Those Burning Quads!

Byadmin

Do you suffer from a burning sensation in your quads as soon as you start vigorous exercise? Not after an hour of running or well into a game of tennis but pain from the first step. This is pain that did not affect you in your younger days but nowadays, if you start running, even a modest jog, you experience a burning sensation in your quads. Importantly, this burning dissipates after about 20 minutes of running.

Why is this?

Four main reasons.

1 Insufficient Blood Supply to Your Quads

As you get older, the fine arteries supplying blood (and therefore oxygen in the form of haemoglobin) to muscles narrow substantially. While you are sedentary or walking, sufficient oxygen will be supplied to your leg muscles particularly your quads. However, if you suddenly start running insufficient oxygen may be supplied meaning that the muscle will need to function anaerobically. Your muscles will be under perfused and this causes what is known as early anaerobic metabolism. The result of this is the burning sensation very early in the run or tennis game.

Pain eases after a while once sufficient oxygen reaches the affected muscle. This happens after playing a few games or running a few kilometres.

2. Loss of Fast-Twitch Fibre Efficiency

After long periods without intense running

  • Fast-twitch fibres atrophy more than slow twitch
  • They fatigue quickly and produce lactate earlier
  • Racing pace stresses them immediately

3. Neuromuscular recruitment

At a running event, older runners often

  • Over recruit the quadriceps
  • Under recruit glutes and hamstrings
  • Run slightly more “quad-dominant” when nervous or excited

4. Tendons and fascia stiffen with age so that:

* Muscle fibres must work harder initially

* Warm up takes longer than it used to

* Early pain fades once tissues become elastic

So how can you fix all this?

Extend and change your warm up (this is SO important) A short jog is no longer enough!

Before racing (or a game of tennis/other vigorous exercise):

  1. 12 – 20 minutes of very easy running

2. Then 3 to 4,  20 to 30 second gentle stride sessions (not sprints) with a walking recovery in between sessions

3. Do some squats and lunges and leg stretches

4. Then immediately after the race start, run the first two km seriously slowly. As the burning settles, gradually increase pace.

Quad burning often means your glutes aren’t doing enough

Focus on:

  • Glute bridges
  • Step-ups
  • Split squats
  • Hamstring curls

Heavy weights are not required but control is

Many older runners drift to:

  • Slightly longer stride
  • Lower cadence
  • Higher quad load

Try and adjust your running style to incorporate:

  • A slightly quicker cadence (aim for above 165 spm)
  • A shorter stride
  • Less braking force

What is NOT normal,

See a sports physician or cardiologist if:

  • The pain is one sided
  • The pain worsens instead of easing
  • There is weakness, numbness or cramping
  • You have known vascular disease
  • You are on statins and pain is severe or progressive

The most important indicator of the quad burning sensation is that it eases with time. Knowing that is really reassuring allowing you to have the confidence to start slowly and build pace as the race progresses.

 

 

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