How do you heal a minor quad tear I hurt it playing soccer and eveytime I kick the ball there is a shooting pain Can I attempt to play through this or can I hurt it further?

Answer 1

I practiced outpatient orthopedic PT for 10 years. You shouldn't play through this if it is recurring. Every time you feel the sharp pain you are probably re-straining the muscle tissue causing inflammation and pain...which increases your overall healing time. Chronic strain to muscle tissue can cause significant scarring and predispose you to future injury in the same muscle. I would recommend avoiding ANY activity that causes the sharp pain for 7-10 days. Do PAIN-FREE quad stretches and EASE into kicking by starting with easy passing and NO shots or long balls. You should have NO pain with these activities. At 2 weeks start with longer passing and eventually easy shots on goal. If you re-injure the muscle, rest, and apply ice for 20min 2-3/day for 24-48 hrs. Then start with the stretches and process listed above. Best of luck.