Thigh and knee pain

[kayleigh]

yesterday while sprinting during a football training game I had to change direction suddenly and then struck the ball while off balance I immediately felt an immense pain in my thigh muscle right through the front central muscle this pain radiated to the medial aspect of my knee. The pain was enough to make me stop playing immediately. I iced the muscle for 20 minutes with it elevated numerous times last night but today the pain is still there, made worse by fully extending my leg, walking is therefore painful, I have continued icing it today and when i have measured it the injured thigh is 2 inches larger than the other one. please help what can I do to get back to training and in what time scale??

[Heidi]

Hi
It sounds like a quad strain. You have done all the right things so far.
If there is no bruising then it is probably a grade 2 (moderate) tear - given the presence of swelling and the extent of the pain you have described.
As it was only yesterday you need to continue resting, icing, elevating and put a compression support on it. Continue with this today and tomorrow.
Tomorrow, start to gently stretch the thigh muscles - provided it isn't painful. You will probably find it feels stiff and achey, this is fine, as long as it isn't a sharp pain.
Continue to gently stretch and move it over the next few days. Also start to contract the muscles, initially just sat on the floor and then laying on your front with the knee bent and trying to straighten the knee against resistance from someone else (so there is no movement).
When you return to sport start off very slowly and gradually increase the speed of running you do, ensuring you have warmed up properly. Try to avoid sudden changes in speed and direction for the first few sessions.
You can find out more here:
http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cybertherapist/front/frontthigh/quadstrain.htm

[kayleigh]

there doesn't appear to be any bruising at the moment but my thigh feels hot to the touch but it does look like there is bruising forming under the skin the pain is a constant dull ache but i get a sharp pain if i fully extend my knee or move the leg quickly, i have taken ibuprofen and will continue icing today, would you recommend that i wear compression shorts during the heeling process or will this not help much, i would like to be back in action as soon as i can as i love football and hate having to sit out

[Heidi]

Yes compression shorts can be helpful after muscle injuries when returning to sport as well because they will keep the muscle warm which means its more flexible and less at risk of injury.

[kayleigh]

i returned to full training this week after a fitness test with my coach and the thigh felt quite strong, maybe not 100% but still felt fine to train on, however the next day there was quite a lot of fresh bruising on the thigh and it is feeling very stiff and aching again. i made sure i did a thorough warm up and cool down but this doesn't seem to have helped, i can't remember getting knocked or any impact on my thigh at all, any ideas?

[Heidi]

Go back to your icing, rest, compression for now. Fresh bruising means there has been more bleeding and so more damage. If you have followed all the advice on our quad strain pages and you do seem to have given it plenty of rest time before returning, then I would suggest that you need to get some professional advise and treatment.