Our clinic called Pain Relief Massage Clinic on the Gold Coast often receives customers who have huge muscles in their thighs such as hamstrings and quadriceps. Bodybuilders tend to have what I call overgrown muscles in their legs but rectus femoris muscle is easy to palpate and treat regardless of its size. Regular sports massage is essential for bodybuilders and athletes on the Gold Coast unless they don’t mind being accident-prone.
The rectus femoris muscle is one of the quadriceps muscles located in the front part of the thigh, linked to the hip area and the knee joint. All parts of the quadriceps are attached to the knee cap via the quadriceps tendon. The other three parts that make the quadriceps muscle are called vastus lateralis, vastus medialis and vastus intermedius. The rectus femoris muscle is located exactly in the front on the thigh, right in the middle and its function is to help extend the knee as well as flexing the thigh.
One particular characteristic of the rectus femoris muscle is the fact that it is the only muscle used in hip flexing so injuries to the rectus femoris are also called hip flexor strains. Due to its location, rectus femoris injury occurs in athletes who use force movement such as kicking a ball or sprinting, so football and soccer players are statistically more prone to injury either from overuse or a force movement.
Explosive movements, lack of warming up before exercise or an abnormal posture of the knee while engaging the rectus femoris muscle are the most common causes of injury. People who feel pain and continue heavy exercising or activity involving this muscle risk deep tears and possibly the complete tear of the muscle so caution is advised, especially with athletes and people who work out regularly.
The first sign of injury and inflammation is a sharp pain in the groin area during the use of the rectus femoris as well as pain during knee raises and kicking. A person with a rectus femoris injury will usually feel like something is blocking their movement and may experience a high level of pain when trying to force their movement past their stiffness. In most cases, mild to severe pain as well as weakness is experienced at first.
If a person experiences severe pain and impairment, especially if they are a younger person such as an adolescent who hasn’t had fully developed bones and muscles yet, a medical opinion is needed to make sure that no bones have been broken. Sometimes, if the muscle has been torn completely, surgery is needed, but in most of the time, when tears are not as severe, bed rest and over the counter treatment along with some massage therapies will lead to complete healing.
Some people may experience bruising and tenderness when pressing the area. Immediate care should include the immobilization of the knee in 120° of flexion and ice application; this is extremely important because if the leg is held into a resting flat position the muscle will form scar tissue that will impede flexing the knee properly and will cause a delayed healing process and even more pain during the first phases.
The treatment for a rectus femoris injury is usually simple and it includes rest and applying ice on the area while there is swelling and pain. Ice should be applied for the first 48 hours, once every 20 minutes to an hour; this helps greatly reduce the inflammation and pain. Patients can also take over the counter anti-inflammation medication to help with the swelling and pain. As the swelling subsides and the pain disappears it is important to restart your normal day to day activities as much as you can.
Light exercise, such as using a stationary bike as well as long walks can help a person with an injury recover faster. If the person is an athlete, they will need to follow the guidance of their doctor and sports massage therapist to see what type of rehabilitation workout would be appropriate at their respective healing phase. Recovering from a rectus femoris muscle injury will usually take a couple of weeks, if the tear is more superficial it could take up to a week to heal but if it’s a severe tear it will sometimes take a couple of months to a year, which can make things difficult for athletes who have to participate in competitions.
If the patient is not an athlete, they can do stretching at home by slowly flexing their knee for a few times a day until it is comfortable to increase the difficulty.
Other natural methods can help with the treatment of a muscle injury as well as making sure that you prevent any other injury. Practicing yoga, stretching regularly or regular sports massage sessions between workouts can do wonders in making sure that your muscles are healthy and strong, as well as help you relax and rest properly.
Sports massage therapy is extremely important and can be of great help for athletes who are going through an intensive workout regimen to help their muscles cope with the amount of exercise needed. Those recovering after an injury will notice that sports massage therapy can help eliminating scar tissue as well as managing any pain that they might still experience.
If you would like us to have a look at your Rectus Femoris Muscle and its discomfort or you would like to maintain its problem-free condition on the Gold Coast , click and visit www.remedialmassage-goldcoast.com.au and see what we can do for you. Sports massage, deep tissue massage and remedial massage on the Gold Coast are offered at Pain Relief Massage Clinic.
Pain Relief Massage Clinic
192 Brisbane Road, Arundel Gold Coast QLD 4214 Australia
Phone: (07) 5537 7886