ARGH - strained quads??? Why and what to do???

[Julia123 10]

I joined a softball team a week ago and my left quad was really sore afterwards. I wasn't sure why because I exercise frequently...why would running a few laps around the field hurt my quads? Was it swinging the bat or tossing the ball (which I never do) that somehow caused a full body muscle stretch/pull that messed up my quads?? Anyway, I didn't work out for the whole week after that...just a little walking. My quads felt tight but not too bad.

 

2nd game was last night. As soon as I tried to run (and I'd done 4 miles of LIGHT walking to warm up!!! Even specifically stretched my quads), *both* quads seized up and I could barely hobble. The whole night was a wash and today, both quads are stiff, sore, and throbbing. Can hardly walk and running is out of the question. I drive a stick shift and it's agony to drive and try to work the clutch and the gas.

 

WHY would the little bit of activity that I did cause this kind of damage? And what can I do about it? I already took a week off and it apparently didn't help. I really want to play in next week's game.

 

Thanks!!

[PadreC 10]

I wonder if it's going from full stop to full go very quickly.

 

I also wonder how hard the field is you're playing on or the shoes your wearing.

 

Maybe after some of the soreness subsides it would be good to do some squats. Even if you don't have access to weights just regular squats might help out with that. Or just doing some stairs.

 

Just a few thoughts.

 

-Padre

[Julia123 10]

Yeah, I was reading online today and it looks like it was the sprinting that did it (without stretching first). ARGH!

 

But what do I do now? Do you think I could still play next weekend? I'm hobbling around like Frankenstein's monster and not sure if I should try to stretch the muscle out every day, or try to take long walks every day (so that I get *some* exercise), or do absolutely nothing, or ice it, or apply heat, or...? I've gotten contradictory information from different websites.

 

Thanks so much!

[PadreC 10]

I want to make sure this is clear because I don't want you to hurt yourself further. If you know it's just sore muscles then I think my advice is good. If you think it's something more then you need to see your doctor.

 

For sore muscles: Stretch it often. Go for walks to losen it up. Put a heating pad on it a couple times a day. It should be feeling better by Wednesday.

 

I say play next weekend if it's feeling better. Just remember to stretch, walk, jog, and sprint some warm ups before the game.

 

-Padre

[PadreC 10]

My quads are a little tight today from jogging yesterday and I just remember a stretch from my soccer days.

 

Here's a nice little stretching guide from the special olympics site.

 

http://www.specialolympics.org/Special+Olympics+Public+Website/English/Coach/Coaching_Guides/Football/Teaching+Sport+Skills/Lower+Body.htm

 

-Padre