How to stretch the thigh muscles?

Stretching the thigh muscles is important to prevent shortening. There are different stretching exercises for the different muscle groups of the thighs. In general, each stretching exercise should be held for 10 seconds on each side.

The front thigh muscles can be stretched while standing. After standing upright, lift one foot backwards and try to touch the buttocks with it. To really stretch the front thigh muscles, grasp the leg just above the ankle on the shin with your hand on the same side to pull the heel further towards the buttocks.

It is important that the knees remain parallel during this process and that the hip is pushed forward a little. To maintain the necessary stability, it is helpful to fix a fixed point on the floor or wall or to support yourself on the wall with your free hand. The rear thigh muscles are made up of different muscle groups, for each of which there are individual stretching exercises.

Since the back thigh muscles have less strength than the front thigh muscles, it is particularly important to stretch them. In the simplest stretching exercise you try to touch the feet or the floor with your hands. The legs are parallel to each other and hip-wide apart.

Here it is especially important to keep the back straight and to push the legs through. You can vary the exercise by placing the legs further apart. The inner thigh muscles must also be stretched, because certain sports, such as soccer, place particular demands on them.

Here too, a simple exercise while sitting helps. You sit on the floor and the soles of your feet touch each other, now try to bring your knees towards the floor. Pain in the thigh muscles can have various causes and differ in their severity, occurrence and quality of pain.

The causes of pain are manifold and can range from temporary pain caused by overstrain to painful conditions that should be treated. Pain caused by overloading (sore muscles or cramps) often occurs in untrained athletes about one day after intensive training. Depending on the type of sport, different muscle groups are used.

If the pain occurs on the inner side of the thigh, for example, this indicates that the adductor group is overstressed, which is particularly important in sports such as soccer or equestrian sports. These pains subside after a few days without treatment. Improvement is also often felt after heat applications or massages.

Another reason for pain in the thigh muscles can be a pulled muscle. This occurs during sudden, powerful movements if the muscle has not been warmed up properly or is already tired. During further strain, the pain caused by a pulled muscle increases and a burning sensation is felt.

In the case of a pulled muscle, the athletic activity should be stopped immediately in order to prevent further damage and the muscles should not be stressed too much during this time. Even a pulled muscle usually heals spontaneously. The healing process can also be supported by light movement.

A torn muscle fiber can also cause severe pain. If the muscles are subjected to high loads, they can no longer withstand the pull and tear, which is felt as a sudden stabbing pain. Also in this case, the strain should be stopped immediately and the affected area cooled and elevated.

In the following days, swelling and bruising will occur at the site of the tear.In addition, it is not possible to load the muscles normally because the pain is so severe. It takes several weeks until such an injury heals. After blows or hits to the muscles, bruises can cause pain. In the course of time a bruise will form and the area will swell. Here too, the affected area should be cooled and elevated after the injury.