Pulled quad muscles - what to do?

[nikki]

After slacking off from going to the gym for a few weeks, I went yesterday and did 4 miles on the elliptical. I felt great during and afterwards, stretched, even jogged a mile to my train 2 hours later.

Then at a softball game last night, I go to run after a fly ball and my left quad totally locks up. Then running the bases my right quad gives out as well. I could barely move last night.

Last night I did ice for an hour or so and heat for about 30 minutes before bed. Then this morning I walked a mile to try to loosen and stretch things up.

My goal is to be 100% in a week (as I have a very important race next weekend). What are the best things to do to recover? More ice? More heat? More walking? More stretching (any specific stretches or exercises)? Rest?

 

[Erick82]

I would try ridding a bike, stationary if possible 10-15 minutes, than stretch your quads, than a deap tissue massage of your quads, it will hurt like hell, but will feal alot better afterwords. Somebody else will have to do the massage probly, boyfriend/husband whatever, because it will hurt to bad to do it yourself properly. I would try atleast 10 minutes per leg. if you got the paper go to a professional and get one. Take it easy and repeat the above for acouple of days. I would also recommend some heat athltic type cream and asprin and IB prophen, take both together. Ice at this point is worth less, unless there is swelling.

Good luck

 

[YZ426Rick]

Ice after the deep tissue massage to keep swelling down. Absolutley get a health professional to perform the massage, someone that does not know what they are doing could hurt you while trying to perform "deep tissue".

Sounds like you just over-exerted yourself which then sent your quads into spasm. Unless there is any brusing visible you haven't torn or pulled anything (much more serious). Make sure that you're taking or getting your vitamins and are drinking a lot of water.

IBprofin will help with the pain. Walking and streching daily will help remove the lactic acid build-up in the muscle.

 

[YZ426Rick]

Forgot to metntion this. . .have you ever stretched using a "foam roller"?

 

[CaptainObvious]

First and foremost, don't stress over this, which will only make it worse. Rest, regular stretching and good diet should have you in fine shape for next weeks qualifying race. Drink a lot of water too.

 

[dirty~d~]

Do not use heat immediately after tearing muscles. That could make matters worse. Use ice packs for the first couple of days: 20 minutes on, 40 minutes off. Icing for more than 25 minutes at a time is pointless... you will actually reverse the effects (No it's not BS, I went to school for this) Stretching and slight range of motion (without resistance) will help keep the muscles from tightening up more. If it turns out they are just super sore and not torn, ice massage will help relieve the pain... fill a wax coated paper cup 3/4 of the way with water and freeze, tear part of the cup away and use the ice to massage in circles over the muscles.

 

[nikki]

Awesome - thanks everyone for the good info and tips! I don't think anything is torn as there is no pain when at rest (sitting/laying down) I think I just stretched the muscles pretty good.

 

[Bodge]

What is a deep tissue massage?

 

[dirty~d~]

Deep tissue massage is when you're targeting 'deep tissue'... inner layers of muscles. The quad muscles are overlapped and massaging them requires someone who understands how to manipulate the muscles without damaging the tissues. It feels great AFTER you've had one done, but getting a deep tissue massage isn't designed to be relaxing. It's main function is to break up scar tissue and treat chronic muscle problems. I had it done a few times and I came close to tears during one treatment.

 

[biglou]

Seems like there are lots of pulled leg muscles in softball/baseball due to the intense burst after sitting cold for so long. Something you might add to your workouts to help build some explosiveness is plyometrics. Squat in front of a weight bench (or something similar) with your arms forward, palms down on the bench. Then jump onto the bench and land in a squat position. You can either jump or step back down, repeat as many times as you can and still be in control. Do 2-3 sets. These are usually done after your regular leg workout. As you get stronger, increase the height that you jump to.

 

[Shig]

RICE Cures All

Listen to Dirty D, she's (thanks FC 22) not BS'n. I too have a bachelor's in Sports Medicine. The key to healing is R.I.C.E. which stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. It's all about bloodflow. When blood can't get to an injury (from swelling or muscle spasm) cells die and healing is slow.

Rest is obvious. Don't cause more damage by trying to jump back into the swing of things too soon. Let pain be your guide.

Ice is the best way to reduce swelling and stop the "pain-spasm cycle". DO NOT USE HEAT FOR AT LEAST 24 HOURS AFTER AN INJURY. After a few days, you can use heat, but it's best to use it in conjunction with ice. Ice for 10 minutes, heat for 5 minutes, and go back and forth for about an hour. It's important to ice every day while you are healing, especially after a workout. The dixie cup trick works great. You can also fill a ziploc bag with ice and water and wrap it in a damp towel.

Compression works by keeping swelling down to maintain bloodflow to the injury. A swollen leg means capilaries can't get blood to the injury to speed healing. This is what ACE bandages are for. Keep your quads lightly wrapped in a 4-inch or 6-inch ACE bandage. You want light pressure, but not constriction. It also helps to keep your muscles "warm" to reduce the risk of more injury.

Elevation is another key way to keep swelling down. Try putting a pillow under the foot of your bed to keep your legs slightly higher than your heart while you sleep. When laying around the house, keep your legs elevated.

Ibuprofin is excellent for speeding healing. Besides numbing the pain, it increases bloodflow to an injury.

Masage is an excellent way to help remove damaged tissue and fluids (edema) from an injury to speed healing. Always massage toward your heart so edema is pushed along the vein pathway.

Warm up before stretching and riding. Generally, you are warm enough to start stretching when there is a bead of sweat on your upper lip.

Well, that's five some-odd years of exercise physiology in a nutshell. I hope it helps

 

[firecracker22]

He he he Dirty D isn't a "he." Oh well.

You two have it nailed though. Nikki, I hope you didn't tear anything, sounds like you just "overdid" it instead, which will heal much quicker.

I might suggest Naprosen (Aleve is the brand name, but generic works fine). It is a little easier on the stomach than ibuprofen and has been recommended to me over ibuprofen by both my surgeons and physical therapists. Or if you can get Vioxx that stuff is even better. I think--maybe someone can verify this--that my doctor explained that naprosen targets the injured area, rather than being an all-over anti-inflammatory. Take 2 or 3 of the 220 mg pills with food 3 times a day, makes the pain fade to a dull roar.