Thigh injury

Thigh injuries are common in soccer. The best-known thigh injury is a hamstring injury, but other injuries also occur regularly in the thighs.

With a thigh injury, it is important first to determine which injury you have and how it occurred.

There are three important muscle groups in the thigh that are regularly involved in injuries. These muscle groups are the quadriceps femoris (front of the thigh), the hamstrings (back of the thigh), and the adductors (inner thigh). The location of the symptoms can therefore already indicate which injury you have.

An injury can occur suddenly; this is called an acute injury. For example, when the pain suddenly shoots in when starting a sprint or when you receive a kick to the thigh. However, injuries can also develop gradually. Gradual injuries often start with few symptoms that slowly get worse.

Acute thigh injuries

Acute injuries to the thigh during soccer are mainly the muscle contusion, also called 'dead leg', and the muscle strain.

Muscle contusion
A muscle contusion occurs due to a hard collision against the thigh. The muscle is immediately painful and feels stiff. With movement, the pain gradually decreases, which usually makes it possible to continue playing. When the training or match is over and the muscle has rested, it feels stiffer and more painful than before. Getting the muscle moving again is then painful; once moving, the pain becomes less.

Muscle strain
A strain of the thigh muscle usually occurs when starting a sprint or when kicking the ball. Risk factors for sustaining a strain are: fatigue, muscle weakness, and muscle imbalance of the thigh muscles.

An example of a common muscle strain is the hamstring injury. The hamstrings are a muscle group at the back of the thigh. Hamstring injuries are characteristic of soccer players. They are common and often cause long-lasting symptoms.

Groin injury
The groin region is the area at the transition from the abdomen to the leg, extending to the pubic region and the inner thigh. A groin injury can cause radiating pain at the front of the thigh. The problem is then in the groin, but the pain is (also) felt elsewhere. Groin injuries can arise both acutely and gradually.

Gradual thigh injuries

The following gradual injuries are regularly seen in soccer.

Calcification
In some cases, calcium is formed after a muscle contusion. The bleeding that occurs with a contusion is converted into calcium by the body; this is called myositis ossificans.

It is not clear why this happens. Risk factors for this are: the severity of the contusion and the improper treatment of a contusion. Heat and massage are not recommended in the acute phase. If, in prone, the knee cannot bend far enough two to three days after a muscle contusion, this may indicate the development of myositis ossificans.

Muscle soreness
Muscle soreness is a common complaint after playing soccer. The thigh usually causes the most muscle soreness symptoms. The entire quadriceps and/or hamstring region is then painful.

Tendonitis
A tendon is located at the beginning and end of a muscle. Through the tendon, a muscle attaches to the bone. Tendons can become inflamed and cause pain. Pain symptoms that develop gradually over a longer period may indicate tendonitis. If the tendon that attaches just above the knee is inflamed, we speak of quadriceps tendinitis.

Hip impingement
With a hip impingement, there is an entrapment in the hip between the femoral head and the hip socket. The symptoms usually arise as a result of repeatedly loading the hip in extreme situations. For example, frequently and forcefully making rotational movements in the hip.

Radiating pain
Problems in the back can also cause radiating pain in the thigh.

Treatment of thigh injuries

The treatment of thigh injuries depends on the injury. Other important aspects for treating thigh symptoms are the mechanism of injury and the location of the pain. The exact location of the pain after a muscle contusion or muscle strain is usually easy to indicate. In many cases, it is necessary to follow an exercise program after the injury. This strengthens the leg again and reduces the chance of being injured again.

Do the self-check

Do you have a thigh injury? First do the self-check and find out what the cause of your thigh symptoms might be.