Focal osteopenia of pubic parasymphyseal bone as an underlying cause of groin pain in sports: a new perspective.

Groin pain is a common problem in athletes. The diagnosis can be difficult because of the complexity of the groin anatomy, the numerous clinical entities presenting with similar symptoms, the concurrence of those entities and the confusing terminology. Thus, a dilemma in diagnosis may arise leading to long-standing symptoms, disabling groin pain, mismanagement and therefore to poor treatment. Hereby, we present such a case of a recreational athlete complaining for excruciate pubic pain after being misdiagnosed and subsequently mistreated affecting her quality of life. We report on a new interesting finding, the focal osteopenia over the pubic parasymphyseal bone, together with administration of bisphosphonates for first time, as a treatment, for this condition in this body area. Our purpose is to shed light on the pathomechanism of groin pain labelled as osteitis pubis. We also outline the importance of thorough history and physical examination combined with appropriate advanced imaging.