Doctors specializing in sports medicine associate quadricep strains with games involving a lot of running or jumping. It includes soccer, basketball, tennis, badminton, netball, rugby, volleyball, martial arts, and squash. The discomfort most patients feel ranges from a slight ache to excruciating pain depending on the extent of muscle strain. The symptoms which medical experts associated with this injury involve swelling and lack of strength in the lower limb. One often finds their favorite players in the news for suffering from quadricep strains that can be cured with rest and the right treatment.
James P DeVellis – How to treat a quadriceps strain?
James P DeVellis is a popular orthopedic surgeon from Boston who specializes in the treatment of sports injuries. He has over 27 years of valuable experience in this branch of sports medicine. His area of expertise is in diagnosing and treating ankle sprains, joint draining procedures, and foot fractures. He is among one of the few doctors to have a number of board certifications in the field of orthopedic surgery and voluntarily spreads awareness on health tips to sports athletes to prevent injuries.
The quadriceps consist of four muscles in front of a person’s thighs, which joins his/her knee. They are found just below the knee cap. The muscles help to straighten the knee while kicking a ball or performing a squat. Even while running, the quadricep muscles propel the legs forward. When an athlete experiences a quadricep strain, there is swelling, intense pain, and bruising in front of the thighs. He points out the following two steps in treatment for quadriceps strain-
- Inflammatory stage
Within the first 72 hours of sustaining a quadricep strain, patients notice intense swelling in the affected region. They also find the injury to be painful to touch. This because the blood vessels in the affected area bursts open and start to overflow and cause pain. In this phase, patients should take complete rest and apply an ice pack on the swelling for about 15 minutes. After doing this, they apply a bandage over the affected area. While sitting or sleeping, they should keep a pillow under their affected leg to ease the swelling.
- Repair phrase
The tissues and muscles in quadriceps take about six weeks to recover after the initial inflammation. The patients normally feel a lot better after three days. They still experience a minor sprain. Patients should now start applying a warm pack in the affected area for around 20 minutes. Then slowly stretch their legs towards their buttocks while lying on their stomach. These patients will know that their quadriceps have healed when they can move their legs without any discomfort. Then they can gradually return to playing on the field.
James P DeVellis clarifies that a quadricep strain heals on its own with time. Nevertheless, patients should take complete rest when they get such injury. They should take the help of the right doctor to avoid allegations of wrong treatment and misconduct. They should apply an ice pack to the affected area to ease the swelling and wrap a bandage around it. Only after three days can they slowly stretch their affected leg after applying a warm pack. Within six weeks, they can return to their normal activities safely!
