Quadricep Muscle Pain/Clear Shape Change

[Kathryn Brooks]

I have had pain in my left knee for years, with problems with it locking when I sit down for too long - like an hour! I am a javelin thrower and during a competition on the weekend it became very sore, localised to my whole knee. Afterwards when siting down the lower outside quad muscle starting spasming

When the physio worked deep in the muscle - to the point of bruising, he described it as being 'very dirty muscle tissue'... What is this??

There was also a clear dip in the muscle, like a hole - any ideas what this is?

I injured the knee 5 years ago in a fall playing soccer and was on crutches for 3 months due to another problem - not sure if I may have injured this muscle and it just hasn't healed correctly...?

[Jose M. Perez]

"Dirty muscle tissue" might mean that you have one or more knots in the muscle, which makes sense if it was injured. Try rolling it out with a foam roller or a medicine ball. If your knee is getting sore, try rolling out your IT band as well. It's the bundle of muscles that run down the side of your leg to the knee. If it is tight or there are any knots in it, it can affect the knee. As for the dip in the muscle, it could be the result of the massage clearing up a knot. But, if the leg feels weaker, consider seeing a doctor. The website Mobility WOD is a good source; it's a subscription site now, but the old videos are still available for free.

[Dakota Base]

Originally Posted by Kathryn Brooks

When the physio worked deep in the muscle - to the point of bruising, he described it as being 'very dirty muscle tissue'... What is this??

Vague statements like "very dirty muscle" are pretty common among sports medicine, physio, and therap massage folks. Think about gristle in a good steak, that's the best explanation I've received. More or less a lot of scar tissue as well as tension carried in that particular muscle.

I have a few repeated injuries that I've had various docs and therapists give the same type of description. I have regular steroid injections to mitigate pain in my groin muscle because of one severe injury followed by multiple 'repeat offenses' over the years, and have to see physical therapists for PT programming and regular therapeutic massages for that injury and my bicep and shoulder which have also suffered multiple injuries.

When the docs 'aggressively palpate' my bicep or groin, the muscles feel like a sock full of wires and gravel, rather than the pulpy feel of healthy muscle. I've also been through different phases of 'odd appearance' of these muscles with lumps or holes.

AGGRESSIVE massage or rolling can help break up that inflexible tissue and help release some of the 'knots' of tension to help relieve pain and improve ROM. It's a constant fight though, and I'm not necessarily 100% sure it helps healing as much as it just releases and maintains ROM.

[Kathryn Brooks]

Thanks for your reply's!

I have been using foam roller and deep tissue message therapist for the past few months and there has been little improvement to pain levels and also ROM, annoyingly!

I have been diagnosed with Patella Tendonitis, but still nobody has been able to give me a reason behind the locking, and after 4 months of intense strengthening it is still giving me major troubles each time I squat or run... Ang more suggestions before I pay for a scan...

Thanks!

[Phil Washlow]

mobilitywod has a couple posts about knees that lock that you may want to look into. From what I can remember Kelly advises to wrap the joint tightly with a voodoo band to work on all of the tissues in the area and take it through range of motion, go to full flexion and extension to try and create some space in the joint. There are a couple other techniques he shows with putting a towel or ball behind the knee joint and going to full flexion to create space. He also has a technique of going to full extension and adding a rotational load with your hands. My explanations are definitely lacking but a quick search will net you some different joint techniques to try that aren't just working the soft tissues around it. If there is an issue with the joint itself then all the soft tissue work in the world is not going to fix it, you will just be temporarily improving the symtoms until the muscles lock back up.

[Kathryn Brooks]

Thanks, I have tried most of the things in the mobility video and they loosened the knee but didn't help with any of the locking episodes.

I have recently been diagnosed with patella tendinitis, but I can't find any information about a connection the Tendonitis and locking... If anyone has eperienced both, please let me know!?!?!

Thanks for your help guys!!