Quadricep Pain

I have been experiencing sharp pins and needles in the medial quadricep area for the past 4 months now. After consulting the doctor who diagnosed it as tendonitis i took ibuprofen and gave it the RICE treatment.

I then went to see a manipulation therapist who checked and alligned my pelvis and posture and applied sports massage. This helped a bit but due to his popularity, I haven't seen him for about 4-5 weeks. In the meantime I visited a pretty bad physio who didn't really tell me anything i didn't already know.

Is this quadricep tendonitis and what is the correct treatment?? I have been doing stretches and exercises every other day but still feel the pins and needles sensation often. Not pain as such but discomfort.

Any advice is much appreciated.

D

Anyone gonna offer some advice...?:-(

Hmm, never heard of that one Darren. I didn't know there were tendons in the quads, but then I'm an accountant, so what do I know?

If the manipulation worked and the therapist "aligned" your pelvis, it may be that you have an imbalance causing your discomfort and that further similar treatment could be the only route to go. Are there any chiropractors/osteopaths in your area who you could see, if your other guy is too busy. It may well be worth travelling a bit to get the right treatment.

"Are there any chiropractors/osteopaths in your area who you could see"

I've never actually seen one before so may be an option. The pain initially seemed to be centred on a spot on the knee then spread to the medial quadriceps and this is where most of the discomfort is?

It all seemed to stem from running on the treadmill and stepper in the gym!

Darren - I've had this and still get it if I don't do the remedial exercises frequently enough

For me it was the sign of the start of severe overloading of some quad muscles due to a quad imbalance - the VMO being overpowered by the lateral quads which literally pull it out of place. Ignoring it left me with permanent crippling muscle seizures and I ended up not being able to walk - at all (although I kept on running making it worse in the process)

Do you do leg extensions / leg presses in the gym / did you do these before the problem started? If you do and you have a muscle imbalance then they are 100% lethal - there are alternatives.

e-mail me if you want as I've got an infamously long word doc detailing all my problems - and some remedial exercises which help me loads

Hi Thanks for getting in touch.

"Do you do leg extensions / leg presses in the gym / did you do these before the problem started? If you do and you have a muscle imbalance then they are 100% lethal - there are alternatives."

Actually, I wasn't doing any leg resistence exercises before or now. I was running on the treadmill (light grad at good pace); stepper machine and cross trainer. The pain just started in my right knee then changed to my quads, the right one and then the left???

Well - could be something completely different - - - - but still sounds like a muscle imbalance to me - as the knee pain could be due to the quad imbalance pulling the patellar out of alignement

Do you know what the best treatment would be for this? Osteopath, chiropractor, manipulation sports therapist blah blah blah??

You need to know what it is....

BTW I've misled you - my problem is NOT tendonitis or whatever you've been told..I've had the symptons you've had - but not that diagnosis
Mine showed itself as violent short sharp stabbing pains in the quads / numbness in the front and outside of the leg from the glutes down - tingling - lameness - all sorts.

If it's a simple muscle imbalance its easily corrected by exercises targetting the VMO (which is usually the weaker muscle)

I've had 1001 other complications which hopefully won't affect you - but in the process - in the last 2 years alone - I've seen loads of phsyios' only 1 of whom was any good and saw the quad imablance straight off - 2 osteopaths - 1 chiropractor - RW Dr (u/s) - sports masseur - 2 podiatrists - radiographer - neurophysiologist - cardiologist plus countless white witches - black witches - you name it. Nearly there now - just waiting for the results of a recent muscle biopsy.

Strangely enough - correcting the quad imblance got rid of the shin splints - I always know when the quads are going wrong again when my shins start hurting