This 2015 consensus statement from 24 international experts established the Doha classification — a standardized, examination-based taxonomy for groin pain in athletes. It was developed because prior literature used 33 different diagnostic terms for the same conditions, making research and clinical communication unreliable. The system requires no imaging and is built entirely on history, palpation, and provocation testing.
Groin pain in athletes was once described with a chaotic mix of terms — sports hernia, athletic pubalgia, osteitis pubis, Gilmore's groin. Often meaning different things to different surgeons and making it nearly impossible to compare studies or communicate across specialties.
When an athlete presents with groin pain, apply the Doha framework: palpate the adductors, iliopsoas, inguinal canal, and pubic symphysis, then provoke each structure with resistance and stretch testing. Diagnose what the exam confirms, and remember multiple entities can coexist in the same patient.
Avoid the deprecated terms entirely. 'Sports hernia,' 'athletic pubalgia,' 'osteitis pubis,' and 'Gilmore's groin' imply pathology that may not be present and carry different meanings to different clinicians.
The FADIR test screens for hip involvement but cannot confirm it. A positive test does not make the diagnosis of FAI or labral tear. Use it to decide who warrants further imaging, not to label the diagnosis.
This 2015 consensus statement from 24 international experts established the Doha classification — a standardized, examination-based taxonomy for groin pain in athletes. It was developed because prior literature used 33 different diagnostic terms for the same conditions, making research and clinical communication unreliable. The system requires no imaging and is built entirely on history, palpation, and provocation testing.
Groin pain in athletes was once described with a chaotic mix of terms — sports hernia, athletic pubalgia, osteitis pubis, Gilmore's groin. Often meaning different things to different surgeons and making it nearly impossible to compare studies or communicate across specialties.
When an athlete presents with groin pain, apply the Doha framework: palpate the adductors, iliopsoas, inguinal canal, and pubic symphysis, then provoke each structure with resistance and stretch testing. Diagnose what the exam confirms, and remember multiple entities can coexist in the same patient.
Avoid the deprecated terms entirely. 'Sports hernia,' 'athletic pubalgia,' 'osteitis pubis,' and 'Gilmore's groin' imply pathology that may not be present and carry different meanings to different clinicians.
The FADIR test screens for hip involvement but cannot confirm it. A positive test does not make the diagnosis of FAI or labral tear. Use it to decide who warrants further imaging, not to label the diagnosis.