Bodyworks: Calf Muscle Tear
How to recognise it, how to overcome it
Posted: 5 June 2000
by Patrick Milroy
Symptoms
Unlike compartment syndromes, this injury hits you with sudden pain, like a kick in the back of the calf. Trying to rise on tiptoe, let alone walk normally, hurts.
Signs
The doctor will certainly find a tender area in the calf, often with a change in density due to the burst blood vessels and formation of a bruise which may sometimes become visible.
Medical investigations
These are usually unnecessary, unless the tear is particularly slow to heal.
What else could it be?
There is a long list of possible alternatives, including: stress fractures, muscle pulls and tears, tibial periostitis, nerve and artery entrapment and blockage, referred pain from a lumbar disc, infections, tumours, and pronation syndromes of the foot.
Self-treatment
RICE, periodically, for the first 48 hours at least. Later, gradual stretching and strengthening, as with any other muscle injury.
Medical treatment
Ultrasound and, in the convalescent stage, massage by a physiotherapist, should restore full, painless movement. The tear should not be surgically drained. Since there is a chance that the damage to the calf could involve myositis ossificans (a formation of bone within a large bruise), treatment should never be over-enthusiastic.
Can you run through it?/Recovery time
One to four weeks, depending on the severity of the tear. The risks of worsening the injury are far greater than any benefit you might obtain from running through it.
Discuss this article
having just recovered from achilles/calf problems in my right leg which took a course of physio and ultra sound over about 2 months, I was very dissapointed to get problems with the left leg.
The other posts on this thread sound very familiar, mine felt sore after a slow 4 mile training run but then went big time at 3 miles, half way up a steep hill on the Mersea Island 5 miler the other week. I thought someone had kicked a rock into my calf. I have been icing it daily and have been to see a physio who administered deep tissue massage to both calfs and achilles. This was possibly the most painful thing I have ever been through, but I felt a lot better afterwards.
As part of the physio session he asked me about stretching and I had to confess that I was not very strict about it. He told me that we should all be stretching every day, even if we don't exercise. My calfs are very tight and I wasn't able to get anywhere near the first stretch he showed me. I have to continue with the on I could do using a belt and see him in a couple of weeks when he gets back from hols.
He also noticed that I was slightly lopsided and he found that the muscle in my bum cheek (don't know the technical term) was vitually seized up. his may be due to carrying a heavy brief case on a shoulder strap on that side. Anyway that resulted in more excritiaing muscle mashing where he used his elbow to get deep into the muscle.
I'm hoping this guy is good, he was recomended by our club physio and went to Paris with the England team rec.
On Sunday I entered the Ingatestone 5 mile race although the area at the top of the achilles was still qite tender. I took it very gently, especially on the hills and found that the achilles pain dissapeared at about 3 miles but the pain returned higher up where it tore before. Still I managed to finish and although it hurts today, the achilles still feels ok and it's just the muscle that hurts. This is similar to the recovery I went through with the right leg so I'm hopeful that if I keep up the physio and stretching I will eventually be ok.
Hozza, I'd go and see a podiatrist if I were you, orthotics can work wonders. I have a pair prescribed when I started suffering from shin splints which I wear in a pair a motion control shoes.
cheers
colin
Posted: 22/09/2003 at 15:01
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