pulled sartorious?!

[karladevil]

ok, so i started to do my weight routine today, and after doing my front squats i go into lunges and as put my left leg first and lunge i felt an immense pain in my right quad. i didn't fall to the floor or anything, but i sat down and pulled my leg up to my chest to stretch it out and the pain started to go away. i stand and still feel so i decided to give up on weights for the day, so i walk around the gym a little seeing if it was anything serious or something i could just work out, like a cramp or something. and it gets a little better. so i decide i would just do some light cardio to again just see if i could work it out. so i do 30 minutes and think it's pretty well gone away, and as i step off of the elliptical, i feel it again. it's more on the inside of my quad, i looked up the muscle and it's the sartorius. ugh. i can walk with a little discomfort but it's not terrible, i stretched out a little when i got home, but it still kind of hurts. what should i do? ice? heat? icy hot? here's the deal, i have a major goal to meet and failure is not an option. i know i need to not do weights for a little while, and ease back into it, but i can't not do anything. suggestions? i have a online trainer i just started with, but she hasn't gotten back to me yet, and if there is something i should be doing now i would like some opinions before i go to bed and make it worse or know if there is something i could do to potentially make it better.
thanks in advance.

[empresscat]

Ice, ice, ice.

I am a massage therapist - so I have a little training in how to treat an injured muscle.

Ice it for the first three days, for about 15 minutes, every 2-3 hours. After that, if the pain is no longer sharp, but just a dull ache - then you can alternate heat (a 15 minute soak in a very hot tub, or a hot damp towel) with ice.

Stretch gently after icing (and after heat).

Rest it as much as you can.

Don't let yourself get more seriously hurt because you didn't want to take time out to let this heal.


(And no, even as a massage therapist, I wouldn't recommend massage at this point. Maybe after three days.)

[karladevil]

Originally Posted by empresscat

Ice, ice, ice.

I am a massage therapist - so I have a little training in how to treat an injured muscle.

Ice it for the first three days, for about 15 minutes, every 2-3 hours. After that, if the pain is no longer sharp, but just a dull ache - then you can alternate heat (a 15 minute soak in a very hot tub, or a hot damp towel) with ice.

Stretch gently after icing (and after heat).

Rest it as much as you can.

Don't let yourself get more seriously hurt because you didn't want to take time out to let this heal.


(And no, even as a massage therapist, I wouldn't recommend massage at this point. Maybe after three days.)

thanks for the response.
i woke up today with it feeling much better. i've never really had anything like this happen before. i'm wondering if maybe it was just a bad cramp or something. today i would just say that it feels like a sore muscle and not so much injured. i'll take it easy for the next few days to be sure, but do you think it's a bad idea to go do some upper body work and just give the legs a rest? i don't want to not do anything for 3 days, i would hate myself.

[empresscat]

Just rest that muscle - it's fine to work the upper body.
And it does sound like it may have been a bad cramp, but a cramp can slightly damage the muscle (which is what causes lingering soreness.) You'll probably be just fine in another day or two!