Calf Injury

[RDL81]

So last night at the end of my session was skipping (I was plenty warm) and I felt a shock in my right calf. I stopped straight away it was painful etc. I can no walk around it, some mild discomfort. I am assuming its a minor tear. What I would like to know is what I do now how much rest and then what sort of training can I start doing? How long until I can roll it etc. Also what about jumping and skipping I cant see myself being able to do this for a while but can I still go class? Should I still be squatting and deadlifting. I am on 5.3.1 at moment and don't really want to stop

Any advice appreciated. I don't really want to go physo as I don't think its that bad

 

[241]

If it is a grade 2 or 3 calf strain, which it is probably a 2 if you have trouble walking (a 3 you will not be able to walk at all) you are out for a good 6weeks.
I had a grade 2 strain and tried running after 4 weeks and re injured it which started the whole process again.
Squats and deadies should be fine but hold off with skipping and running for at least 6weeks and start walking long distances in about 3 weeks.
Hope this helps. Just be patient because it is easy to re tear

 

[RDL81]

Thank you very much for the reply.....only really hurting / feel or walking up and down stairs so def think I might be lucky and have grade 1/2 I will try and avoid running and jumping for now and see how things are next week.

Any advice on when to start rolling it

 

[MisterHappy]

Kinesiotape (KT Tape) will be your friend. I don't know what voodoo magic or science is being applied but it actually works and helps if you have it applied correctly. The biggest thing, do not overtrain or rush back with a calf strain or like mentioned above, it'll stick around and keep resetting the clock. If it hurts/aggravates it, stop doing that motion. Rolling and massage will help keep proper blood flow = repair and recovery. Good luck!

 

[Pressure Project]

Kinesiotape (KT Tape) will be your friend. I don't know what voodoo magic or science is being applied but it actually works and helps if you have it applied correctly. The biggest thing, do not overtrain or rush back with a calf strain or like mentioned above, it'll stick around and keep resetting the clock. If it hurts/aggravates it, stop doing that motion. Rolling and massage will help keep proper blood flow = repair and recovery. Good luck!

It supposedly pulls the skin away from the muscle to allow more blood flow to the muscles for healing.

Who knows if it really works but you look like a boss with it.

 

[Sano]

It supposedly pulls the skin away from the muscle to allow more blood flow to the muscles for healing.

Who knows if it really works but you look like a boss with it.

It definitely doesn't do that. Basicly Kinesio is just tape that facilitates certain muscles to work more or less depending on where it's placed. The theory is that the touch of the tape activates something called the mechanoreceptors (which are just the cells in our skin that registers touch) which helps active muscles. Ever wondered why someone slaps their thighs and ass before going in for a big squat? You can also use it to physically keep something in position like pulling the knee cap in a certain direction. Kinesio is a nudge though, it's just there to help you keep your limbs in a good position. During the acute part of an injury it might not be that helpful, usually you go with sports tape there.

TS, again it depends on your injury. If you feel like you don't need to go see a physio, which might come back to bite you in the ass, there's been some solid advice in this thread already.

Don't:
Don't work into pain, don't do any bouncing/jumping, fast change of direction or high impact exercises at all for 4-6 weeks. Don't sit on your ass the entire day.

Do:
You can do squats and deadlifts as long as you're not feeling pain and you can control it. Do light mobility work like ankle rotations and movements several times a day, with your foot in the air and with some bodyweight on it as well. Again, don't go into a lot of pain, and if it gets worse give it some rest. Biking or anything else that repeatedly moves the ankle is adviced IF it doesn't hurt. Use a compression band in the first week or two if you feel unstable, keep it for a week or two more if there's any swelling post exercise. Keep your feet up a bit when resting if there's any swelling as well.

Also, start adding in ankle strength and stability exercises in a few weeks. Go slow. You want to build the tissue and stability up to both prevent it from happening again and to be able to tolerate higher impacts down the road.

 

[MisterHappy]

Agree 110% on KT not helping with acute injury but that stuff is magic with nagging strains from my experience and I tend to doubt just about everything. Great advice on the does and don'ts!