There is nothing worse for an athlete than having severe rectus femoris pain. The rectus femoris is a major muscle involved in running, and almost every sport requires running. Even in swimming where you don’t need to run, you need to use your legs to flutter in order to great movement. Rectus femoris pain can come to light for many different reasons and completely end a season or even more severely, end one’s career. It is essential that you have a basic understanding of the muscle, where it is, how it works, and what things you can do to make sure that you stay healthy.
Rectus Femoris pain can lead to other issues and injuries because it is such a big muscle. If your rectus femoris hurts, it is never long before you start having, ankle, knee, hip, back and IT band issues. A small limp will change your gait off enough to throw your entire athletic performance off. Like most injuries though, the best way to deal with it is to get on top of it as early as possible.
Rectus Femoris Anatomy
The rectus femoris is the primary muscle of the quad that runs right down the middle of the thigh. The quad is made of three other tissues, one that sits laterally, one that lies medially and one that is not superficial and it sits under the rectus femoris.
The rectus femoris is the workhorse of the quad. The rectus femoris also connects directly to the kneecap so if it is tight or bothered you will most likely have knee pain soon after. It is also the only quad muscle that crosses the hip joint. If the rectus femoris is damaged or weak, it will also put more strain on your hip flexors and the lower back.
Rectus Femoris Pain Causes
- Trauma from contact sports
- Bruises
- Tightness
- Overuse
- Contusions
- Stress fracture of the femur
- Femur fracture
- Muscle strain
- Compartment syndrome
- Tendonitis
- Jumpers Knee
Rectus Femoris Pain Symptoms
There are so many symptoms of rectus femoris pain or a rectus femoris injury. The most obvious is feeling pain right on the muscle. You may also notice pain in the other quad muscles, the groin, your hips may be more tired than usual; severe knee pain may also be a symptom.
One of the reasons that you want to get with an excellent healthcare provider for this injury is because there could be so many different strategies to alleviate the pain of your injury. Depending on a self-diagnosis and a foam roller may be a good early strategy. You eventually want to make sure that you are getting help from a professional though.
Rectus Femoris Pain Treatment
The positive of rectus femoris pain is that it is a massive muscle that can be hit with some aggressive treatments like Graston. A great healthcare provider will evaluate you, and help you figure out the best plan of action based on your activity level, where you are in your season, injury history and how urgently you need to get back to being healthy.
To treat rectus femoris pain on your own the two things you should focus on are foam rolling and stretching on a daily basis. The foam rolling is meant to help break up some of the trigger points that may have developed throughout your quads, hips, and hamstrings. The stretching is to make sure that rectus femoris pain is not from tightness due to how much you use your quads.
Rectus Femoris Pain Prevention
If you work with a health care provider, the best thing you can do is take note of everything they do for you, any exercises that you do to get healthy again as well as ones used to maintain health. The mistake most athletes make is doing everything right to get healthy and then just forgetting all about it once the body feels good. Being an athlete means that you are continually beating the body up. If you do not work to be healthy or maintain the current state, you will eventually be hurt again. You have to do something about it to stay healthy.
Finding The Best Local Sports Medicine Providers for Rectus Femoris Pain
9INE POINT Health is the best place to start your search for a health care provider to help you stay healthy. The key to success as an athlete is staying healthy and making sure the injuries are dealt with appropriately. Any athlete that runs is at risk of hamstring tendon pain and the key to success as an athlete is staying healthy.
9INE POINT Health lets you search for providers by type and skill. For example, you can look for a Chiropractor with any skill set you need. It does not matter what kind of provider you need, 9INE POINT Health can help you find them and help you to sort through their skills.
If you are unsure where to start your journey, 9INE POINT Health will ask you questions and help you figure out the best starting place. All you have to do is answer a few questions. From there, 9INE POINT Health will connect you with the type of provider best suited for your needs. It does not matter if you are injured or making sure you don’t run into Rectus Femoris Pain.
The platform makes it easy to compare health providers as they are all given a 9INE POINT Number. Once you are shown the best local options, how do you know which is the best? Reading bios and reviews is just not enough because you need more than that.
Skill Sets to Look for In Sports Medicine Providers
Skill sets are the things healthcare providers learn after they graduate. A healthcare provider can take courses and get certifications for different skill sets. These skill sets are valuable and help them approach injuries from different perspectives so that you can get the best help at the right time for any Rectus Femoris Pain issues.
- Dry needling
- Acupuncture
- Joint Manipulation
- Active Release Technique
- Graston Technique
- Functional Movement Screen
- Fascial Stretching
- ASTYM
- Strength and Conditioning Coach
- Athletic Trainer
- Sports Background
- And many more
KHO Health was acquired by was acquire by 9INE POINT in the summer of 2019 and is now referred to as 9INE POINT Health.
9INE POINT Health was created by 9INE POINT in '19 as a means to provide athlete-driven resources to "Protect Athletes' Minds, Body and Belly". As well as be a platform for healthcare providers and other specialists to display their knowledge.