Quadriceps strains, or tears in your quadriceps muscles or tendon, are common among athletes, especially athletes who participate in sprinting, jumping or kicking activities, states the Sports Injury Clinic website. The most common site for quadriceps strains is the musculotendinous junction of your rectus femoris muscle, or the location where your rectus femoris muscle -- one of four quadriceps muscles -- becomes tendon. Before using nutritional support in treating your quadriceps strain, discuss the risks and benefits of this natural health approach with your doctor.
Quadriceps Strain
Quadriceps strains may be caused by several factors, notes Aurora Health Care. They include stretching your quadriceps beyond the tension it can handle, sudden and unexpected stress on your quadriceps muscles and tendon, a blow to your quadriceps, and overuse of your quadriceps muscles and tendon. Some of the most common signs and symptoms associated with a quadriceps strain include pain in the front of your thigh and knee, quadriceps muscle stiffness, quadriceps weakness and anterior thigh bruising.
Helpful Nutritional Supplements
There are many nutritional supplements that may be helpful in treating your quadriceps tendon tear or strain. Arnica, camphor, wintergreen, rue and cayenne may be among the most helpful nutritional supplements for this health purpose, notes Dr. Sharol Tilgner, a naturopathic physician and author of "Herbal Medicine From the Heart of the Earth." Other nutritional supplements that may help treat your quadriceps strain include chondroitin sulfate, glucosamine sulfate, MSM, proteolytic enzymes and grape seed extract.
A Useful Supplement
Grape seed extract may be one of the most useful nutritional supplements in treating your quadriceps strain. Grape seeds have been used for medicinal purposes since the days of ancient Greece, and grape seed extract is a powerful anti-inflammatory. According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, NCCAM, grape seed extract is commonly used for wound healing and treating swelling after an injury or surgery. This nutritional supplement is also used in treating cardiovascular problems, reports NCCAM.
Warning
Quadriceps strains range in severity from mild to severe. If you suffer a tear in your quadriceps tendon, meet with a musculoskeletal health specialist to have your condition properly assessed. Your physician can counsel you on the best course of action, including the use of nutritional supplements to speed healing and reduce your symptoms. Not all nutritional supplements traditionally used for this health purpose may be appropriate for you. You should always use nutritional supplements under the guidance of a licensed health-care professional.
References
- Sports Injury Clinic: Quadriceps (Thigh) Strain Injury
- Aurora Health Care: Quadriceps Strain
- "Herbal Medicine From the Heart of the Earth"; Sharol Tilgner, N.D.; 1999
- National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Grape Seed Extract
