Rectus Femoris

About

The Rectus Femoris muscle is the front and centre quadricep muscle. It lies in the middle of the thigh and moves the hip and the knee. It can help lift your leg up and It can flex you knee joint.

For this reason, the trigger points in this area are commonly overlooked.

Rectus Femoris. Part of the Quadricep Muscles

Symptoms

The most common trigger point in the Rectus Femoris refers pain to the knee; generally feeling like it is underneath the kneecap.

Another trigger point is located above the knee, sending deep pain around the knee, causing weak and stiff knees.

Causes

Climbing, cycling, speed walking and running can all jeopardise this muscle. Sitting for long period of time can also cause trigger points within the muscle. Anything the flexes the leg, like kicking a football, mainly depends on the rectus femoris; this is why a lot of athletes find themselves with hip and knee pain.

Walking in high-heeled shoes can be an unsuspected cause of trigger points in this area also.

Preventative maintenance, such as stretching and not over working your muscles can drastically reduce the onset of trigger points within this area.

Treatment

You can find the muscles by placing you hand on your thigh and raising your leg. Once you find the muscle, you can use two thumbs together to get a deep massage along the whole length of the muscle.

Sometimes using a tennis ball against a wall can also be sufficient.