Dani Marks Presents the Standing Quad Stretch
Begin by standing straight with your feet together.
Keeping one foot on the ground pull the other up behind you keeping your knees together and pushing your hips forward.
In order to stay balanced you may need to hold onto something.
Note:Â This position can put undue pressure on the knee joint and ligaments. Anyone with knee pain or knee injury should avoid this stretch.
Primary Muscles:
Rectus femoris
Vastus medialis, lateralis, and intermedius
Secondary Muscles:
Iliacus
Psoas major
The Rectus Femoris muscle is located at the front part of the thigh and together with the vastus medialis, vastus lateralis and vastus intermedius muscles, form the quadriceps (quad) muscles. The word "rectus" means "straight" in Latin, while the word "femoris" means of the "thigh". As its name suggests, the rectus femoris is the muscle that moves straight along the thigh.
It has two starting points. The first one starts at the bottom of the front part of the hip bone and is known as the straight head. The second one starts just under the straight head at the top of the hip joint, and is known as the reflected head. The two heads move downwards to the thigh coming together and forming one long muscle that continues its way down the thigh, and ends at the kneecap which is known as the patella. The rectus femoris muscle is the only one out of the quad muscles that starts at the hip and works both the hip and knee.
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The rectus femoris muscle helps with flexion of the hip and thigh. At the knee it helps with extension. It is an important muscle for everyday tasks such as walking and going up stairs. The rectus femoris is also heavily used in sports which involve kicking movements such as soccer or karate.
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It is possible to injure the rectus femoris muscle by overusing the muscle. This usually happens with athletes who participate in sports which involve running, kicking, jumping and cycling. Overuse can cause the muscle to become inflamed or even torn. Pain at the top of the knee or at the thigh close to the hip may indicate an injury to the rectus femoris. Warming up the thigh muscles before the start of the workout is recommended and may help with preventing injury.
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Strengthening the muscle could be done in a number of ways, including, leg raises, squats, and step-ups.
The Vastus Medialis muscle is located at the front area of the thigh. The vastus medialis together with the rectus femoris, vastus lateralis and the vastus intermedius muscles form what is commonly known as the quadriceps muscle.
As the name medialis suggests, the muscle is located at the inner part of the thigh toward the center of the body. Its starting point is at the top inner part of the thigh bone. The muscle then moves its way downward ending at the front inner part of the knee.
Its main job is working the knee joint, helping with extension of the knee, and slightly with inward rotation of the knee. It is used mainly with exercise such as running, skiing, sports which involve jumping, and kicking such as martial arts or soccer. The vastus medialis is also used in simple everyday activities such as walking up stairs.
Injuries related to the vastus medialis may cause pain at the knee, or a struggle to walk, run or climb stairs. Overuse of the knee joint is what usually causes injury to the vastus medialis muscle. In most cases overuse of the muscle leads to tendinopathy or even a tear to the muscle. Other injuries which evolve at the knee joint, such as Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome, may affect the vastus medialis muscle.
The Vastus Lateralis muscle is located at the front outer side of the thigh. It starts at the top of the thigh bone , the muscle then moves its way downward through the top outer part of the thigh and ends at the bottom of the kneecap, known as the Patella. The muscle works to extend the knee and helps with everyday movement such as walking, running, moving up and down stairs and standing from a seated position.
Overuse of the vastus lateralis may lead to an inflamed muscle or even a tear to the muscle. For those who take part in activities such as soccer, sports which involve movements such as jumping or kicking, and weightlifting could lead to overuse. Pain at the top of the thigh or the knee may indicate injury. It is important that before starting an exercise session to warm up the muscle area to avoid this.
Strengthening the vastus lateralis could be done in many ways including squats, leg extensions, leg press machine and Bulgarian squats.
The Vastus Intermedius muscle is located at the top part of the thigh. It lies in between the vastus medialis and the vastus lateralis, and lies underneath the rectus femoris. The vastus intermedius starts at the top part of the thigh bone and moves its way downwards ending at the knee. It helps with extension of the knee joint. The muscle is heavily used during activities such as skiing, running, sports that involve jumping and sports that involve kicking such as soccer and martial arts. In everyday life the vastus intermedius helps with activities such as walking up stairs.
Pain at the knee joint, struggling with running, moving up stairs, may all be indicators that there is injury involving the vastus intermedius. Overuse of the muscle may cause inflammation to the muscle or even a tear resulting in pain to the muscle area.
Strengthening the vastus intermedius muscle is important to help prevent any injuries. This can be done with exercises such as squats or lunges.
Cycling. Hiking. Backpacking. Mountaineering. Orienteering. Ice hockey. Field hockey. Ice skating. Roller-skating. Inline skating. Martial arts. Running. Track. Cross-country. American football (gridiron). Soccer. Rugby. Snow skiing. Water skiing. Surfing. Walking. Race walking.
Hip flexor strain.
Avulsion fracture in the pelvic area.
Osteitis pubis.
Iliopsoas tendonitis.
Trochanteric bursitis.
Quadriceps strain.
Quadriceps tendonitis.
Patellofemoral pain syndrome.
Patellar tendonitis.
Subluxing kneecap.