help diagnose my sore quad

Not sure about Calveras, depends on how I'm feeling after Rocky.  We'll see!  But I'm planning on Blue Norther and Enchanted Rock if I can get in.

I don't know if that's what it is, but man its more painful than ever the past few days.  I wondered if the cold had anything to do with it, as it seems better in warmer weather and after I warm up.

Or it could just all be in my head...

I don't mean to be all 'worst case' scenario, but your symptoms are EXACTLY the same ones I had when I had broken my femur. It gradually got worse over time but it always felt like a pulled/sore quad. I foam rolled the cr*p out of it, stretched, etc. 

If it continues to get worse, or starts to hurt just when walking, go to the Dr. Please. You do not want it to get too bad. 

ah crap that's no good!  It does hurt sometimes when walking, mainly when I wake up at the beginning of the day.  I sit most of the day for my job, so I try to walk around as much as I can to loosen it up but it usually is a bit sore right when I get up almost every time.

I may need to make a call and go see the sports doc soon then.  100K at Bandera is next weekend and Rocky Racoon 100 miler in 4 weeks.  I really don't want to miss these races!

When you broke your femur, was there any ever swelling or bruising?

What has kept me from going to see a doc so far is that there is no sign of anything on my leg, no bruising or swelling at all.  It's just always sore.

Nope, nothing. It felt like a sore or 'off' muscular thing in the middle of my quad. I was at the PT clinic doing the foam roller (at work in a hospital), and a PT asked me about it. I told him it had been bothering me. 

He did one ROM test and said, "this is worse than you think, go to the Ortho. Now." I kind of blew him off...and an Ortho questioned me, at work, about it a week later. HE did the same ROM test and said, "non weight bearing, now. You need an xray & MRI". Well, 2 weeks later I was on crutches for almost 5 months.

The only thing that had me convinced, is that within that 2 weeks, the pain got worse with less impact activity, it didn't get better when I backed off the miles. It hurt doing spin class, then it hurt more walking.

I'm not saying it's what you have by any means, but I take these kinds of pains seriously. The ortho showed me pics of what happens when you continue to strain those kinds of stress fractures. LIFE CHANGING. Lifestyle altering, forever.


I also had a marathon less than a month after I was diagnosed. I tried pleading/bargaining with the Dr. "If it's not broken, I can do it, right? Or, can I just walk this one, as I can obviously still walk, and then go on crutches/wheelchair?" The convo did not end well (it ended in the pictures, horror stories) and I was on crutches that day.  

Honestly, even if it's not broken, is this a kind of nagging injury you want to keep having? Doing those races can't be good going into it with some type of injury or issue. Or you could start ART therapy if it's not and see what they have to say.

You have insurance? Go to the Dr. (also, my XRay was clear, the MRI showed the glaring fracture)

Comet - 2013-01-05 9:41 AM

djastroman - 

I may need to make a call and go see the sports doc soon then.  100K at Bandera is next weekend and Rocky Racoon 100 miler in 4 weeks.  I really don't want to miss these races!

I'm signed up for RR 50. Hopefully I'll see you there.

(maybe consider missing Bandera to get these tests done, then go into RR with a clear head, KNOWING, you're not going to do permanent damage to yourself) 

Thanks so much for the input and advice.  I have an appt tomorrow to see the sports doc and will push for an MRI just to be sure.

I haven't run since last Tuesday.  I went on a ride this weekend because it was so nice out and my leg felt fine.  It isn't nearly as sore today as it had been in the past. 

Hopefully it isn't major and I can still make it to Bandera, but if not hopefully Rocky is not out of the picture.  I've had my heart set on this race for too long!

I'll let ya'll know after tomorrow.

Bandera is just training for Rocky really, so its ok if I cant go.  But I really love Joe's races so I will be bummed just because it's such a great race.

Maybe this is just the triathlon gods telling me that i should stick to their sport instead of dabbling in ultra running every winter.

NO! Trails are good for you.

Well I went to the sports doc yesterday, and I got the usual advice to "stop running so much."  He said is sarcastically though because he knows I won't.  But he said that Comet was right on and it could be a femural stress fracture, but could only tell for sure through an MRI.  He took X-rays but didn't see anything.

So I waited as the nurse called my insurance to verify coverage for an MRI, and was told that "they were looking into it" and would call me back to tell me if I was covered or not.

If I'm covered or not??  Damn I hate health insurance companies.  A doctor orders an MRI based on his diagnosis, and the insurance has to determine if this is a necessary procedure.  That is such a messed up process.

Anyway, I'm in limbo waiting for a call back.  Hopefully I can get the MRI, and get it before this weekend so I can race Bandera feeling good about my leg. 

Yeah, that's frustrating! It'll go through, don't worry. If not, seriously WTF. But, I'm sure it will.

Did he do the ROM test? Lie on your back and bend your knee at 90°, and try to rotate your leg out? 

Again, if it's not, seriously consider DNF'ing Bandera to have a chance to try to rehab/rest it before RR  

AND, if it makes you feel better (probably not), I had my issue in Iraq. We didn't have an MRI machine, but my Ortho was convinced it was a femoral stress fx. So, I was crutching around, flight to flight, to get to Qatar where I had to go to a local hospital, with escorts, to get an MRI there. It took WEEKS for that gov't approval (obviously approved no questions asked), but getting the military facility and the middle eastern hospital monies/payments worked out was kinda crazy. Cash. Prepayment required. I did end up getting a bill sent to my home, I guess from the hospital admission paperwork, that was kinda neat to see the bill amount, then "cash payment xxx" and balance due: $0. 

Yeah, he did do that test and a few others bending and rotating my legs all around, asking if I felt any pain.  Most of it just felt like stretching but there was a few that gave me a good jolt.

You win with getting the MRI in Qatar! LOL that sounds like a crazy situation.  Thank you for reminding me not to complain too much because there are many people out there whose situation is worse than mine.  And also thank you for serving.  I got out of the military in 2007 myself after a few trips to Baghdad and Doha.  I'm glad to not have to go through that craziness anymore!

Haha. I wasn't trying to 'win' by any means. Sometimes it can just be an interesting story, and you know you're not alone. Yep, I was in Doha for that diagnosis waiting period. Neat place, they took us off base for 'field trips.'

Thank YOU for serving! I'm glad I did it, but I'm glad to be done as well.

Ummm, what test gave you the 'jolts'? Also, was he able to move your leg around for that test I described? I'll be honest and say, based on what my experience was, that it doesn't look good buddy. Both my PT and the multiple Orthos told me the ROM tests are pretty 'classic' in being able to diagnose those femoral head fx. 
(obviously this is just an internet forum and going on what you've told me, and I could be grossly wrong) 

Feel free to PM me if you'd like and I can give you more info/commiserate with you.

I don't know the name of it, but I was laying on my right side, and he look my left leg and bent it back, knee at a 90, then twisted my lower leg, kind of from the ankle to cause a moment around my knee.   He didn't do it really hard but the way my leg was bent it was enough to cause a sharp pain.

Still waiting on word from my insurance company about the MRI.  This is killing me!

Yeah I'm going to harrass some people today.   Need to get this done so I can definitively know before Saturday!

Did you ask the ortho what he thinks you should do if it's not broken? Mine told me I could walk the marathon without risk of LIFE CHANGING injury, if it wasn't broken. However, it still meant there was something (inflammation, strain, etc) and I was willing to risk it and recover after said marathon.