Welcome to part 2 of the series of blogs and reels on calf injuries in running related activities. In part 1 we looked at some of the key things specific to calf injuries that I think make them tricky to manage. However, they are manageable.
The priority with management is a thorough assessment and diagnosis to identify which structure, an idea of the grade of injury, location and possible tendon involvement. This may include referral for an MRI if we need further information. Speaking to people who Ultrasound scan calves, and listening to the work of Carles Pedret, the soleus can be a “blind spot” so if imaging is needed- MRI is the best option (Balius et al., 2014)
Another part of the assessment is trying to look at contributing factors. The next picture is going to show the list of risk factors for calf injury from Brady Green’s paper (Green et al., 2022).
Green et al., 2022
As you can see there are a lot- and the intrinsic non-modifiable risk such as age, or previous injury, we can’t change. That doesn’t mean we don’t respect them in the rehab process and take some extra caution, but the things I want to focus on are the intrinsic modifiables. What are the characteristics we can change. Key risk factors are fatigue, reduced ability to generate force or power capabilities, global strength relative to body weight, ankle range of motion and running technique.
Check out part 3 for some specific tips on how we address these.
To find out more about me, or to book appointments at my #Bath clinic @TeamBath, or Corsley Health clinic @CrossFitWarminster, please check out my website: adamkwasnickiphysiotherapy.com.
As always, this is not medical advice, if you have an injury or problem, please see an appropriately trained medical professional.
Balius, R., Rodas, G., Pedret, C., Capdevila, L., Alomar, X. and Bong, D.A., 2014. Soleus muscle injury: sensitivity of ultrasound patterns. Skeletal radiology, 43, pp.805-812.
Green, B., McClelland, J.A., Semciw, A.I., Schache, A.G., McCall, A. and Pizzari, T., 2022. The assessment, management and prevention of calf muscle strain injuries: A qualitative study of the practices and perspectives of 20 expert sports clinicians. Sports medicine-open, 8(1), p.10.
Add comment
Comments