Nathan Vasher, the exceptional cornerback from the Chicago Bears, has been placed on the injured reserve. This doesn't really mean anything since the Bears aren't in the playoffs and only have one game left. Vasher did have a good game against the Vikings a couple of weeks back, but he was held out in last week's contest against the Packers.

The reason he's being placed on the IR is due to a nagging groin injury. Think about that. It's a nagging injury that's causing him to be shut down for the year. It raises a few questions, as just a couple of weeks ago he was cleared to play.

What is a groin injury? This is a touch question since many teams don't give the details. You need to understand the groin represents the location where your thigh meets your reproductive area. On men it's the penis and on women the vagina. There are a number of muscles that connect in this area and move down along the femur. When any of these muscles are pulled or strain you can be congratulated. You have a groin injury.

What are the symptoms of a groin injury? Tenderness and pain. The tenderness will emanate from inner thigh and move into your reproductive area. The pain is from the small tears in the muscles. You will have pain when you move your legs close together and when you left your legs while laying down. In many cases lifting your knee to your abdomen when standing will cause you to cry. Ok, that is slight overstatement, but it's going to hurt.

How do you diagnose a groin injury? A physical examination with range of motion diagnosis is best. A visual inspection will rule out issues such as blunt trauma or cysts. You should expect your doctor to ask you to move in defined sequences.

How do you treat a groin injury? Again, congratulations. You have an injury that cannot be fixed with a pill or a specific medical procedure. Since your groin is the terminus for many lower body muscles it's tough to isolate the muscle affected. You can use ice to minimize pain and swelling and you can take over the counter pain medicine. It's important to work through range of motion exercises so the muscles don't atrophy, but past this there isn't much. You can use a thigh bandage to provide muscle support.

How long does it take to heal a groin injury? As Mr. Vasher can attest to, it can take quite a while. If you do a good job of managing the pain and continue to use the muscles in a casual fashion, most groin injuries heal in 2-3 weeks depending on severity. When you can jog and sprint without limping you should be good to go.