Sartorius Muscle cramp

slunker

I have problems with this muscle cramp in races for the past 2 years. I have been to 3 different physios who have been unable to help. I have stretched, strengthened drank enough fluids, electrolytes you name it I have tried it. I still get the problem and it is always these muscles!!!

Anyone any ideas as to what the problem could be? Could it be my pedalling action or position?

I'm at my wits end as it's ruining my racing. Most races are about 75 miles and the cramp strikes in about 50 miles. some time sooner.

ut_och_cykla

Google it like I did - its a long thin hip muscle. Could be a knee weakness problem or inflammation where the muscle 'tiesin' to the lower leg. If its just one leg see if you can film yourself pedalling (on a turbo?) - watch knees from front & back - the one causing trouble is probabaly 'wandering' outwards. Which might suggest clip/shoe problems. Get a bike fit?

slunker

Had a bike fit done and not solved the problem. Physios can't see any problem when I'm on the bike. The set up my cleats at the bike fit as well.

saunaboy

I can help here I think but you ain't gonna like it.

I had a pretty nasty reaction in the winter after getting cleats fitted. At one point I could hardly walk. Went through a load of physio tests & has eventually been diagnosed as sartorius tendonitis. Basic problem was that I was pretty fit (I had been knocking out 60 milers on an old mountain bike with no issues) and thought that I could whack a set of cleats on & carry on the same.

To cut a long story short, I had a fit done that made the bike set up feel far better, but that did not shift or help the problem. As a last resort I've taken the cleats off completely & use flat pedals with trainers and... problem is beginning to be solved. I put 50 miles in this weekend & apart from sore legs due to fact I've not been out for a while, issue didn't arise at all.

I have an imbalance in hip muscles that seems to mean that the different pedalling action when cleated in sets off the tendonitis. I've bored this lot on here about it a few times but thought it was worth posting this in response to you. The sartorius is a difficult one - it's really a groin muscle I guess, but my pain was right at back of knee where it attaches to shin which led the physio to think it was simply the cleats being misaligned. It was only through a long and detailed battery of movement assessments that the problem was isolated. It couldn't be stretched enough to help, I needed myofascial release to get it to ease off & let the tendinitis subside. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy but it was a miracle cure.

Anyway, I have pilates exercises to even up my hip strength between left & right. I'd have a google for those & start there, or even better get someone who is qualified to show you. It'll be a long process I guess but it's a case of looking at the problem as a whole body biomechanical issue & addressing it as that.

slunker

Thanks saunaboy for your feedback. the only problem I see with this is that i is tendonitis, Problems with the muscle tendons, not the muscles themselves.

My problenm is cramp, about half way down on the inner thigh. It seem to be when the hip and knee are flexed at the same time, similar as to when you pull your knees up to your chest and pull yours heels in to your buttocks.

saunaboy

sure, we're comparing apples & oranges here. But the reason I posted is that they may be two different manifestations of the same underlying cause - a deficiency in conditioning of that particular area or (more likely according to physio) the chain of structures that feed into it. Physio was checking right up my back at one point & I was lying there thinking 'what the hell, it's my knee that hurts man'. But there's a linked chain of power transmission & we'll all have a different weak link in it.