I noticed last night that on my right side, there is an area of my groin that is tender. When I touch it I notice that there are a few small raised bumps there that aren't there on the other side.

I did start weight training last week, but I was careful to do light weights. I hadn't worked out my legs since last Friday. Yesterday morning I ran for 12 minutes and rode the stationary bike for 10 minutes, but I can't imagine that would have caused it.

If anyone has any ideas what this might be and how I should deal with it, please let me know. For now I'm just taking some advil and watching to make sure it doesn't get worse.

You should really get that checked by a doctor. There are glands there that can give a lumpy appearance if enlarged, and muscles, when they are injured, don't usually get noticeably lumpy.
I don't want to unecessarily scare you but my dad had pain and lumps in that area and it was found to be cancer of the lymph nodes. He was misdiagnosed for along time by sports doctors, physical therapists, etc.

Well, they don't look lumpy... there's just two little lumpy things. Small lumpy things that are pea sized or so. It doesn't feel like a muscle thing, but I'm thinking it might be something like a pulled ligament or something along those lines. Anyone have any experiences with that?

I agree with Climbergrl, sounds like Lymph nodes to me. My wife has Epstines Bar syndrome and when it flairs up there are little pea sized lumps in that area.

-Dave

Watch them. I sometimes get inflamed cycts--few since LC, actually--they may resolve, they may drain (yuck!), they may stay around. They could be cancerous, but my doctor's rule of thumb for cancers is that they are very hard, and if yours are squishy, you might be OK.

suspect it's not directly related to exercise, although it could maybe be too much lactic acid building up or something similar.

Observe, and make sure you've noted when they appeared on a calendar so you can give a decent history if you decide to see a doctor. If they increase much in size (I've had them go to almond and then go away on their own) or turn purple or more appear, you probably want to get help.

I had a similar situation as the one you describe... Lumpy, tender... I was very concerned... I thought it might be a hernia or something.
I went to the doc. she said it was swollen lymph nodes... but gave no specific cause (apparently my body was fighting an infection) They went way completely in about 3 weeks. That was 5 years ago and I have not had it happen since.
I would recommend you watch them closely... if they are still there in a few weeks, I'd get them checked out.

Thanks for the advice everyone, I think I'll watch them for a while to see what happens. I realized that after I left the chiropractor's last Wednesday I had pain in my right gluteal when I'd step on my right heel... I went in and he fixed me up, but now I'm thinking that perhaps these little lumps are fluid caused by whatever he adjusted. I put a call into him to see what he thinks and made an appointment with a doctor for tomorrow in case he says I should have it checked out. Hopefully it's nothing though.

usually small nodules (less than one) in the groin area are reactive lymphandenopathy. Lymph nodes are essentially little garbage dumps for bacteria and the leftovers from your body's reaction to them. They should go away with time or with a course of antibiotics. Do you have any sores on your legs or feet? If so they could be a source. If they do not spontaneously resolve see your doctor and schedule a biopsy.

Oh good thinking jon... I was bit by an ant on that ankle 2 weeks ago. I thought things were fine, but then this past week it started itching again and the area is still a little discolored even though there's no more pain. Perhaps it's a reaction to whatever poison came out of the ant?

Ain't it amazing the way the body works?

Oh that's so good to know. That makes me feel much better. Damn that stupid ant, it's caused more problem... when it bit me (around 9 am) it hurt all day long!