Orthopaedic Surgery | Sports Medicine Questions Sports Medicine Specialist

Why do I still feel pain in my rectus femoris after partially tearing it in high school 4 years ago?

So a little bit about me, I am a college track athlete, and my senior year I partially tore my quad (rectus femoris) in the muscle belly in the middle of the quad and it caused muscle deformity there. I feel pain there sometimes when I run and I am wondering why and have many questions below.

-Is it because there is muscle deformity that I still feel pain there?

-Is it the scar tissue that is causing me pain?

-Since there is muscle deformity there does that mean that the muscle that used to be there is completely gone and unusable? That it is causing other muscles to take on some of the load?

-Is it a mental block in my head that just because I can physically see the deformities that I believe the muscle didn’t heal right and is causing me pain?

-Is it psychological?

Male | 23 years old

3 Answers

There is scar which is less pliable plus less muscle.Stiff scar can be a source of pain.Your pain tolerance also plays a role.Electrical Stimulation and Massage may help.Since the problem is not life threatening sometimes it’s best to accept it and move on.
Probably scar tissue

Alex
Have a question aboutSports Medicine Specialist?Ask a doctor now
First start with an US. You may need a CT scan or MRI of the region. Rule out an organic issue first. Medications can cause muscle pain side effects as well.