Quadraceps injury - Any help appreciated

Hi all

To cut a long story short I recently started playing soccer/football semi-professionally again. I am only 23 and only had a year out of the game due to work commitments.

In the first 6 weeks of training I developed tight Rectus Femoris muscles in my quads. Stretching didn't seem to help and it got that bad that I eventually tore the muscle(grade 2) kicking a ball. This was a recurring problem all season and my physio done a good job helping the muscle recover 3 times but he hasn't helped stopping the Rectus Femoris muscles becoming tight during exercise and training. During training sometimes I would get a sharp pain from kicking the ball or shooting and would have to miss the rest of the session. It is now the end of the season and both quad muscles still feel weak and still feel very tight.

If any of you have any advice on massage therapy, gym or anything that you think might be worthwhile trying out I would greatly appreciate it. I am heavily frustrated....:(

Thank you in advance

Benn

Hi Benn,

You could try a sports massage to try and loosen the muscle up. But the most important question to find out is, are you stretching your quad effectiveley. When I ask a patient to show me a Quad stretch with no guidance, most do it only half right. Has your physio checked you are doing this correctly.

What sort of treatment have you had from your physio? How did you know you had torn it the first time, what symptoms did you have? Last one for now, any back pain either previously of with this injury?

Thanks Karen

I used the R.I.C.E technique (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation). I don't think I have been stretching properly and probably returned too early to playing. My Physio told me it was important to stretch and build up a comeback.

I done a series of tests with my physio. Stretching, pressure/compression on the muscle, strength tests and heat treatment which seems to bring out bruising in the muscle.

There's two ways I have been using to stretch. Firstly while standing I grab my right foot with my right hand and bend my leg to my buttocks. Secondly I kneel on one leg, keep my back straight and push my pelvis forward to include the hip flexor muscle. I used to have trouble with my hip flexor muscles when I was younger.

I haven't had any back pain with this injury. I guess the thing that is puzzling me the most is why I've still got tight muscles now even though I haven't run or pushed it hard for about 6 weeks.

When you tear part of a muscle, as it heel it is shortened. Imagine you tear a piece of paper in half, to ensure no gaps as you put it back together, the best way is to overlap a little. This is how a muscle heals. Also the scar tissue that heals the gap is non-elastic, so difficult to stretch. As a treatment I would use deep transverse frictions to help this new tissue align properly to aid in the heeling, but good stretching throughout would maintain the muscle length.

What you need know if a lot of stretching. As you pull your foot towards your bum, you need to keep your back straight and not bend forward. If you bend forward you take the stretch off. This is more important that getting your knees together initally. Then as the movement returns, gradually bring the knee into line with the opposite side. The last addition when you have got to this is to push your hips forward. Hope that all makes sense. When you are stretching, you will feel a pull in the muscle, hold the position until this feeling decreases, then add a bit more stretch onto it. Continue to this each time the feeling decreases until it feels looser. This technique will help to put length back into the muscle.

Are you doing any exercise at the moment. If not I would suggest cycling, again to loosen the muscle and make sure you stretch after as this is when you will get most benefit because the muscle will be warm.

I think,You have to do the strengthening exer to the hamstring if you didt. because the stretching exer to the agonist muscle dosent be effective without strengthening to the antagonist muscle>>
try this and tell us >>

hi

i do agree with u girls, but still you need to check properly your pelvis, hip and spine.

hi again

i can reccomend sport stretching-

supine on a couch/bed, leg over the edge/side,
extend hip and flex knee pulling by foot,
when feel beginning of discomortable stretch,
try push hard against your hand ( ext knee and flex hip) after 30s - relax, and pull further.
3-5 sets depends on your comfort.
treat trigger point if any there

thanks

Hi

Thanks to everyone who has given me advice. I have been concentrating a lot more on my stretches and sports massage. This seems to be "loosening" up the muscle which is good. I am going to start up a 6 week fitness program before Pre-Season training with my club starts up again.

I'm going to try cycling more as suggested by Karen(Thanks). I was also thinking of doing swimming to take the impact off the quads instead of running. Or should I be trying to build up the Quadracept muscles with more and more running in the next few weeks?

Thanks

hi

keep it in balance, do some strenthening but gradually increasing load, and mentined above remember atagonists-hamstrings.

good season

I agree with all.... you need to look at why you keep injuring your quad and why it is so tight?? Often there is a weakness somewhere that means your quad is being overloaded to compensate. I'd focus on core strength training, quads stretching, and cross train meantime (swim cycle etc) Once you are able to run properly again I'd add some drills to your running that are sport specific such as sprinting, stop/start and change direction type drills so that you are rehabilitating your muscle to get used to these things before you play again....hopefully your phsyio can help you with all this. Get a good core strength programme as it's vital in any sport!!!