Thigh Strain Diagnosis & Assessment

A thigh strain is a tear to one of the quadriceps muscles at the front of the thigh. Thigh strains are graded 1, 2 or 3 depending on how bad they are. Here we explain thigh strain diagnosis and how to tell what grade of injury you have.

How bad is my thigh strain?

A thigh strain (quadriceps muscle tear) causes sudden acute pain at the front of the thigh. Muscle strains are graded 1 to 3 depending on how bad they are an how much of the muscle has torn.

Grade 1

• If you have a grade 1 quad strain then it may not feel bad enough to stop training at the time.
• You might feel a twinge in the thigh, with a general feeling of tightness.
• Walking may cause mild discomfort and running might be difficult.
• You are unlikely to have swelling, but you may feel a lump in the muscle.

Grade 2

• Grade 2 symptoms are more severe than grade two.
• You may feel a sudden sharp pain when running, jumping or kicking and be unable to play on.
• Pain will make walking difficult and you will notice swelling or mild bruising.
• The pain would be felt when pressing into the muscle, particularly where it is torn.
• When diagnosing thigh strains your therapist will get you to straighten your leg whilst they resist it. Pain indicates injury to the muscle.

Grade 3

• Grade 3 symptoms consist of severe, sudden pain in the front of the thigh.
• The patient will be unable to walk without the aid of crutches.
• With grade 3 thigh strain diagnosis, bad swelling will appear immediately. Significant bruising deveops within 24 hours.
• A static muscle contraction will be painful and is likely to produce a bulge in the muscle.
• The patient can expect to be out of competition for 6 to 12 weeks.

Assessment & diagnosis of thigh strains

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A professional therapist will do a full assessment in order to accurately diagnose your injury. This should include:

• Questions about your general health, previous injury as well as current injury.
• Your therapist will then perform a physical assessment of the injury.
• This includes observation and palpation (feeling the area), range of motion tests and resisted muscle tests.