Quadriceps Muscle Strains

The quadriceps muscles relate directly to the hamstring muscles as the hip moves and the knee flexes during athletic activities. Therefore, a strain or tear in the hamstring muscles or the quadriceps muscles directly affects the stress or load placed on the other. A quadriceps muscle strain refers to damage in the muscle fibers and possibly their associated tendons in the anterior upper thigh. This can happen with a seemingly innocent movement, like lifting, changing direction suddenly, and twisting. Many athletes will strain a muscle as a result of their sport, but weekend warriors who are active only occasionally are more vulnerable to muscle injuries, especially if they don't warm up and stretch properly.

The quadriceps muscles in the front of the leg, hamstring muscles in the back, and adductor muscles on the inside are responsible for the trunk and legs' multi-directional movements.

The muscles primarily responsible for bringing the leg forward from the hip are the psoas and rectus femoris. The hamstring and gluteus maximus bring the leg behind the body from the hip. The adductor magnus and adductor longus draw the leg to this inside of the body. The gluteus medius, gluteus minimus and tensor fascia lata bring the leg towards the outside of the body. They are also the group of muscles responsible for stabilizing the hip, especially with weight bearing activities.

When straining a muscle in the thigh, it is common that more than one muscle and possibly the associated tendon can be affected. There are varying degrees of muscle strain injuries. Some are mild and can heal well with conservative treatment. Severe muscle injuries, also known as ruptures, are usually a result of a traumatic injury such as a fall or an accident and may accompany a fracture.

Quadriceps Muscle Strain Symptoms

Muscle Strain

This is also known as a 'Grade I' tear. A strain is classified as the overstretching of the fibers of the muscle. Muscle strain feels like discomfort within the hip area as opposed to acute pain.

A mild muscle strain can be treated with cold compression, ultrasound, and Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy (BFST^®) to improve the health of the muscle tissue and restore the elasticity to reduce the risk of restraining it again.

Muscle Tear

This is also known as a 'Grade II' tear and is an actual tearing of the fibers in the muscle and perhaps its associated tendon. It would feel like a sharp pain within the hip, and you may hear a tearing sound at the time of the injury. There will be bruising in the torn muscle area in the days following the injury. This grade of strain can also be effectively treated with cold compression, ultrasound therapy and BFST^®. It is recommended that you allow your hip and leg muscles to rest when you can to allow the muscle tear to heal.

Muscle Rupture

This is also known as a 'Grade III' tear. When a muscle ruptures, or tears completely, you will feel a very sharp pain within the hip and you may hear or feel a 'pop'. There would be a significant amount of pain when attempting to move the leg and your range of motion will be limited. There will be noticeable bruising, swelling and a change in the appearance of the hip in the hours or days following the rupture. Treatment of a complete tear may require hip surgery to rejoin the muscle tissue at the point of the tear.

Cold compression, ultrasound therapy and BFST^® can be used prior to surgery to minimize tissue damage, resulting in a less invasive surgery. These therapies used after surgery will also help to reduce recovery time and will leave the muscle and surrounding tissue healthier, stronger, and less prone to future injury.

Causes of a Quadricep Muscle Injury

• Not warming up properly
• Inactivity followed by sudden activity
  (i.e. a game of football on the weekend)
• A traumatic fall or accident
• Quadricep muscle fatigue
• Activity during cold weather, which causes muscles to contract

Treating Your Quadriceps Muscle Strain

First and foremost, a quadriceps strain or tear should be given the rest it needs. You will need to take a break from the activity or sport that caused the strain until it has healed to prevent further injury. Treating your quadriceps strain correctly is essential to getting rid of your pain and restoring function to your upper thigh. Proper treatment will get you back to regular activities sooner, stop your pain, and reduce the risk of future re-injury.

Within the first 72 hours of the tear (and longer if necessary)rest and elevate your leg, applying cold compression frequently to reduce pain and tissue damage. The cold will numb the area to reduce pain and compression will limit swelling and bleeding in the muscle.

To restore strength and range of motion in your quadriceps, treatment should focus on preventing scar tissue formation and muscle atrophy (shrinkage and weakening of the muscle). This requires rest and the appropriate therapies at the right time. Almost all types of quadriceps pulls and tears can be properly treated with trusted therapies that are available for use at home.

The initial treatment of a quadriceps strain is cold compression therapy. Treating an injury with cold compression therapy as soon as you can is important because it decreases swelling and inflammation. This limits the amount of tissue damage that occurs within the first 72 hours of an acute strain.

When a quadriceps strain occurs we think the damage is done at the time of the injury. In reality, the tissue damage continues to occur even after the injury has happened. Yes, at the time of the injury blood vessels are damaged. But after the injury, swelling and inflammation set in and block blood vessels causing further damage.

Blood contains oxygen that is vital to the survival of your tissue cells. Blocked blood vessels can no longer carry blood to your cells and the cells begin to break-down further damaging your injured quadricep muscles. By applying cold compression therapy to a fresh injury or re-injury you reduce tissue damage and reduce the amount of healing that will be required to get your quadriceps back to normal.

Aside from preventing tissue damage, cold compression therapy reduces pain by gently numbing nerves in the injured area and providing comforting support to your quadriceps muscles. Initially, you may use pain killers or anti-inflammatory medications but these can affect your organs and should never be used for a long period of time. Cold compression therapy is the natural way to reduce upper leg pain quickly.

The Leg/Arm Freezie Wrap^® cold compression therapy is an effective and innovative way to treat your painful quadriceps strain symptoms. The therapy behind the Freezie Wrap^® has been doctor recommended for centuries but the Freezie Wrap^® itself is a new, safer way to get it!

The cooling gel packs inside the Freezie Wrap^® have been designed with ColdCure Technology^®. This allows the pack to be supercharged in the fridge, not in the freezer like ice or other freezer packs. This gives you deep cold compression therapy without the risk of 'cold burns' or cryoburn to the layers of your skin. This unique technology, inside a soft and completely adjustable neoprene wrap, gives you comfortable, convenient, and effective cold compression therapy.

Have a Leg/Arm Freezie Wrap^® on hand to treat your quadriceps after activity and following any re-injury to calm inflammation, treat pain quickly, and stop further tissue damage. The wrap is so versatile you can use it on your arm, foot, calf, and almost everywhere on your body. Have one in your fridge ready when you need it!

Click here to learn more about Cold Compression Freezie Wraps^®

Once the initial swelling and severe inflammation of your quadriceps strain is under control, you can begin the healing process. Therapeutic ultrasound treatments can further reduce inflammation, kick start the healing process, and treat scar tissue as it begins to form.

One of the most common complaints after a quadriceps strain begins to heal is tightness and a limited range of motion. The tightness is caused by tough fibrous scar tissue build up on the muscles and/or tendons. Scar tissue is the body's way to heal tissue quickly. It forms at the site of the injury to repair tears, small or large. Although it repairs the tears, scar tissue is inflexible, prone to re-tearing, and can cause pain. Healthy tissue is stronger and more elastic. Healthy tissue allows your muscles and tendons to expand and contract easily, without pain and without the risk of tearing again. Treating scar tissue is the only way to restore muscle function properly and get your range of motion back!

Therapeutic ultrasound is the most effective and pain-free way to soften scar tissue and return the tissue to a stronger state. Physical therapy, manipulation, and deep tissue massage can help to treat scar tissue but these methods can be expensive, time consuming, and painful.

A personal MendMeShop^® Ultrasound Therapy Unit allows you to treat your quadriceps strain or tear conveniently in your own home, on your schedule, and for less time and money than any other method. Therapeutic ultrasound also treats inflammation, which speeds along the healing process. A 15 minute treatment, 2 times a day, will speed healing and further reduce your painful quadriceps strain symptoms while improving the range of motion in your upper leg, hip, and knee. In most cases, that's all it takes to get your quadricep muscles back to normal and you back to your activities!

Click here to learn more about Ultrasound Therapy

In addition, quadriceps pulls can lead to other overuse injuries if left untreated. The pain of a torn quadricep muscle can cause you to re-adjust your posture and change your gait to take weight off your sore leg. This can cause excess strain in your back, hamstrings, hip, knees and ankles. The MendMeShop^® Ultrasound Therapy Unit can be used to treat all of your strains and tears, as well as other painful conditions like bursitis, tendinitis, and joint pain. It is a great tool to have on hand for so many soft tissue injuries!

Enhance Your Ultrasound Treatments With Phonophoresis

When using an ultrasound unit, proper conductive ultrasound gel is required. Without it, the sound waves will not transfer into the tissue making the treatment ineffective. Although you will receive all the benefits of ultrasound therapy with standard ultrasound gel, medicated ultrasound gel can multiply the benefits without any extra time or effort. All you have to do is use medicated gel instead of standard ultrasound gel during your treatments.

Here's how it works! The sound waves carry the medicinal molecules found inside the gel deep into your tissue. This process is known as phonophoresis and it increases the healing power of therapeutic ultrasound.

Our exclusive MendMeShop^® Lavender Infusion Gel is specially formulated with Natural Bulgarian Lavender, Peppermint, Eucalyptus, and Menthol. These ingredients have been used for centuries to reduce inflammation and relax tissue to speed healing. Now they are available in this incredible ultrasound gel to give you 2 therapies in 1 treatment. You get the benefit of the regenerating sound waves from the ultrasound device itself AND the added bonus of the therapeutic ingredients inside the gel being delivered straight to your quad injury where it is most effective to reduce your pain and heal. And that's not all - our Lavender Infusion Ultrasound Gel is free of the potentially harmful ingredients of paraben, DEA, or dyes.

1 FREE bottle of MendMeShop^® Lavender Infusion Ultrasound Gel comes with every MendMeShop^® Ultrasound Therapy Unit. If you have skin sensitivities or are sensitive to scents, you have the option of using our Non-fragrant Ultrasound Gel with your MendMeShop^® Ultrasound Therapy Unit. This gel is formulated without medicinal ingredients so there is no risk of irritation AND just like our Lavender Infusion Gel, it does not contain paraben, DEA, or dyes!

Once inflammation and swelling have been reduced in your quad muscles, nourishing and strengthening the tissue in your upper leg is the goal. Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy^™ (BFST^®) promotes blood flow to the treatment area bringing the necessary oxygen and nutrients to your muscle fibers. BFST^® speeds up the body's natural repair process for faster healing and stronger tissue.

When you rest and stop moving your leg because it hurts, the natural blood flow is reduced. Without proper blood flow, musclar atrophy (shinkage or deterioration of a muscle) can occur as your body's ability to heal itself becomes limited. You need to improve blood flow while giving your quadriceps strain the rest it needs. That's where the Inferno Wrap^® comes in.

Not only does the Inferno Wrap^® speed your recovery through BFST^®, the gentle warming that is produced with the increase in blood flow relaxes your thigh muscles and and whisks away dead cells and toxins that have accumulated from your quadriceps strain. This further loosens your muscles and makes your thigh feel better.

Keeping your legs as healthy and strong as possible throughout the healing process will allow you to get back to your regular activities faster. The Leg/Arm Inferno Wrap^®, available exclusively from MendMeShop^®, provides effective, non-invasive, non-addictive pain relief and healing with no side effects.

The benefits of BFST^® do not end once your quadricep muscles stop hurting! Even when your upper thigh muscles have healed, your activities can put them at risk of an overuse injury, tightness, or another strain. An Inferno Wrap^® treatment before activity is an easy way to warm up the muscles and prepare them for use. Then, end your day with another treatment to prevent tightness from setting in overnight. This incredible healing tool will be the ticket to healthy hamstrings for years to come!

Click here to learn more about how BFST^® works.

With these 3 easy therapies; cold compression, ultrasound and BFST^®, you can treat your quadriceps strain properly and completely.

• Calm Inflammation
• Reduce Swelling
• Soften Scar Tissue
• Increase Range of Motion
• Stop Pain
• Promote Blood Flow
• Speed Healing
• Prevent Atrophy

You will notice significantly reduced pain and an incredible improvement in your leg, hip, and knee range of motion.

During your recovery, you may have to modify and/or eliminate any activities that cause pain or discomfort in your quadriceps until your pain and inflammation settle. The more dedicated you are with your treatment and rehabilitation, the faster you will see successful results!

Please be aware that this information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider before starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Or email us at service@AidYourHamstring.com