Management of Corked Muscles
Sunday, November 24, 2024
You might have heard of, or felt, a cork thigh, corky, dead leg, charley horse, corked quad? These are all referring to one and the same injury, technically called a muscle contusion. This bruising of the muscle can often cause more damage than you might expect and these injuries should be treated with respect. Luckily a physiotherapist will be able to help with diagnosis and treatment.
What Causes a Corked Muscle?
A corked thigh is very common in contact sports. In simple terms, your muscles are usually “kneed” by an opponent during a tackle or similar. The muscle is crumpled up against the thigh bone. The impact to the muscle can cause significant bruising and bleeding and truthfully, they can hurt a lot!
What are the Symptoms of a Corked Leg?
Grade 1 is presented as:
- Tightness of the muscle
- Unable to walk properly
- Probably not much swelling
- Trying to straighten the knee against resistance probably won't produce much pain
- Lying on front and bending the knee should allow you to nearly have full range of motion
Grade 2 is presented as:
- Probably cannot walk properly
- Occasional sudden twinges of pain during activity
- Possible swelling
- Tender when touching it
- Straightening the knee against resistance causes pain
- Unable to fully bend the knee
Grade 3 is presented as:
- You will be unable to walk properly without aid or crutches
- You will be in severe pain
- You will have bad swelling which appears immediately
What is a Grade 3 thigh contusion?
Your Engadine Physiotherapist can differentiate the type of contusion using manual tests. Here are the different types of corks:
Intramuscular Contusion
- Initial bleeding may stop early (within few hours) because of increase pressure of the muscle
- Result is considerable loss of function, pain and power
- Can take days or weeks to recover
Intermuscular Contusion
- Initial bleeding will take longer to stop especially when you do not ice it
- Recovery is faster
- More likely to see bruising come out
An ultrasound scan is often the most helpful investigation to confirm the type of contusion. MRI scan may also be useful.
What is the best Treatment for a corked thigh?
Physiotherapy
- Pain relief & inflammation control
- Cold and hot treatments
- Avoid activities and positions that can stretch or irritate the sight of injury
- Series of exercises to help restore functionality, high speed, power, proprioception and agility
- Series of exercises to restore muscle function and control through the joint
Our team of physiotherapists at Physio Inq Engadine can help get you back on track to move better and live a life with less limits.
