Importance of Quadriceps Muscle

        Importance of Quadriceps Muscle

 

The quadriceps muscles consist of four large muscles at the front of the thigh: the rectus femoris, vastus intermedius, vastus lateralis, and vastus medialis. The "quads" are powerful muscles involved in movement and propulsion. Exercises that improve the quadriceps muscles are leg presses, Squats, and leg extensions.

Anatomy:

The quadriceps muscles are a group of muscles on the front of your thighs. As you may guess from the name, there are four distinct muscles that make up the quadriceps muscles.

The four quad muscles have individual names and are located in different positions on the front of each of your tights. These names are:

• Vastus intermedius: This is the deepest of the quad muscles, located below the other three.
• Vastus medialis: This muscle is located on the inner portion of your thigh and ends near your knee cap as the vastus medialis oblique (VMO). A weak VMO is often associated with poor kneecap position and knee pain.
• Vastus lateralis: This quad muscle is located on the lateral or outer portion of your thigh.
• Rectus femoris: The rectus femoris is the superficial muscle on top of your thigh between the vastus medialis and lateralis.

The quadriceps are also known simply as the quads, so if you hear someone speaking about the quads, this is the muscle group they are referring to.

What the Quadriceps Muscles Do:

The quadriceps all work to extend (straighten) the knee. The rectus femoris also flexes the hip, The vastus medialis adducts the thigh and also extends and externally rotates the thigh and stabilizes the kneecap.

You use the quads whenever you straighten a bent knee. In everyday life, they help you get up from a chair, walk, climb stairs and squat. They are used in walking and running at the onset of a stride and get used significantly when going downhill. They get a real workout with cycling, and cyclists have well-developed quads. The quads are used in jumping and sports like basketball that requires jumps.

The quadriceps are antagonists to the hamstring and gluteal muscles, which do more of the heavy work in running and walking. Tight quads can have an effect on those antagonistic muscles.

Functions

The quadriceps are involved in almost every movement of your legs. The primary function of the muscles is to bend and straighten your knee. The rectus femoris muscle is also is the primary muscle involved in rotating the hips. Your quads work in concert with other leg muscles, such as the hamstrings, to promote effective movement, running, squatting, cycling and balance.

Care

When the quads are damaged or overused, they can make it difficult to get around. Quads, like all other major muscle groups, require care and maintenance. Stretching is one of the most effective ways to keep the quadriceps flexible, increase their range of motion and maintain appropriate blood and oxygen circulation in them.

Warm up your quads with dynamic stretching -- for example, gentle aerobic exercise such as walking on a treadmill or marching in place -- before you begin working out. For a static stretch after your workout, stand next to a stable object and hold one foot up behind your rear end. Gently pull your foot toward your body and feel the stretch in your quad. Hold for 20 seconds, release and repeat on the other leg.

Possible Injury

Any one of the four muscles can be damaged, resulting in a small tear or total rupture. The muscles are particularly vulnerable to strain and tears when you perform strenuous activities without warming up the muscles first.

The rectus femoris is the most commonly injured muscle and often is injured while kicking, sprinting or jumping. You'll know when you've damaged one of the quadriceps muscles when you feel a twinge or spasm in your thigh or when walking becomes uncomfortable. A more serious tear results in swelling and severe and sudden pain.

 

Common Injuries to the Quadriceps

Injury to the quad muscles can and do occur. Your quadriceps are a large muscle group, and they are responsible for generating quite a bit of force to keep you walking, running, and stair climbing. Since your quads also keep your kneecap in the correct position, they may be subjected to repetitive stresses and forces that can cause injury.

Injuries to the quadriceps may include:

• Kneecap dislocation. Sometimes, your quad muscle tears off the bone just below the kneecap, resulting in a dislocated kneecap. This is almost always the result of trauma, such as a sports injury or fall. If this occurs, surgery is often performed to repair the torn quadriceps. After surgery, you may have to wear a knee brace and attend physical therapy to return to normal activity and function.
• Patellofemoral stress syndrome. If you have knee pain or swelling from an injury or if you have arthritis, the quadriceps sometimes stops working properly. This may result in a condition called Patellofemoral Stress Syndrome. This happens when the quads are unable to help keep the kneecap in its proper position, resulting in pain and difficulty walking or running.
•     Iliotibial band friction syndrome. This condition is caused          by an irregular rubbing of your iliotibial band as it crosses the lateral side of your kneecap. This may happen if your quads are weak or tight and can cause pain and limited function in your walking or running ability.

• Paresis and paralysis. Your quadriceps may become weakened due to spinal cord injury or stroke (neurological weakness in a muscle is a condition called Paresis). Low back pain may result in a pinched nerve at lumbar level 3 that may cause weakness in the quads. This is usually a severe condition, and you should see your doctor right away to assess the situation and get this taken care of.

If you are having difficulty with any part of your thigh or knee and feel your quadriceps may be the cause, a visit to your doctor or PT may be in order to get things checked out.

Loss of Function from Injured Quadriceps:

If you injure your quadriceps muscle or muscles, you may have difficulty with functional mobility. You may be surprised to learn that your quadriceps muscles help you move around in bed. They contract to help you scoot your bottom while lying down, and they can help you roll in bed.

The quadriceps muscles also are very active when rising from a chair. They help to straighten the knee, which is essential to rise up from a sitting position. The quads are also a major muscle group responsible for walking up and down stairs.

As you may have guessed, the quadriceps muscle group is also essential for walking and running. The quads help keep you moving forward while walking and running, and they prevent you from falling when standing still. Weakness in the quads may result in gait abnormalities, and you may require an assistive device like a cane or walker to help with normal walking if your quads are not working properly. Your physical therapist can help you decide which device is right for you if you need one after a quad injury.

Can I Perform Exercises for My Quadriceps?

If you suffer an injury to your quadriceps, your doctor may refer you to physical therapy to help improve functional mobility and to improve the strength and flexibility of the quadriceps. Your physical therapist can offer suggestions for the correct exercises for you to perform to help your specific condition.

Basic knee mobility exercises focus on quadriceps strength and mobility and stretching exercises for the quads help to improve the flexibility of the muscle group.

The main types of exercises that you can perform to help improve the function of your quadriceps include:

• Strength: Since the quadriceps muscles cross both the hip and the knee, exercises that involve the knee and the hip are essential to improving the strength of the quads. Simple knee strengthening exercises will target the quads, and Advanced Hip strengthening exercises will also include quite a bit of quadriceps work.
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• Flexibility: There are many easy stretches to do to improve the flexibility of your quadriceps muscles. Basic Quadriceps Stretching can be done, and the towel Quadriceps stretch is a great way to improve the flexibility of this muscle group.
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• Balance and proprioception: Balance and proprioception exercises often focus on the quadriceps since these are essential in keeping you upright and balanced. Basic balance exercises can also help to prevent falls, and advanced balance exercises may be used to help treat quad injuries and knee pain.

Be sure to check in with your doctor or physical therapist before starting any exercise for your quads.

A word from verywell:

If you feel pain in the front of your thigh after an injury, you may have done something to your quadriceps. Often, injuries to the quads are easy to rehab; a little rest and some stretching are all it takes. Other times, a quadriceps injury can be serious, so check in with your doctor  you have injured the front of your thigh. An injury to your quadriceps can be a painful experience. A visit to your physical therapist may be the key to helping you improve the function of your quadriceps to get you back to normal functional mobility quickly and safely.

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Treatment

Depending on the severity of the damage, you may be out of commission to participate in sports and strenuous exercise for up to 12 weeks. Without effective quadriceps, you cannot compete in competitive events, training and may even require surgery.

Sports massage can help relieve the discomfort of mildly strained quads, and either electrical stimulation or ultrasound can speed healing. For mild tears, you may be able to use your quads soon after following a period of rest, ice, compression and elevation, or RICE. Compression bandages may allow you to maintain mobility while the injury heals.

Exercises

Sprinting, cycling, and stair climbing will give the quads a natural workout. Compound exercises for the quadriceps include sprints, squats, lunges, deadlifts, leg press, and Smith Machine squats. Isolation exercises for the quads include leg extensions and exercise machines for the inner thigh and outer thigh.

Stretches

Tight quadriceps can cause an imbalance with the hamstrings and gluteal muscles. Runners and cyclists may experience tight quads. Warming up at an easy pace can help relieve tight quads, but using stretches is common.