Quad Soreness

[Jimdrang]

Background: 4-5 months into novice SS, never really worked out prior. Squat work sets have gone from 135 to 305 (barely over body weight). Have never skipped a squat workout when I make it in the gym. 29 years old. If I have any form issues, they could be going down too fast, and lifting hips too fast, not in sync with back angle. No past injuries of any kind. Taking fish oil.

Got a pair of your shoes from Rogue a couple weeks ago, and was able to do my work sets w/295 pretty easily although it felt a bit strange getting used to balance with heel. Quads noticeably sore the next day and on Wednesday so I went light with 2 sets of 275x8. Based on soreness just when standing up, skipped squats on Friday.

Next week Monday did all my sets with 305, nagging soreness, no issue with weight. Wednesday could only manage warm ups due to soreness. Friday the bar made me cringe so I skipped again for fear of injury. Now on Monday pain is still nagging although much better and I was planning on doing work sets again.

This pain is in both quads and runs from 3-4 inches above the knee cap in dead center middle of quad down a little lower towards the knee. Feels like soreness from when you workout for the first time in years only more achy and nagging. Felt a tad better as I did 50 reps with bar and it felt like if I had to have it the power was there to get it done.

Is this from the shoes forcing me to activate my quads properly for the first time?

Search function revealed talk about scar tissue and getting some kind of massage, but I couldn't connect my issues directly so I wanted to make sure.


Thank you for taking the time to respond to these.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Hard to tell from this post if you mean injury-type pain or just soreness. You're supposed to be sore when you change something, but you're not supposed to be injured.

[Jimdrang]

Ya I'm not sure either, it felt like regular soreness, but I think I might have misread it as being both when it was really just the right one. Since its been about two weeks since I've been able to squat normally and its still nagging pretty good, I'm guessing minor injury somehow.

Maybe I can get a video up to help identify the possible cause.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Yay!! A Video!!!

[elVarouza]

If you were squatting heavy consistently beforehand I don't think you'd have horrible, debilitating soreness from adding a .5" heel to your shoe. I didn't when I switched from flat soled shoes to the Rogue Rips. What did change slightly was my form, and it took me a couple of workouts to adjust to the heel height. Maybe you aren't keeping your knees out? I've experienced, I believe, every single "common mistake" about squatting mentioned in BBT related to knee pain / leg pain and each time the fix has been keeping my knees out where they should be.

[Dragar]

It sounds to me like I feel with quad tendonitis - when not severe it's just a nagging pain for a few inches above the knee, especially when sitting down a lot? Dead centre in the quad lines up with it being the tendon

I've gone through the whole physio rigmarole, something gnawing inside me made me feel I had to give it a go. After a few months of no improvement did what everyone here will tell you and went back to squatting deep and working on my form. It persisted for a couple of months but is on the improve now

[Jimdrang]

No video for awhile, sorry; it looks more like an injury of some kind in my right quad. Haven't been able to squat work sets since the initial post so I'm wondering how to go about getting this fixed.

When squatting the bar for a few sets of 25 the pain almost disappears and I can even add weight with no major pain, but the next day I can barely walk and then it slowly seems to get better each day after that until I squat again.

Whatever happened initially, I do not remember having any pain when squatting and it just cropped up the next day. If I had to guess, caused by dive bombing/not stretching enough although I would have thought a muscle belly tear would be something I would feel when it happens. Standing from chair and up and down stairs is the worst.

Have I given enough information to know if this is muscle belly or other? Just wondering whether to work it or rest it.

Thanks

[Mark Rippetoe]

A belly tear that has been a problem this long would, among other things, leave a visible hematoma under the skin. Usually.

[Jimdrang]

Thank Rip

I haven't noticed any visible bruising (This could be because of fat?) and it causes no pain to hit it dead on, just anything that involves pressure when bending the knee (pain seems to peak around 90 degrees and taper off towards 0 and 180). It feels the same as it did 3 weeks ago strangely. Not sure if I made it worse by trying to do high reps with bar a few times.

Anyone got ideas on a good place to get it checked or tests I can do to narrow it down? Trying to find out by googling quad injuries near the knee in the middle is like throwing darts. Can't imagine my Dr would have a clue.

This is really too good of an excuse not to be doing what I need to be doing so I'm desperately trying to get it fixed. Scheduled a massage, upping fish oil, AIs, sleep.

I guess the bottom line is, if I can take the pain is there anything I could be destroying and not know until its too late by just working it?


I appreciate all the help immensely

[Mark Rippetoe]

Sounds like a dose of tendinitis to me. Fix your squat mechanics, which are surely wrong now. Massage, heat before training, ice afterward, we've discussed this a lot.