End Quad Pain

Quad pain is a tough one…

and worse yet, it always seems to find a way to yank on your knee with a crazy intensity of pain?

How do your Quads cause your Knee Pain?

Did you know…

1. You have 4 quad muscles that together become the quadratus femoris group

2. In easy general terms, each quad has a top and a bottom tendon that attaches that muscle to bone.

3. The lower tendons of each of the (4) quads converge to become the tendon of the quadratus femoris which in turn becomes continuous with the patellar ligament and thereby attaches to your shin bone.

   • Your knee cap (patella) is embedded within the tendon of quadriceps femoris tendon (and acts as its sesamoid bone)

4. Your leg bone (femur) has a center groove and your shin bone (tibia) has an ideal centering area that together accommodate the movement of your quad tendons and kneecap.

5. If your quads are chronically tight and/or imbalanced in their muscle tone, they’re pulling your knee cap out of its ideal alignment – AKA the tendons unevenly pull against how your kneecap tracks to the movement groove areas of your leg and shin bones.

   • This unevenness can feel like a lock on your knee and can otherwise just feel super strained and outrageously painful!

     • i.e. If your center quad is tighter (i.e. more chronically contracted) than the others, your knee cap can pull upward and sit tight in the groove in your femur.

     • i.e. If your outer quad is chronically the tighter compared to the others, your knee cap will again be pulled off its center track.

     • — AND Further complicating things, if your outer quad gets “cranky” it often co-opts/ causes problems for your IT Band and outer hamstring muscle.

So Never Fun!