Weird Calf "Injury"

[roboxm3]

Morning All,

Just wondered if anyone else had experienced something similar to my reoccurring calf problem and had some advice to help sort it...

I quit the gym last year and started to do more running, swimming etc. The usual routine is a 5 mile run before work Mon/Wed/Fi.

After a while I tried forefoot running and all was going well until I got a strange stabbing pain in my right calf, that I initially suspected was a pull or tear.

I went to see a physio and she said that there was no obvious signs of a physical injury to the muscle and it just seemed like a localised build up of <insert correct terminology here> (read: crap) in the muscle.

One very painful sports massage later and a few days rest and all was well again...for a while... This cycle repeated a few times until I assumed I'd built up the strength/fitness for forefoot running and I didn't have a problem for months...until yesterday.

It's eased off a bit today and just feels like a dead leg type impact injury, so hopefully I can give it a go again tomorrow and see if it'll run off but it's annoying having it randomly go and sometimes result in a week off.

Any advice gratefully received.

[Skyedriver]

No idea what forefoot running is but when I started running again after a 30 year lay off, I was doing the Parkrun in Darlington and almost every time I was getting a similar problem, mostly left calf but sometimes right. It's painful, a bit like cramp, like a dead leg as you say.

Different degrees of pain. Sometimes it would come on during the third lap, sometimes the first. I would then limp to the finish...
I put it down to age and a detirmination to go faster.

After regular running during the week as well as the weekend, the problem subsided.

Last year I was doing the Parkrun at Ganavan, near Oban, which includes a couple of steep inclines (and a couple of less steep ones too). Three quarters of a mile into it got the old calf trouble in a big way. Hobbled back to the car. I was left with that pain for 6 months so be careful!

[Janluke]

Just a thought

I had something simular recently. I cycle a lot so assumed it was a calf strain but don't remember it happening. It turned out to be an infection. It was sore just like a strain, quite hot to the touch, a wee bit red and pins and needles. Two weeks of antibiotics( it felt better after a week), elevate when possible, avoid compression socks/massage

[Instant Cynicism]

I used to get the exact same thing, usually after a couple of miles despite not being tired in the slightest - very frustrating.

I went to see a physio in the end and was given lots of stretches to do to improve the flexibility in my calves as my half hearted approach to post exercise stretching had finally caught up with me. I do this and follow some yoga routines on you tube which claim to be for runners. That seems to work for me with improved recovery times as an added bonus.

[dave_s13]

There's a few things it could be ranging from a muscle strain, tendon strain to a localised nerve entrapment to compartment syndrome.

I'd get a 2nd opinion from your NHS msk physio or podiatrist, or both...if one can't sort you out, the other might

[mr.man]

Don't eliminate a blood clot.

[Badda]

mr.man said:

Don't eliminate a blood clot.

Eliminating a blood clot is probably a good thing.

[dave_s13]

Not if it ends up in your heart, lungs or brain!!

[APOLO1]

mr.man said:

Don't eliminate a blood clot.

I had not dissimilar symptoms to above along with a swollen calf, thought it might be blood clot, ended up at A/E on late on a Friday night with 6 hr wait, (was worth the wait for the Friday night entertainment ) D- test showed no blood clot, had an MRI turns out it was cyst that had burst and run down the calf. Had to have it drained all back to normal after about 3 weeks.

[SlidingSideways]

I got something similar sounding quite a lot when I started running. As far as I could work out, it was caused by one or more of:
- Not hydrated enough
- Had drunk too much water (electrolyte imbalance maybe?)
- Had done more miles, or higher intensity miles, that week leaving the legs more tired than normal.

Resting for a few days, and then taking it easy seemed to work in most situations.

Forefoot running I assume is landing on the ball of your foot, rather than on your heels.

[EarlofDrift]

I'm getting almost daily calf cramps after decades of never having any. I used to be able to play 2-3 hours of Sunday League football and never got cramp.

Now I've got a spinal disc injury and waiting on surgery so I'm getting these bd cramps on an almost daily basis.

I went to my GP last week who instead of trying to give me something to help gave me some mood medication the first line of side-effects list states
' side effects may include an increased risk of suicide'. No thanks.

The weird thing about my injury is that the GP's keep mentioning 'trial and error'. So you either eat the meds like smarties and are left in a zombie like state unable to function. Or you take nothing and struggle about in a medium amount of pain. None of them seem to have any idea about correct doses.

Edited by EarlofDrift on Friday 24th January 15:17

[NumBMW]

I pulled my calf muscle last year, it was the most annoying injury I’ve ever had, if just would not heal, took about 3 months.
Every time I thought it was better after 3-4 weeks and started to run again it came back, and back to square one.
So they can take a long time to heal, maybe swimming would help keep you busy until it’s right ?

[Halb]

NumBMW said:

I pulled my calf muscle last year, it was the most annoying injury I’ve ever had, if just would not heal, took about 3 months.
Every time I thought it was better after 3-4 weeks and started to run again it came back, and back to square one.
So they can take a long time to heal, maybe swimming would help keep you busy until it’s right ?

was it painful everyday? I've done something to my calf, I think it's a knot, it seemed to go away, and then came back on a short run this week and again at parkrun.

[NumBMW]

Halb said:

was it painful everyday? I've done something to my calf, I think it's a knot, it seemed to go away, and then came back on a short run this week and again at parkrun.

I had a couple of sports massages which ruled out a knot.
And I think I could remember when I injured it, I think it was cycling through a bad cramp.
Not a good idea. Thought it would stop, but never did.

[NumBMW]

Recovery was gym work and core.
Work out hamstrings, buts and go to a core class couple of times a week.
They will all help support the calf muscles

[Halb]

NumBMW said:

I had a couple of sports massages which ruled out a knot.
And I think I could remember when I injured it, I think it was cycling through a bad cramp.
Not a good idea. Thought it would stop, but never did.

I know exactly when mine happened, I was doing a farmer's walk in december. and then I had to stop at two runs this week.Not been to my physio yet, but I plan to go next week.