What is the Rectus Femoris?

With our culture of sitting, the rectus femoris (aka ‘Rec Fem’ often gets very tight).

The Rec Fem is of our quadricep muscles that also crosses over our hip joint. This means it also acts as a hip flexor. It is this only quadricep muscle that does this.[i] Additionally, like the other quadricep muscles, it also cross the knee and therefore assists in moving bending at the knee. This makes the Rec Fem a two way muscle that helps to move at the hip and the knee.

What cause tight Rectus Femoris Muscles?

Sitting

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As we mentioned earlier, hours of sitting can lead to short and tight Rec Fem muscles. In the sitting position, the hip is in flexion (knee raised in front of the hip) and the Rec Fem is in a shortened position. With extended periods in this position, the muscle can adapt and shorten.[ii]

Overuse

Additionally, any activities that involve heavy use of the Rec Fem muscles can also causes tightness. These include sports that involve kicking or bending of the knee such as

Soccer,
Cycling,
Rowing, and
Martial arts.[iii]

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What happens when we have tight Rectus Femoris muscles?

Because the Rec Fem crosses both joints, when it is tight it causes both hip and knee issues.

Hips

As with the other hip flexors, When our hip flexors become weak and short, our body inhibits or turns off the opposing muscle group (our butt muscles, our gluteus maximus).

As we learned earlier, our gluteus maximus is the largely muscle in the human body. If our body did not inhibit these, when these strong muscles contracted, they would tear the weak and short hip flexors on the other side. Our body protects us from tearing our hip flexors by inhibiting our butt muscles!

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This tight hip flexors and inhibited glutes results in our pelvises being tilted forward which increase the curve of the lower back and pain.[iv][v]

Knees

When it is tight and/or short, it can raise the knee cap and cause mobility issues and pain in the knee.[vi]

Do I have tight Rectus Femoris muscles?

As one of the quads (the rectus femoris) is attached to the hip, the Thomas Test we saw when testing the hip flexors also applies.

Lie on a flat surface (a massage table works well) with one leg toward your chest and the other with the but on the edge and the leg hanging over the edge.
If your knee does not hang below your hip, then it is possible your Rec Fem are tight.
If your knee is extended and not able to bend by 80 degrees, then it is possible your Rec Fem are tight.[vii]

So, I have tight Rectus Femoris muscles…what can I do about it?

Firstly, if you are suffering pain, there are several medical causes, so please consult your health professional for advice.

Additionally, here are some things you can do to help with tight Rec Fems.

Mobility

Walking Quad Stretch

Take a step forward with the left leg.
Pick up right foot and bring it to your butt.
Reach back and grab hold of the foot for a moment before releasing and returning your foot toe the ground.

https://healthyliving.azcentral.com/dynamic-warmup-exercises-quadraceps-5242.html

Rolling

Place the foam roller perpendicular to the mat.
Lie on it with your thigh on the roller and the other leg bent supporting your upper body with your hands.
Roll slowly back and forth.
Hold on any trigger points you find.

Yoga

Dancer’s Pose

Stand in mountain pose.
Shift your weight onto the right foot and lift the left heel toward your left butt cheek.
Reach back with your left hand and grab the outside of your left foot or ankle.
Lift left foot up and away from the floor and back away from your torso.
Release and swap sides.