Scott - Quad Strain Playing Soccer

by Scott

I'm a 40 year old male and in what I consider to be in excellent physical shape. I have been playing ice hockey consistently for nearly 7 years now without too many injuries. Recently I joined an indoor soccer league which I have never done in the past. I figured this would be a very easy sport to start, especially due to the fact that I'm a seasoned hockey player.

My first game I had very little warm up time but I was able to start kicking the ball around for about 5-10 minutes. Without doing any stretching just basic running around and trying to warm up I started to really kick the ball hard with a lot of force. Not feeling any pain from the warm up and knowing that because I've been playing hockey so much I felt comfortable about the start of this game. The team I played for did not have enough players for me to take a rest so I stayed out on the field for an entire hour. I was very tired when the game was over and I walked off the field without any problems but it was the next day that I really felt sore. My kicking foot was really soar and my legs & thighs were getting very stiff.

The next day I had a hockey game and as soon as I stepped onto the ice it felt like I had never skated before, all of my leg muscles were nearly locked up.

The next few days I had trouble walking but then started to feel like I was getting back to normal but I made sure that I skipped the soccer this time.

After having a week off I had felt that enough time went by that I should be rested and ready to play but as soon the hockey game started I felt a really bad muscle pain in my right thigh then some on my left thigh. I played 2 games of hockey that night and I payed the price the next day. That night my right thigh muscle on top from the knee to almost my hip was raised up and swollen. It's been exactly one week since that night of injuring myself and the swelling has nearly gone away. I've been putting ice and making sure I kept my leg elevated. I know I need 4-6 weeks off from the sports so I will continue to rest with some light walks outside for a bit.

When I look back I know that the injury probably started during my first game of soccer and I made it a serious injury when I decided to play those two games of hockey. I know now that I need to build more muscle and be sure to stretch before I play soccer again or with any sport. This will prevent a serious injury for me in the future.