Quad injuries - training for the Comrades Marathon

My Injured Quad!

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This was a real bad luck injury which happened 3 weeks before Comrades in 2008. I wasn’t even running (as in training) when this happened. I was running to my car which was parked outside, it was dark and it was raining. Not wanting to get wet I ran at full speed, unfortunately for me there was a short wooden pole (about 80cm in height) directly in my path which I did not see. I hit the pole ‘head-on’, that is, my left quad and the top of the pole connected at full speed. It was a miracle that I did not snap my femur!

At the time it happened it was really sore (the initial impact) and I was able to walk back inside. Honestly I didn’t think that it was too serious. As the evening wore on, my leg started to feel quite “lame” as the muscle cooled down (and seized up!) When I got home I applied some ice and hoped for the best. By the next morning I was unable to walk on the leg. I was reduced to a hobble (which is not a good thing to do).

After a panicky call to my physio, I had an appointment later that morning. After examination it was confirmed that I had well and truly buggered (for want of a better word) my left quad muscle. It was going nowhere. I was strapped up and put onto crutches. What followed was 10 days of RICE* (rest, ice, compression and elevation) and more gentle physio with some ultrasound. It was only after 10 days that I was able to walk normally. This left only 11 days until Comrades. I realised that I would be no more running in preparation for Comrades. My focus was to get the quad muscle back into working order. With the help of a carefully designed rehabilitation plan from my biokinetist (thanks Keryn!), I was able to get the quad working properly and in doing so, saw me lining up at the start of the Comrades Marathon. In truth, I didn’t know if my quad would hold up on the day but I was backing myself regardless. My run wasn’t pretty (it doesn’t have to be), but I was able to finish, albeit in a slower time. But hey, a medal’s a medal!

* the RICE I followed on this occasion was:

REST – I didn’t run again until Comrades.
ICE – I iced my quad daily
COMPRESSION – My quad was initially strapped, thereafter I kept my whole upper leg covered with tubi-grip. I even slept with it on.
ELEVATION – initially I was put onto crutches so that I didn’t hobble. When stationary, I kept my leg elevated as much as I could.

Key words: injury, quad,
Internal links: physio, back yourself,
External links: Official Comrades Marathon website

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