CALF PAIN
PHYSIOTHERAPY BRISBANE
Calf Strain
You might be surprised, but calf strains are quite a common occurrence in sports, especially sports that involve repeated high-speed or high-power components. If not managed properly, a calf strain can persist, preventing you from getting back to your activity of choice.
So, what is a calf strain? Essentially it is damage to one of the calf muscles. Strains can occur in the gastrocnemius, the big muscle that you can see and that most people think of as their calf, or to the soleus, which is the muscle that lies under the gastrocnemius. There is a third calf muscle, the plantaris, however injury to this muscle is rare. Strains occur in one of the calf muscles either due to repetitive loading as with long distance running, during high force production, or from rapid stretching.
What muscle did I strain?
The gastrocnemius is the most commonly strained calf muscle. This is because it contracts and stretches across two joints – the ankle and the knee. The gastrocnemius is usually involved in injuries from high-velocity contraction, or from being quickly stretched into maximum range across both joints. Injury typically occurs with actions such as a powerful jump. You will most likely notice a sudden pain in the middle or inner part of your calf.
The soleus is only active across the ankle joint, and as such it is a lower risk for injury. A typical type of strain for the soleus is one that develops over time with long running distances. You will most likely notice a pain that has gradually set in, you may feel it on the outer part of your calf, or it may be hard to identify where exactly the pain is coming from.
How serious is my calf strain?
This depends on what happened, and what you felt. Muscle strains are typically graded as being of low, moderate, or high severity. For example, if you’ve noticed some calf pain that’s built up over the past couple of weeks while running but it’s not stopping you from exercise, then it’s a lower grade strain that will require your activity to be modified, but not stopped. If, however, you had to be helped off the sports field due to a sudden burst of severe pain in your calf, then you’re probably looking at a high-grade strain that will require at least a short period of rest before commencing a rehabilitation program.
How long will it take to heal?
The more severe the calf strain, the longer the healing process is going to be. For a minor strain, you may be back to regular activity in as little as a couple of weeks, while a severe strain can have you rehabbing for several months. With calf strains varying in type and severity it is important to follow an appropriate rehabilitation program, for timeliness and completeness of recovery, as well as reducing risk if future injury.
What does rehab look like?
While each calf strain is individual, there are some general phases you can expect to see in your rehab program.
What else do I need to know?
While the majority of calf pain incidences will be calf strain, it’s important to understand there are other things that can cause calf pain. If your calf pain is unexpected, you can’t think of what brought it on, it seems disproportionate to the activity, or you have other symptoms such as sensory changes, pins and needles, shooting pain, or changing pallor there may be something else going on. If unsure about your pain, consult your physiotherapist for an assessment and guidance on where to go from there.
You might be surprised, but calf strains are quite a common occurrence in sports, especially sports that involve repeated high-speed or high-power components. If not managed properly, a calf strain can persist, preventing you from getting back to your activity of choice.
So, what is a calf strain? Essentially it is damage to one of the calf muscles. Strains can occur in the gastrocnemius, the big muscle that you can see and that most people think of as their calf, or to the soleus, which is the muscle that lies under the gastrocnemius. There is a third calf muscle, the plantaris, however injury to this muscle is rare. Strains occur in one of the calf muscles either due to repetitive loading as with long distance running, during high force production, or from rapid stretching.
What muscle did I strain?
The gastrocnemius is the most commonly strained calf muscle. This is because it contracts and stretches across two joints – the ankle and the knee. The gastrocnemius is usually involved in injuries from high-velocity contraction, or from being quickly stretched into maximum range across both joints. Injury typically occurs with actions such as a powerful jump. You will most likely notice a sudden pain in the middle or inner part of your calf.
The soleus is only active across the ankle joint, and as such it is a lower risk for injury. A typical type of strain for the soleus is one that develops over time with long running distances. You will most likely notice a pain that has gradually set in, you may feel it on the outer part of your calf, or it may be hard to identify where exactly the pain is coming from.
How serious is my calf strain?
This depends on what happened, and what you felt. Muscle strains are typically graded as being of low, moderate, or high severity. For example, if you’ve noticed some calf pain that’s built up over the past couple of weeks while running but it’s not stopping you from exercise, then it’s a lower grade strain that will require your activity to be modified, but not stopped. If, however, you had to be helped off the sports field due to a sudden burst of severe pain in your calf, then you’re probably looking at a high-grade strain that will require at least a short period of rest before commencing a rehabilitation program.
How long will it take to heal?
The more severe the calf strain, the longer the healing process is going to be. For a minor strain, you may be back to regular activity in as little as a couple of weeks, while a severe strain can have you rehabbing for several months. With calf strains varying in type and severity it is important to follow an appropriate rehabilitation program, for timeliness and completeness of recovery, as well as reducing risk if future injury.
What does rehab look like?
While each calf strain is individual, there are some general phases you can expect to see in your rehab program.
- Deloading. As stated before, this could be anything from reducing the strain on your calf muscle through modifying activity, to completely resting for a few days to let the initial pain and inflammation settle.
- Strengthening and regaining range of motion. This will start with general strengthening, and progress to sport-specific exercises as needed.
- Plyometrics/Dynamic strengthening. Once adequate strength and range have been obtained, you can start to incorporate more dynamic movements such as running, jumping, or change of direction training.
- Return to sport/exercise. Gradual reintroduction to you activity of choice, while monitoring your progress to help prevent reinjury.
What else do I need to know?
While the majority of calf pain incidences will be calf strain, it’s important to understand there are other things that can cause calf pain. If your calf pain is unexpected, you can’t think of what brought it on, it seems disproportionate to the activity, or you have other symptoms such as sensory changes, pins and needles, shooting pain, or changing pallor there may be something else going on. If unsure about your pain, consult your physiotherapist for an assessment and guidance on where to go from there.
