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calf injury

hilly1981

Well-Known Member
Just wondering if any else on here has suffered from a torn calf injury before?

I tore my calf during a game in early May (6cm tear), and still have not started jogging yet. I feel it is getting stronger, but it still sometimes feels like the muscle is a bit weak, but I can walk on it fine without any pain. Just some slight tightness occurs if I start to work the muscle.

How did you deal with the injury? How did you feel when you first started jogging again? Did you feel that it could go again at any time?

I am still getting regular physio, and am currently wearing skins to help support for calf which feels like they are really helping in the healing process.

Would like to hear your thoughts or stories..

Cheers
 
J

jiggles

Guest
I tore my quad in late October, and even now it still gives me troubles when I don't do a good enough warm up...granted, I didn't think it was a massive problem, and didn't go to a physio until late November...oops. I realised something was really wrong when I tried to kick a ball at indoor, and I nearly collapsed from the pain. Hah.

I just had a regular weekly physio sessions, along with doing the exercises they provided me with. I started playing indoor again in February, but I found playing on the harder surfaces really wasn't good and aggrivated it more...so I pretty much gave up it all until the Winter season started. Just resting it really helped... (the fact I also f**ked my ankle later on didn't help...)

If you are going to start jogging, make sure you ease into it slowly. Make sure you've got a good pair of runners that are supportive, and try jogging on a soft surface to begin with....say 2 minutes walking, then a minute jogging.

Just from my experience :)

Hope it's feeling better soon!
 

marinermick

Well-Known Member
hilly1981 said:
Just wondering if any else on here has suffered from a torn calf injury before?

I tore my calf during a game in early May (6cm tear), and still have not started jogging yet. I feel it is getting stronger, but it still sometimes feels like the muscle is a bit weak, but I can walk on it fine without any pain. Just some slight tightness occurs if I start to work the muscle.

How did you deal with the injury? How did you feel when you first started jogging again? Did you feel that it could go again at any time?

I am still getting regular physio, and am currently wearing skins to help support for calf which feels like they are really helping in the healing process.

Would like to hear your thoughts or stories..

Cheers

did my calf two years ago and have constantly injured it since

just when i thought it was healed i would injure it again

sucks massively
 

priorpeter

Well-Known Member
hilly1981 said:
Just wondering if any else on here has suffered from a torn calf injury before?

I tore my calf during a game in early May (6cm tear), and still have not started jogging yet. I feel it is getting stronger, but it still sometimes feels like the muscle is a bit weak, but I can walk on it fine without any pain. Just some slight tightness occurs if I start to work the muscle.

How did you deal with the injury? How did you feel when you first started jogging again? Did you feel that it could go again at any time?

I am still getting regular physio, and am currently wearing skins to help support for calf which feels like they are really helping in the healing process.

Would like to hear your thoughts or stories..

Cheers
Sniper got you good, buddy
 

Forum Phoenix

Well-Known Member
Hey Hilly,

Due to my work requirements and playing football, I have had several calf strains over the last few years as my bodies getting older.

With yours, if it's still noticeably sore after injuring it in May and you haven't been jogging or doing anything to re aggravate it and you've been getting treatment... Must have been a very significant tear. Serious grade 2 or a 3?? Did they say?

Every strain I've ever had, physios have had me doing strengthening and lengthening works as soon as able, (usually only a few days) and then usually I've returned to full activities after rehab exercises etc in two to three weeks.

When it come to re occurring tears. There are a few main reasons and also key things you can do and not do to help.

Most important and where I and most players I know fail, is trying to return to early. Commonly, you do a bit of physio, stay off it a bit, and it soon feels fine, so you decide to give it a go, and then 20-30 mins in you re tear it and bang your back you where you started. Nothing more frustrating. Ala Chris Doig last year.

Proper recovery.
If you don't build the calf back through stretching and strengthening to being even stronger and more supple than it was before you tore it, then of course your chance of re injury is high. Sounds like pretty simple common sense I know, but most people, and I've certainly been guilty of it, just do a bit of work and feel like once its healed it should be fine. And then you find out the hard way that it still isn't.

Scar tissue. Around a tear you will have some form of scarring. Bigger the tear, the more scar tissue. The problem with this tissue is that it is harder and less flexible, so as a result while the initial tear may heel, the softer tissue edging up to it then gets torn when you try to use the muscle explosively again. This is one of the major reasons people suffer from reoccurring strains.

You either need a loooong break or a good masseuse to really break down the scar tissue (hurts ;)) but you need them to strip it right out. This has made a massive difference to me in whether a strain will likely re occur or not.

Few other helpful tips.

Icing is always good for recovery and helping remove any inflammation. Even when your just doing general rehab sessions.

Heat packs are good to loosen the muscle - but long hot baths are even better I find.

Epsom salts are good addition to the bath as muscles can become magnesium deficient and more are prone to tears as a result.

Strapping. Many senior players I know all strap their calfs to help provide some support and place a little restriction on the degree of movement. Some use compression bandages - and or the skins (little calf ones) that you mentioned as well.

Finally, shock absorbing heel lifts that sit inside your boot can help, as they slightly lessen the range that your calf muscle stretches too. But you can still get tears with them in too.

But if your like me, I'll do any little thing that helps.

Hope thats of use to you mate.

Best of luck

FP
 

Mr Cleansheets

Well-Known Member
That's all very good advice. The only bit I can add is to re-emphasise something already said (because it's worthy of re-emphasis) - when it feels like it's ready to go, give it one more week. I know how hard that is, but I guarantee it's worth it - surrender that extra week to prevent losing another month.
 

hilly1981

Well-Known Member
Great thank you for the replies.

Pretty much is was a severe grade 2 tear. Im just going to jog very lightly on and off on a soft surface, and then build up from there.

I think also its a confidence thing as well. I am sure though once I warm up the calf, achilles and hamstring that I can manage it much better.

I will also use the skins, strap the ankle, deep heat the hell out of the muscle, and get some sports insoles to help provide more support to the muscle.

My physio thinks as long as I keep working on increasing strength and flexibility, I just got to be patient and basically ease my way back into it. I guess your retraining the muscle again to cope with increased load and this takes time. Must have something to do with muscle memory as well I gather.

Also.... ive got to make sure I dont forget about the other leg as well! Considering I havent run for a while now the muscles would also have weakened. Dont want to end up with 2 dud legs!!

Cheers!
 

offtheball

Well-Known Member
Can I add for those that have never done a calf. For me it was far and away the worst soft tissue injury imaginable. I've torn hamstrings and quads but whenever i've torn a calf muscle it was like a sniper got me. Couldn't even put my foot on the ground.
 

hilly1981

Well-Known Member
Yeah when mine went I just remember the popping sensation when the muscle tore, and it felt like someone just shot me, or pegged a rock right at the back of the leg. Then when I took the next step I had absolutely no strength and just went to ground. I knew straight away it was serious.
The most painful part was about 30mins afterwards and realising that I could not walk at all, and the pain was quite intense.

I remember earlier in the game my hamstring was tugging a bit after a few sprints, so I think that may of been a contributor to the calf giving way.

I think the hardest part at the moment is staying positive and thinking that I will be able to run again and play in the future. The mind can play funny games on you.
 

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