labrum repair w/ Salvo and AP repair w/ Meyers/Myers, not sure the spelling. In Philadelphia.
He had pain like described. Hip felt better in the first hours post surgery. 7 weeks later, abdomen still has “ropes” in it, lack of feeling, and he has a blood clot in his penis. Not joking. His words: it feels like there is a bamboo shoot in it. Finally, weeks after being told by Myers (I think) to wait it out and use massage, Salvo pointed him to a urologist. His sack area and part of the shaft have a greyer color as well.
He still isn’t allowed to swim. I have no idea how anyone would be running at t = 1 mo, but understand his repairs may have been more extensive than someone else’s situation.
Anyway, re insurance reimbursement, I don’t expect to get any money back but would sure be happy if we did b/c I cleaned out all my non-invested savings to pay off that cc bill.
Thanks for sharing that - that’s terrifying and I hope your boyfriend heals without issue.
The more research I’ve done, the more of these stories I’ve started to uncover and it just gives me a lot of pause about going through with the surgery. I’m able to walk and do most activities other than training without pain, so having side effects is just not worth it to me.
Hoping to find someone who can advocate a different healing approach no matter how long it takes.
And, if you could go back in time, would you have approached this non-surgically?
Unfortunately, I didn’t. Which, yeah, if I had known the surgery wasn’t going to help, I would have just done what I’m doing now, physical therapy maintenance, NSAIDs, very limited running, etc.
Sorry to hear that. Yes, I’m in Philadelphia too. That’s really disappointing that he was told by Meyers to wait it out. That guy has the worst bedside manners I think of any doctor I’ve ever met.
I went to Dr Benton Emblom in Birmingham, AL, with the Andrews group. Took several weeks off, and planned to get the surgery near Thanksgiving. Woulda paid out of pocket for an uncertain procedure. As it is, it got enough better with simple rest that I cancelled the surgery. It is manageable now, but not “well”.
FWIW, there is another guy in Wisconsin that does the procedure with a scope, now, but the cost was $16k instead of $7k for the incision. Much quicker recovery time reported… If I were guaranteed 100% that it would work, I would get it repaired surgically, but as it is, just gonna struggle thru until I can no longer walk
Ah, thank you - this is a great place to start - hadn’t seen that case report.
How long have you been trying this out? Any progress or setback detail to report?
Found this 2-part piece below as well - long story short, he stresses deep tissue massage (in addition to a core strength and stability program) as one potential solution to recovery.
Part 1
Part 2
Ah, thank you - this is a great place to start - hadn’t seen that case report.
How long have you been trying this out? Any progress or setback detail to report?
Found this 2-part piece below as well - long story short, he stresses deep tissue massage (in addition to a core strength and stability program) as one potential solution to recovery.
Part 1
Part 2
(edited to add links)
Mostly progress. Unfortunately, my decision to play basketball (for the first time in 5 years) with the HS team this past week has caused a bit of a setback, lol. Us old farts (I am 36, lol) are meant to go in straight lines, I have learned. Changing direction is for the wipper-snappers
