NFT: Calf muscle strain - Anyone with experience?

ice at first then heat but the key is to do toe lifts first both legs then each one separate. also use an ankle weight to lift with your toes while in a chair or laying down. Jacuzzi' helps also. mine kept re-ocurring until i used the weights now i'm good to go

2 weeks until walking with no pain. 4 weeks until moderate exercise and sports.

If I had it again, I might try active release therapy on it after 2 weeks - i Hear it's painful but will break up the scar tissue pretty well so it heals better.

word from his camp is that he's an extremely competitive softball player so he should have some good tips.

if you don't want to risk re-tearing it. Good luck.

and don't try to push it too soon. Tore mine once while running hills. Took about 2-weeks for the pain to subside, another 6-weeks before I could push off on it without it tightening. Then I re-tore it the very first run. Second time I rested it for eight weeks.

I ruptured my Plantaris Tendon (connects the ankle and knee). It results from a quick motion, like you described. When I ruptured mine, I was in water over my knees and I was running/jumping to catch a ball. I injured in in mid-August and I'm still dealing with stiffness and pain. It felt exactly like a tear in my calf. The only difference was that there was a lot of blood (black and blue) area behind my knee and above my achilles tendon.

Make sure it's your calf and not your Plantaris Tendon... The calf will heal 'fairly quickly,' the Plantaris Tendon will make you want to think about sitting-out the season...

Thanks guys. Yeah, it's the calf muscle.

It feels good when i'm moving at a steady pace. It loosens up. I'm gonna try the treadmill to keep it loose after a few days of resting it.

Maybe i'll skip next weeks game and give it a good 2 weeks. It's much less severe than the last time I did it, i just don't want to make it worse.

Anyone have experience with compression sleeves? Do they really provide legit support?

In comment 12236302 yatqb said:

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if you don't want to risk re-tearing it. Good luck.

yat, it's pretty much dead center between my ankle and back of knee

I'm now just making good progress. I'm a runner, and every time it seemed like it was sufficiently healed I'd re aggravate it. I tried a couple of the exercise routines I found online, but they didn't work. Oddly, I could do heal raises on one leg with the heal hanging off a stair and have no problem at all. But as soon as i tried to run, I'd have problems, and not just a pull sensation, I'd have hot spots pop up randomly through out the muscle on both legs. I went to physical therapy and they seemed to have figured it out. There's two muscles that comprise the calf. Evidently the soleous, smaller of the two, was the issue. As soon as i started stretching that properly, I was back running within a week.

It might be a good idea to have a PT take a look. It may only take one visit to get the direction/help you need.

The latest setback I was pretty certain was a pull, but it wasn't. That's why once the pt figured it out, i was able to get back to running so soon.

So ya, a visit to PT would be a good idea.

Thanks again guys.

after ortho told me no chance in better than 8... BS... Work with a good PT person and they'll get you back in no time... Until that time stay the F off it!!!

A buddy ruptured his achilles after calf pull and pushing it

In comment 12236375 Danny Kanell said:

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In comment 12236302 yatqb said: Quote: if you don't want to risk re-tearing it. Good luck. yat, it's pretty much dead center between my ankle and back of knee

Danny, that sounds a lot like my injuries, which were tears of the achilles tendon mid-calf. If so it's a long recovery and as others have said if you start too soon it can re-tear. What about some PT?