Muscle injury – Quads/Hamstrings The Quadriceps are located at the front of the thigh and are responsible for extending (straightening) the knee. A tear in a thigh muscle is commonly known as a ‘strain’ and depending on its severity is classified as a first, second or third degree strain. A Quads muscle strain is quite common in sports like football where kicking is repeatedly practised or skiing where injury follows quick lunges particularly when the muscles are poorly warmed up. There is usually a sharp pain, which ends in some amount of disability and the inability to continue to lunge or kick.
The mechanism of injury and presentation for a hamstring tear is very similar but the pain will be felt at the back of the thigh and is usually related to sudden acceleration (i.e. sprinters and footballers). One of the most memorable hamstring tears was suffered by Derek Redmond in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics during the 400m finals. His career had been dogged with injury and an Achilles problem had precluded him from success at the previous games in South Korea. What happened next was truly inspirational. Ignore the commentary and watch what happened!
What do I do in the acute stages?
The immediate treatment is the PRICE protocol. Click here for more information on this. If the strain is minor (Grade 1) it should be rested from sporting activity for approximately 3 weeks, moderate injury (Grade 2) for about 4 to 6 weeks and in the case of a complete rupture (Grade 3) muscle is usually repaired surgically and the rehabilitation afterwards will take about 3 months.
What is the treatment?
A Physiotherapist should guide your treatment – in the early stages gentle resistance exercises and thigh stretching are important as they help to align the scar tissue that forms during the healing process. By aligning the scar tissue along the normal lines of stress the tensile strength of the muscle is enhanced. Deep massage is often helpful in preventing adhesion formation in the tissue and this is used alongside stretching techniques and exercise. As the muscle gets stronger then resistance bands can provide more of a challenge and make the recovery process quicker as the exercise can be done on a daily basis at home. The sets and repetitions are gradually increased until recovery is complete.
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