Muscle and Tendon Injury in Thigh

ABSTRACT

Most muscle and tendon injuries in thigh occur in sports activities with high energy, for example kicking and running, related with deceleration phase, which require eccentric contraction of quadriceps and hamstring. Most common injury is hamstring strain injury (HSI) and also common injuries of anterior thigh is quadriceps strain injury. Strain injuries occur at myo-tendinous junction and surrounding muscle fibers and in most strains except complete rupture first choice of treatment is conservative treatment including RICE in acute phase and subsequent rehabilitation programs. In competitive sports activities such as football quadriceps contusion injury is common after heavy collision. Prognosis is dependent on the extension of muscle fiber damage and hematoma formation. Hematoma formation can develop to myositis ossificans or Morel-Lavellee lesion, which can induce pain and disability. Hamstring and quadriceps strain and tendon tear can occur in middle-aged or elderly people in community circumstances after slip down or falling, which lead to sudden lengthening and eccentric contraction of hamstring or quadriceps.Tendon tear including avulsion tear in greater tuberosity has higher proportion than strain, that is opposite in sports injuries, because middle aged or elderly people have higher possibility of tendon degeneration and tendinosis with higher risk of tendon tear. Therefore rapid and accurate diagnosis and proper treatment including rehabilitation program for hamstring and quadriceps injury is necessary in middle aged or elderly people.