Injury to inner quad/hamstring muscle

[ace88]

For weeks, my hamstrings keep bothering me after playing softball. Especially my right one. I've told the therapists at the chirpractor to work on my hamstrings, however, they never hit the spot because the pain was really between my quad and hamstring on the inside of my leg. Not really what I would call a groin pull. I was too embarrassed to say anything, and didn't really expect anyone to work the area.

Anyhow, tonight I had a different therapist and she somehow hit the spot on her own. She immediately remarked how tight that area was and said my whole upper leg was flinching every time she hit around that spot. Pain was shooting from the inside of my leg to the outside. When my leg was bent, it wasn't too bad, but when she straightened it out, pain again between the inner hamstring and inner quad. When I was on my back, working the hamstring didn't do too good because the muscle wouldn't relax at all and pain kept shooting from inside to outside on my upper leg. Then she turned me over, and with me being face up, she was able to work the muscle much more effectively, and I wasn't as tense. After just that one session I already feel about 50% better. I didn't realize how much nagging pain I was in before.

Any idea what this muscle would be called? Or what this injury is called? It's kind of on the inner part of my upper hamstring, almost between my hamstring and quad. Probably two to three inches away from being a groin injury....

[Breathe]

probably pectineus, maybe adductor brevis or longus, but my money is on pectineus.

http://exrx.net/Muscles/Pectineus.html

[Rose of Sharon]

Try stretching the adductors between therapy sessions. Do kind of a sideways lunge and then hold the stretch for 10-15 seconds. Stand up straight again, shake that leg out, then do it again. Repeat with other leg, if they both are tight. A lot of times I can stretch away trigger points in that area, and that is HUGE relief!

Sorry you got hurt, but it sure is fun playing right up until then, isn't it?

[BlackPearl]

Hi,

I disagree with pectineus because it only crosses the hip, and you said the pain changes with knee flexion.

I say the hamstring part of adductor magnus, is the most likely suspect.

http://exrx.net/Muscles/Adductors.html

Although "inner part of my upper hamstring" suggests pectineus, I don't think this is the case, pain would probably refer in to the hip and pelvis, not about the thigh.

Shooting pain sounds like trigger points. No specific injury, just shortened tissues full of trigger points. Maybe a little repetive strain thrown in after a few weeks of this.

You need to stretch your legs after the game. you'd be amazed how much stretching adductors makes walking nicer, and your back more free to move.

Oh, and go back to that therapist she sounds like a good one.

[ace88]

I will go back to the therapist, as she was the only one who actually found the injury on her own, which I give her great credit for. I try to stretch before and after games, but being that I am the manager, I am responsible for bases, bats, softballs, paying the ump, writing the lineup, etc...and exercise sometimes gets lost in the shuffle.

I didn't realize how much in general pain I was until she started massaging the area when I was face down, and my leg started twitching, spasming, etc...from inside to outside....

[Caoimhan]

My bet is on the adductor magnus, given that its origin (I believe on the ischium?) is posterior, under the gluteus maximus, but crosses under the gracilus toward the anterior where it inserts on the femur just superior to the knee, passing under the sartorius.

The poster is probably assuming his sartorius is part of his "quads".

[BlackPearl]

Glad to hear you're going back to her.

Amazing how much pain we can live with, eh?

About stretching: don't do it at the beginning. pre-game stuff should be upbeat, active, warming up. try to loosen up, get all the major joints moving (big, swooping, loosey goosey circles) don't try to stretch into new ranges, just wake everythinig up and get it to your normal for that activity. things get tight day to day, and you want to stretch out past this a little, but I don't consider that stretching, rather just loosening up. when the muscles aren't warm, stretching is painful, and the stretch is usually taken up in places you don't want to stretch. like ligaments, often, I'll get to the end of range real quick if I try to stretch cold, and there's this aweful, painful, dense sensation. that's a ligament, don't stretch it. haha.

after is when you want to stretch. muscles do their work by shortening. period. after all that shortening and relaxing over and over during the game, some of the little fibers can stay stuck together. basicly. think of a sheet (linen) with clothes pins bunching up little bits together in different places. you can imagine you could move that whole sheet without impacting the pins fairly easily. only with a long force applied through the whole sheet, first taking up the slack, and with it taut, then the force will get into the pin areas. that's like stretching.

stretching is a whole excercice on it's own. it requires focus and energy. there's not much else I can say without getting overly technical and jargoniferic. it's a skill that improves with practice. pretty soon, you'll be able to stretch the major stuff out in a little routine, under five minutes. then stretch the rest at home, but it doesn't do as much good as right after, because you have to get warmed up again, blah blah.

just remember, loosey-goosey warm up before. think high-energy to get the blood flowing and to wake up the nervous systems. have fun. then stretch after. stretching is allowed, not forced. you get to edge of a stretch, self-check to make sure your posture is stable to balance into the stretch, then take a breath. if you're at the right place, your body will soften and you can follow it into a deeper stretch. don't try to pull on a bone to lever a stretch force into muscle, you will just activate protective mechanisms that will work against you.

is it obvious I'm all about the stretching? haha.

good luck,

pearl

[MassagesOnTheRun]

I agree with Rose of Sharon.

That is the approach I'd take. Plus I'm a big fan of "Tiger Balm" being rubbed there. (Not a compensated endorser - hehehe) I use it for myself and my clients.

You can buy it at CVS drug store for $7.50 ... or ... for three times the amount go to Price Club and it's only one or two dollars more.


Signed, Paul
MOTR Owner
Retired Pro Soccer Goal Keeper
Current Pro Soccer Refere

[moogie]

I will go back to the therapist, as she was the only one who actually found the injury on her own,

You know.....most therapists will find an injury if you let them know you're having problems in that area. Keeping a therapist "in the dark", hoping they'll find it on their own is unfair to them and in most cases will result in you getting a less-effective massage.

Angie

[melb]

I try to stretch before and after games, but being that I am the manager, I am responsible for bases, bats, softballs, paying the ump, writing the lineup, etc...and exercise sometimes gets lost in the shuffle.

You're the manager, you've been told how important stretching is, most of your team is also probably ignoring how important stretching is, make it a team activity, including you, for a couple of minutes of post game stetching.

[BJB-LMP]

I think he mentioned in the first post that he was embarassed to say anything about it -- not uncommon in that loaded area!

[ace88]

I think he mentioned in the first post that he was embarassed to say anything about it -- not uncommon in that loaded area!

I wasn't going to mention it to a therapist at a chiropractor's office that I only had for the 2nd time. I would think maybe someone who has their own practice might address it in a 90 minute massage, but not at the chiro's office during a 30 minute massage, to someone I barely know. To several therapists I've mentioned hamstrings, but that was probably too "vague" because the pain was too much on the inside of my hamstrings, and could only really be treated laying on my back facing upwards. I think it is very impressive when therapists can find really, really painful or tight spots on you on their own just by you describing a general area.

As it turns out, with a couple exercises someone gave me I got through the softball game OK tonight. We will see how I am tomorrow. The pain of my leg isn't as bad as the pain of losing my softball game 24-4 in the playoffs Man did we stink tonight!

[pueppi]

You know.....most therapists will find an injury if you let them know you're having problems in that area. Keeping a therapist "in the dark", hoping they'll find it on their own is unfair to them and in most cases will result in you getting a less-effective massage.

Angie

I think he mentioned in the first post that he was embarassed to say anything about it -- not uncommon in that loaded area!

I wasn't going to mention it to a therapist at a chiropractor's office that I only had for the 2nd time. I would think maybe someone who has their own practice might address it in a 90 minute massage, but not at the chiro's office during a 30 minute massage, to someone I barely know. To several therapists I've mentioned hamstrings, but that was probably too "vague" because the pain was too much on the inside of my hamstrings, and could only really be treated laying on my back facing upwards. I think it is very impressive when therapists can find really, really painful or tight spots on you on their own just by you describing a general area.

To be embarassed about mentioning this (as BJB-LMP says: in such a loaded area), is a good jumping off point to comment on something here.

moogie303 makes a very valid point and it can be used to open up this situation. Although you find it embarassing, it makes sense, even with a 30 min. massage with a new therapist to become more comfortable with your muscles to let the therapist know exactly what is going on with your situation. Possibly work with mirror exercises - tell the mirror where you hurt and how it came about, so that when you get in the situation and need to tell the therapist, you don't feel shy, bashful, or speak in a way that you fumble around with words to where it sounds like you may be fishing for something else.

It's nice to be impressed when we find things you didn't mention, but it helps the therapist and yourself when you give a heads up as to what is happening, instead of hoping they'll find it. It also gives the therapist a place to start with in their mind, if they are not "intuitives".