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Anf
Anf's picture
Keep pulling the same muscle

I've obviously got some weakness that I need to address. For some reason, I keep pulling the same muscle. Specifically, the quadricep of my right leg. And always at the top end.

I can do most things fine. I run, I cycle, I train in martial art so there's lots of kicking and rolling and breakfalls. Usually without issue.

Bizarrely, when the muscles are working really hard, they usually hold out, but sometimes, often enough to be a noticeable issue, it will go for the slightest reason. It once went just doing a front kick against thin air for example. It's happened coming out of a roll. And then today, I was running on an uneven surface, no problem, then I went to slow down as I ran down a gentle gradient, and it went again.

Has anyone else had a recurrent issue similar to this? How would one set about rectifying the problem?

Les Bubka
Les Bubka's picture

Hi Anf,

I have simmilar problem with my calf muscle, differences is I had an operation when young and missing bits in my ankle.

This creates lack of support and balance resulting in over working my calf. For me the great help was introduction of mobility exercises, breaking the "nots".

Diagnosis is not possible via internet, so the best would be to see, a professional (physio, Osteopathy, posture therapist) to see what is going on and where you have weakness or something is too tight. Best of luck and speedy recovery.

Kind regards

Les

Tau
Tau's picture

Please excuse if I patronise as I know nothing of your background.

Don't assume it's your quad. From the anatomical description you give I would want to consider the psoas as that's commonly injured in martial arts. Also the problem may be compensatory from another body part such as the lower back or the left leg. 

Really you need someone to actually lay hands on you. Consider seeing your GP for physio' referral or privately seeking out osteopathy. Where do you live?

Anf
Anf's picture

Tau wrote:
Don't assume it's your quad. From the anatomical description you give I would want to consider the psoas as that's commonly injured in martial arts. Also the problem may be compensatory from another body part such as the lower back or the left leg.

I'd never heard of the psoas before. But having googled it, you could well be right, although I do get tenderness in the full length of the quads, but the worst of it is indeed towards the top, and I do get hip pain on that side too occasionally.

When I was a teenager I did bust my right quad pretty bad one time. A proper tear that took some weeks to heal. That was the 1980s. Back then a 'physio' was someone that professional athletes saw. Everyone else wore a crape bandage and rested. I sometimes wonder if there is still scar tissue in there.

Les Bubka
Les Bubka's picture

Anf 

like Tau mentioned it might be something else, the fact that you had injury before, can be a cause of compenstory adaptaion or faulty loading pattern.

Also it might be a facia problem with scar tisue, that's why it is esential so that you see specialist to find the cause of your problem.

Kind regards

Les

Anf
Anf's picture
Les Bubka wrote:

Also it might be a facia problem with scar tisue,

Could be. I'm aware of the concept of knots. I do have tender spots in my right quads which often release if I massage them out.

Regarding the psoas muscles though, I've been having a good read up on them. I read an article that describes some of the symptoms of excessively tight psoas muscles. The article reads like it was written about me. I can relate to everything they describe. Various articles describe exercises to test for tight psoas muscles. I did those tests, and it looks like mine are indeed tight.

What is especially interesting to me is that all of the exercises to stretch them out were staples of my previous karate and kung fu training, but don't really appear much in my current training. I guess therefore I could benefit by building in some psoas stretches into my daily home training routine outside of class.