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Calf Pain Question
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I was wondering if any one out there can help with a current injury that won't go away. During my run, after 2 or so miles, it feels as though my muscle fibers right underneath my left calf are tearing with every step. I have gone to doctors, had MRI done, gone to physical therapist, but no one can tell me what is wrong. Has anyone gone through a similar injury? What was the diagnosis and what can be done to fix it. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks
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Re: Calf Pain Question [cesar] [ In reply to ]
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You might want to read up on "exertional compartment syndrome" if this diagnosis has not been entertained/ruled out.

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Fatigue is biochemical, not biomechanical.
- Andrew Coggan, PhD
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Re: Calf Pain Question [rroof] [ In reply to ]
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Thank you. Will research.
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Re: Calf Pain Question [cesar] [ In reply to ]
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Your age? Over 40? If so, then you need to look at the famous :"mad calf disease" syndrome.
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Re: Calf Pain Question [cesar] [ In reply to ]
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Five years ago I decided to start running again at age 45. I was a good runner at age 20, 36 min for 10K. I started off relatively slow. About a month in I am running along in winter and pushed off on my right foot and something felt like it tore in my right mid calf. Reduced to walking. Tried to run after walking 100 metres couldn't. Didn't run for 2 weeks then started up doing run/walk. A month later the left side does the same thing. Took a month off started up doing walk run got up to about 4 miles. One day I played casual volleyball for an hour went for a run after did it again on right side. Then I looked up mad calf syndrome or recurrent calf strain. I seems the muscle cramps and if you persist in running you do something more to it maybe tear it. So once you feel that starting you have to walk. What also help me was resuming static calf stretches which I did when I was running in my teens and twenties but no longer did because the thinking now seems to be static stretching is not good. A physio also showed me how to stretch my upper calf by stretching with knee bent which seems to help. So I stretch my achilles with knee straight and upper calf with knee bent. I had planned to just go back to running but all the grief with this problem led me do decide to do triathlon again because I could bike when my calf was bugging me. I have not had any issues now for about four years but it took about a year to sort the problem out and get my running to the point where I could to half ironmans.

They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot

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Re: Calf Pain Question [cesar] [ In reply to ]
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Have you been screen for a DVT? (Blood clot). Happened to me, same symptoms
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Re: Calf Pain Question [cesar] [ In reply to ]
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yep, i am going through rehab for that exact issue right now (it felt like my calves were going through a shredder every time i ran or did any skipping rope at boxing). it took switching to a different physiotherapist to get the issue properly diagnosed. the cause: weak dorsiflexors and lack of flexibility in my soleus, the result being that my gastrocnemius has been getting overloaded.

here's what i'm doing to treat it:



i've only been at it for two weeks now, so my physio hasn't prescribed any of the more strenuous exercises. this is the only exercise i'm doing at this point:





i'll be at this for a few more weeks before we add in anything more strenuous.

as always, online "diagnoses" are precarious so you should get this checked out by a certified professional. the way that my weakness was diagnosed is that the physio had an instrument that pulled down on the tops of my feet to determine how much weight my feet could hold up. normative data suggests i should have been able to hold up about 30kg. i was only able to hold up 15kg(!). try to see if you can get this checked out.

best of luck dealing with this bugger of an injury!
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