Strained leg muscle/hip - what workout options do I have?

markrichtsspraytan
markrichtsspraytan Posts: 89 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all,

I have strained a muscle in my upper right leg pretty bad. It seems to be the Sartorius or Rectus Femoris. Pushing off of it in any way (trying to run or even going up stairs) is very painful, as is bending it back (like sitting on my knees). I am 23 and at a healthy weight, so I very much doubt it's a weight-related issue. I was running and playing soccer with the pain because I initially mistook it for DOMS after a particularly long run. 4 days after, however, my one sore leg felt better and the other did not.

Has anyone had a similar problem? What workout did you do during this time? I know saying to just take it easy seems simple, but I only have 1200 calories/day, so if I don't exercise, I barely get any food to eat, which sucks. I would rather find another way to burn calories and not go through my day hungry.

Thanks so much for any help. Also, if anyone has had a similar issue and has suggestions on what stretches, etc. to do to help it heal better, I would appreciate it.

Replies

  • Pinkranger626
    Pinkranger626 Posts: 460 Member
    While your injury is active stretching it and massaging it can actually make it worse. Unfortunately the best thing I could suggest would be to rest it for a few days. Taking a week off of your exercise is not going to kill your weight loss. I would switch to maintenance for your calories and let it heal up. If it's not showing any improvement after a few days I would also suggest seeing a doctor to make sure that you didn't do more than strain things.

    Once things seem like their healing up ( range of motion and no pain) then foam rolling, massage, and quad stretches will help immensely. I'm just coming back from a hip injury myself, it was rough for a while but things are finally starting to get back on track. If it's a muscle strain then it should be healed relatively quickly if you give it some time to heal. Working through the pain is only going to make things worse and can cause even more damage. When I was injured I found even upper body stuff was making it worse since you use all your stabilizers to keep your form.
  • mercurysfire
    mercurysfire Posts: 144 Member
    i had a string of these a few months ago and it started with a bad pull in my inner thigh. then i got a muscle spasm in my back then one in my hip. epsom salts baths and foam rolling along with ibuprofen to take down the inflammation helped immensely in the first couple of days. muscle relaxers also help a bit. :)

    i got conflicting info from docs and athletes on what to do as far as movement. i did find that walking helps a lot. it keep the circulation pumping through the area. light stretching also helped. after a few days, i used a tennis ball on the tight area. it seems counter intuitive- but omg it felt so good when that bunched up muscle released little by little.

    epsom salts and foam roller though- definitely get in on that.
  • h7463
    h7463 Posts: 626 Member
    Hi!
    I feel with you on the food....lol
    However, rest and adequate food are really the best way to speed up recovery. Having lived through many of those annoying injuries, I'd suggest, treat it with a neutral (not hot, not cold) topical ointment for a day or two, it it doesn't respond, see a doctor. I'm not a fan of NSAIDs, because my body responds very well, and has learned how to better repair itself now with very limited medication....and a lot of patience. A week without training and with more food will not ruin your work, it'll just put it on hold for a bit.

    Get well soon!

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