Calf Strain
There are two calf muscles that combine to form the calf muscle, these are the gastrocnemius and the soleus. The gastrocnemius is bigger of the two which attaches to behind the knee and is more predisposed to injury. The soleus sits below the gastrocnemius and attaches to the achilles tendon at the heel. A strain occurs when either of these muscles are overstretched. The injury is commonly graded form 1-3 dependant on the severity of the strain.
Injuries commonly occur in the sporting population, specifically sports that require high intensity running, endurance of the calf muscle, or athletes that have had an increase in training load or change in training habits. Examples include sprinting, football, rugby, long distance running, tennis and dancing. Another population group at risk of this injury are middle-aged, deconditioned individuals who may or may not participate in exercise.
Injuries commonly occur in the sporting population, specifically sports that require high intensity running, endurance of the calf muscle, or athletes that have had an increase in training load or change in training habits. Examples include sprinting, football, rugby, long distance running, tennis and dancing. Another population group at risk of this injury are middle-aged, deconditioned individuals who may or may not participate in exercise.
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Book NowSymptoms
1. Sudden sharp pain – may hear or feel a “pop”2. Tender to touch
3. Pain when stretching the muscle
4. Swelling and/or bruising at the site of injury
5. Pain resisted plantarflexion of foot – for example during a heel raise
6. May have feeling of tightness
7. Depending on severity, the individual may be able to continue with activity but likely increased tightness and pain following
Treatments
Initial treatment begins with the PRICE (Protect, Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate) principle. Following this, the goals of Physiotherapy intervention are to improve range of motion and strength of the calf [3]. This begins with gentle weight bearing exercises which will gradually be progressed. Balance and proprioception exercises are key to improve your body’s ability to control and stabilise where it is in space. Stretching exercises are included after the inflammatory stage to reduce muscle tension. During the later stages of rehabilitation plyometric and calf endurance exercises are introduced. If the individual participates in a specific sport then the rehabilitation programme will be sports-specific to what demands are required for that sport [2].Manual therapy used to treat calf strains include massage, passive stretching, acupuncture, dry needling and tape. All of these methods focus on reducing muscle tension whilst assisting with the healing process to allow progression of strengthening exercises [1].
References
1. Rmtsinc.com. (2019). Calf Strains. [online] Available at: http://www.rmtsinc.com/Injuries-Conditions/Muscle-Injury/Muscle-Injury-Issues/Calf-Strains/a~8852/article.html [Accessed 31 Oct. 2019].2. Bostonsportsmedicine.com. (2019). [online] Available at: http://www.bostonsportsmedicine.com/pdf/protocols/calf_strain.pdf [Accessed 31 Oct. 2019].
3. Bryan Dixon, J. (2009). Gastrocnemius vs. soleus strain: how to differentiate and deal with calf muscle injuries. Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine, 2(2), pp.74-77.
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