Thigh/upper leg fatigue

For a while I have had a problem with my right upper thigh, and even though it is not actually painful, it has become really annoying for me. When I run or exercise, my right thigh becomes fatigued and tired really quickly and hinders my performance, and goes on a few hours after exercise. I always stretch it before and after exercise but it doesn't make a difference. I haven't had an injury there before so was wondering what could have/is causing this. Any help much appreciated.

The nerves from the low back (mainly L2 and L3) control the muscles of the hip flexors and quadriceps. It sounds plausable that you may have some compromise to that activity and as a result the quads strength is being inhibited during exercise. It may in fact be there all the time but it is only during exercise that you notice it. If you go to a good physiotherapist the first thing they will assess is your neural function in the lower limbs. This will assist provide some insight into this issue.

You could simply try doing some isolated quads / hip flexor strength tests in the gym. Do some seated quads extensions (single leg) on a cable resistance machine and compare sides in terms of weight / reps. Sit on the edge of a bench with a 10kg weight on your knee (can hold it just for balance), try and lift your knee (while keeping it bent at 90degrees) off the bench and hold for as long as possible. Mark the difference between sides and post them here.

Hyporeflexia (lack of reflexes on the affected side) can also be prevalent and give us a good idea what is going on. Get someone to do a patellar (quads tendon) reflex test, the one you see Dr's on movies etc. doing all the time. Is there a difference between sides? Repeat the test multiple times to ensure it is not just a lack of testing method leading to false results.

If you have hyporeflexia and a large strength deficiet, (you can also do some co-ordination testing under fatigue etc. but the above tests should give us the needed info) then it is likely you have some neural implications (lower motor neuron). If this is +ve an MRI on your Lumbar segments would be helpful, along with some further neural testing. Do you have any other symptoms? any strange feelings in the gluts / lower back / hip???

Hi - I have very similar conditions to the initial post (fatigue in right thigh, and also in upper right calf). In addition I occasionally have minor tingling in the base of my right foot. It has been ongoing for about a month and the right leg fatigue is quite limiting for sport. Physio sessions do not seem to have provided any relief to date.

Any insight is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.