As a Palmdale surgeon who is an expert at robotic surgery and knowledgable in every area of hernias, I want everyone to know about the risk that could be a sports hernia and how to handle it. A sports hernia happens when you too suddenly and frequently extend the pelvis and muscles around it. This can occur in sports such as hockey, football, gymnastics, and an array of other activities that require consistent use of the core. It’s possible to avoid this injury by doing proper stretches, but sometimes moments occur when that warning is either ignored or not done as well as it should be. Avoiding certain stretches that can be helpful will cause you to be too stiff when you extend and put unnecessary stress on them. A sports hernia isn’t actually a hernia, but goes by the term athletic pubalgia. The symptoms and pain are similar, but different tissues and muscles are damaged than that of a hernia. The pelvic tendons are torn rather than an abdominal muscle separation. Whereas some hernias can be caused by actions as minute as a sneeze, others require violent or aggressive movement.