Calf problem

madasanatter

Hi all
Have a problem with my right calf muscle. Injured it last Tuesday playing football with my son. Very sharp pain down the inside of my calf meaning I could barely put my heel down. Didn't workout Tuesday as a result. Woke Wednesday very stiff but walking was easier and got a friend to massage out the knot in my calf. Have now done at least 30 minute workout each day.

Today I again kick a football and have the same sharp pain in my calf, can barely put heel down and can feel a lump/knot in my calf. Same friend has massaged my calf but says she can feel two knots one of which feels quite deep.

I'm desperate to keep working out.

Can anyone offer any advice?

tubzzy77

I would quit playing football.

But in all seriousness, take a break do some foam rolling maybe some stretching go see a doctor. Don't workout on it until its 110% healed.

aelunyu

I don't want to scare you, but if the pain is sharp, and sudden you should probably consult with your doctor. Usually, if there is an "uh-oh" moment, and then an injury that causes immediate debilitation, that's not a good sign. The lumps or knots you feel could be just a severe strain in the tendon, or something more serious. I would definitely lay off the exercising until you know more. Better safe than sorry, I've torn a pec tendon, and a bicep. Both times I thought I could just work around it. Until I realized they were partial or full ruptures of soft tissue.

SarahSmilesCA

Calf injuries can cause nerve damage on the middle top of the foot and even increase plantar fasciitis. Many regular doctors have a difficulty with this foot diagnosis because they are focused on the foot and not the calf and hip muscles so they do not see the prevailing issue. This happened to me. I got an x-ray, shots and all kinds of meds but nothing helped the pain on the top of my foot. I was a runner at the time and it made me stop running for quite a few weeks which really sucked.

I finally went to a sports trainer regarding the strange pain on the top of my foot that was the size of a quarter. He rubbed the hip and calf muscles then suddenly grabbed a spot on the side of the calf and nearly made me go through the roof in nerve pain. It was literally the exact spot on top of the foot I had been having trouble with but he accessed it through my calf muscle. Go figure. Anyway he told me my foot pain was due to calf muscle strain and gave me a bunch of painful stretching exercises that actually caused more pain before it started to show improvement about 4 weeks later (ouch)

I now use a Lacrosse ball and roll it hard over both my calves and arches before working out and at night before bed. It is not pleasant but I have no more pain in the top of my foot and even my arches are better now. I also take potassium and magnesium (Krebs) which helps with muscle relaxing so I don't spasm at night in my calves either, which can happen during training.

But I agree rest it. Ice it. See the doc. DON'T train until you are cleared by a doc because you can cause further damage in other areas. Sharp pain is NEVER a good sign.

savithny

My friend with phd in physiology described an injury a few years ago where she felt like she'd been kicked in the calf, suddenly. And she pointed out the visible change in the line of her calf muscle. And then she said the specific name of the type of injury, and I can't remember it!

But it sounds a lot like what you describe, and she is still not 100% in that calf over 10 years later. In part because she did too much and rei-injured it.

Get it checked out. Really

CarolElaine25

My friend with phd in physiology described an injury a few years ago where she felt like she'd been kicked in the calf, suddenly. And she pointed out the visible change in the line of her calf muscle. And then she said the specific name of the type of injury, and I can't remember it!

But it sounds a lot like what you describe, and she is still not 100% in that calf over 10 years later. In part because she did too much and rei-injured it.

Get it checked out. Really

I can't remember the medical name, but basically it's a badly torn calf muscle. I got one while bowling a couple of years ago (more specifically, doing a little victory dance when I got a strike). It felt like someone had lobbed a bowling ball at my calf. Didn't hurt at first, but within seconds, I couldn't put any weight on my leg. I walked with a cane for a couple of weeks while it healed enough to put weight on it.. It will always bother me to a certain extent, but I'm really glad I took the time to let it heal.

Concurring with everyone else - see a doctor and do not workout on it until you do. You do not want to make it worse.

halleymw

I think you are referring to what is called "tennis leg" This is a tear in the calf muscle. People that experience this often think they were hit by something and look around to see if someone threw a rock or something at them.

http://www.knieweh.at/uploads/media_files/document/orig/021/021_888_e483abf7b5550dda92efdee2cf7ba69ed7f51c12.pdf


Mike