Need help with recurring quadricep tightness -- long and detailed

[Jrrrr]

I have had a recurring problem for the last seven months or so after I started running again. Mainly, the quadricep muscles in both my legs tighten up when I start to get physically active. I do not do strength training for my legs, but I run and hike a combined 3 times per week.

Symptoms: following a stretching of the quadriceps, even if I stay on my feet and moving, the muscles noticably tighten back up in 5-10 minutes. When I'm at home and not doing something physical, after a stretch, my quadriceps tighten back up in 5-10 minutes. When I stretch before a run, my quadriceps go painfully tight after about 1/2 mile or 5-10 minutes. When my quads tighten up on me as I'm running, my stride shortens and I feel like I have to work twice as hard to run forward. It isn't the pain that bothers me as much as the tightness destroying my running form and effort. I'm also afraid that I'm going to suffer a bad strain if I keep running on tight quads. To some extent, my quads always hurt following exercise if I run on them when they are tight. My quads tighten up the worst when I'm running, but also tighten up on me during the first few miles of a hike. After a good warmup, I'm generally good to hike for 15 miles or more without any vocal objections from my quads -- I just get blisters and sore calves like I should after a long hike.

Stretching habits: I have been reguarly stretching for years. My leg muscle flexibility is remarkably good. I stretch my quadriceps at least twice per day. I stretch my quadriceps in an involved manner after strenuous exercise. I also stretch my quadriceps more often on days following strenuous exercise in order to aid in recovery.

I've tried: running after involved stretching, running after light stretching, and running after no quadricep stretching. Each of these results in tight quadriceps after 1/2 mile or 5-10 minutes, but the better I stretch the less soreness I have following exercise. I have tried drinking lots of extra water, but that doesn't seem to make a difference in the tightening symptoms. I have also tried eating good food and some supplements containing K, Ca, Na, and Mg, but electrolytes before a run don't seem to solve the problem either. I have also tried running on different surfaces. Oddly enough, running on a 440 track or grass seems to make my quadriceps tighten up worse. Running on concrete or asphalt gives better results, but of course, my quadriceps still tighten up.

Strange untightening: It seems that if I stop and fully cool down after my quads start tightening up, my quads loosen up and don't bother me if I go back to exercise. For instance, on a three mile run, the first mile or so is terrible tightness; however, if I cool down after a mile and then go back to running, the rest of the run my quadriceps don't really bother me and I can run like I should. Sometimes in the same run, I can feel like I need to stop immediately, cool down, and then go back to running feeling good. When I'm running with loose leg muscles, I can go for miles before my cardiovascular systems becomes a limiting factor instead of my legs. I know this sounds wierd, but it seems to happen. Too bad I can't try this during boot camp runs.

In summary, my quadriceps seem to be chronically tight since I began running again seven months ago. It's also possible they were before and I just didn't notice it. The quads are somewhat tight when I'm inactive, and badly tight after a little running. Something about running seems to make my quadriceps go painfully tight and tries to kill my runs before I even exert myself very much. When I hike, my quadriceps are less tight, but it doesn't bother me much because I can use more of my hamstrings to climb hills and walk. I'm not crazy about hiking downhill, though.

I NEVER have tightening problems with my calves, hamstrings, or any other muscle else during a run. I never experience knee, ankle, hamstring, or heel pain, IBS, or other running ailments. Due to the fact that I only have problems with my quadriceps, I'm wondering if there's another muscle in my body that is somehow making my quadriceps chronically tight. Stretching and other measures aren't working.

I'm getting pretty worried about quadricep tightness affecting my running. I experienced a hip flexor strain from running about six months ago, probably due to inproper stretching and being new, and that sidelined me for two weeks. I'm scared that I'm going to end up with a quadricep strain that will ruin my conditioning efforts for weeks. I'm really scared I'm going to end up with quadricep strain problems at boot camp if I don't figure something out quickly. This honestly doesn't feel like "pain" to me, it feels like an injury waiting to happen if I'm not careful. Until recently, I thought my quadricep issues were just muscle fatigue that would go away as I got into shape. Now I realize that my problem is recurring tightness. I wish I could easilly consult a good doctor about this, but I have to pay a lot out of pocket for doctor visits with my health insurance. That's my next stop if all else fails, though.

Do I just need extra long warmups before I run my main course, or is there something really wrong with my quadriceps?

[Jrrrr]

What I meant to say by "strange untightening:" When my quadriceps are tightened during a run, if I cease running and do a brisk walking cool down, my quadriceps may loosen up and I feel like I can run again. It doesn't always work out this way, though. If I just cease running and stop physical activity, they always stay tight. Suffice it to say, sometimes my quadriceps aren't tight during a run.

[HurricaneRJ]

You need to ask a professionaly physican.

[Jrrrr]

You need to ask a professionaly physican.

I agree completely, and that's my next stop if all else fails.

[zackmerc]

Try a doctor. Massaging and heat therapy may help loosen up your muscle. Are you sure it's not soreness?

[Quinbo]

Drink more water and eat foods high in potassium, such as bananas. One of the syptoms of heat exhaustion is muscle cramps. If you are not well hydrated you could very well be suffering from heat exhaustion.

[Jrrrr]

Drink more water and eat foods high in potassium, such as bananas. One of the syptoms of heat exhaustion is muscle cramps. If you are not well hydrated you could very well be suffering from heat exhaustion.

Good advice, Sergeant, but I have tried both and it doesn't seem to improve my problem. I eat fruit and vegetables rich in electrolytes several hours before running, and I drink enough water in day-to-day life that all the signs of adequate hydration are there. I do mouth breathe when running, out of necessity, so I'm losing more water there than nose breathers, but I don't experience signs of dehydration when my quadriceps tighten up during running.

[jimrod83]

Purely from a trained Massage Practioner standpoint, you might want to go see a Massage therapist who knows how to do Myo-fascial release(and properly, at that). A combination of this, and possibly Rulfing, should get that tightness out.(Myo-fascial release is about loosening up the fascial tissue that surrounds your muscles. All the stretching in the world won't help if it's overly tight, and it can cause tightness, cramping, and increase risk of strains and pulls.) Just my two cents.

[brecon65]

From your description of almost every combination of running and stretching you've tried the one thing I see missing is that you are not warming up your muscles prior to the pre-run stretch.

Try running in place or jumping jacks/squat thrusts, just something to get more blood pumping through the quads. Then go through your stretching routine. You'll get more benefit from stretching a warm muscle than a cold one. In fact, you should NEVER stretch a cold muscle.

:flag:

[Kurby494]

You may also want to take some form of protien and do more than just running and hiking. Try doing some lower body workouts and some calistenics. But if this is really as severe a problem as you say the best advice is to go see either your primary care physician or a chiropractor.

[Jrrrr]

I feel a lot better today after doing about 4 miles of running at the RS PT session.

I think the problem I have is a tendency to use too much quadriceps to push off with my natural mechanics. Using knee flexion to push off quickly causes fatigue of my quadriceps and corresponding pain and tightness. People have told me I bounce when running, so I think I see why now.

Instead, I was trying to use some of the techniques in the "foot drag" or maybe even the "pose" methods of running. The principle here is to maintain a good forward lean and push off with the hips instead of the balls of the feet -- kind of gliding the feet over ground when pushing off. In addition, I drastically minimize knee flexion and always keep my feet behind the waist. This method might look kind of funny, and it's more difficult to do at a slow cadence, but it feels a lot better than the alternatives to me.

What I care about is that my quads didn't tighten up, and they actually feel better now than they did when I started the PT session.

Running mechanics is important, folks.

[Kurby494]

I feel a lot better today after doing about 4 miles of running at the RS PT session.

I think the problem I have is a tendency to use too much quadriceps to push off with my natural mechanics. Using knee flexion to push off quickly causes fatigue of my quadriceps and corresponding pain and tightness. People have told me I bounce when running, so I think I see why now.

Instead, I was trying to use some of the techniques in the "foot drag" or maybe even the "pose" methods of running. The principle here is to maintain a good forward lean and push off with the hips instead of the balls of the feet -- kind of gliding the feet over ground when pushing off. In addition, I drastically minimize knee flexion and always keep my feet behind the waist. This method might look kind of funny, and it's more difficult to do at a slow cadence, but it feels a lot better than the alternatives to me.

What I care about is that my quads didn't tighten up, and they actually feel better now than they did when I started the PT session.

Running mechanics is important, folks.

If you mean while you're running you have your feet chasing your upper torso, then i do that as well. I have to lean into my run because otherwise I use to much calf and my calfs tighten up quickly. It looks like I'm falling forward and running o get my feet back under me but I'm not.

[Jrrrr]

If you mean while you're running you have your feet chasing your upper torso, then i do that as well. I have to lean into my run because otherwise I use to much calf and my calfs tighten up quickly. It looks like I'm falling forward and running o get my feet back under me but I'm not.
That's one way to describe it, just with not so much of a pronounced lean that I feel like I'm falling forward. I also meant to say knee extension instead of "flexion."

[Kurby494]

That's one way to describe it, just with not so much of a pronounced lean that I feel like I'm falling forward. I also meant to say knee extension instead of "flexion."

Yeah. I didnt mean that I would have my chest parralell with the deck, I was just exagerating a little.