Name that injury!

Triathlon Forum
1

To the tune of:

Upper, inner left calf muscles are extremely sore and sensitive to touch.
strectching via wall pushups I feel pain/tightness running all the way down inner calf
Lower calf feels tight, like I cant flex it properly when I walk
I’ve been favoring the left leg, but when I try to walk properly, the pain worsens and spreads to the lower outside of the shin as I push through the ball of my foot/off the toe.

I did run a marathon Sunday, but this is totally not normal for me so i am afraid I am genuinely injured. Attempted a short, easy run today but didn’t make it as I was limping through it and it was just too painful. I have never had to cut out on a run through any kind of soreness or pain - until now :*( Any ideas what it is or what to do? Cycling seems to be ok so I’ve been mostly on the bike this week.

2

You ran a marathon Sunday and you’ve been biking this week with a run today? The symptoms are in your calf muscles but I think the problem originates between your ears.

3

To my credit, I did take two days of complete rest, and my spin sessions have been 25-30 minutes at an avg. of 14 mph. Easy as pie just to keep loose and get the blood going to the muscles. I’d call it recovery. And again, the run today didn’t happen.

4

No running for atleast one week after a marathon… your body needs the recovery. While your mind is probably “good to go” your body (neuro-musculo-skeletal) systems need time to recover from the intense effort. Biking… GREAT! Swimming… GREAT! But, I would suggest not running a step for a week… too late at this point for you I know but next time you will know. You will NOT lose anything by not running… Read that last sentence again.

As far as the injury is concerned: Have you had any conservative treatment for it? Have you had a post-race massage/soft tissue mobilization?

Think of every workout for the next 7-10days as total recovery days with the primary goal of increasing blood flow and NOT taxing yourself. Good luck. ERIK

5

Thanks, Erik. I know a lot of people generally suggest a week off after a marathon - I’ve never subscribed to it and generally haven’t needed to, but I guess maybe this time around I “get it” a little more. Really hoping this is just passing post-marathon stuff and not a true injury.
I did get a massage on tuesday which has helped in my general recovery, as has cycling. Started icing the calf today. I guess tomorrow and Sunday will be pool/bike days for me.

6

Let’s call it…Steve!

7

I’d go with calf muscle strain.

If you can’t walk without pain - maybe you should 1) see a professional and 2) get crutches until then.

Dave

8

Some calf muscle strain or rupture would be my guess.
Sound like yo should get off the leg for at least 2 weeks (if you are young).

Sounds similar to an injury I had years ago when I was young and stupid.

9

Grrrrr. . . yeah calf strain sounds about right. Anything else I can do besides rest to help things along - ice? Ibuprofen? Will massage/rubbing on the muscles irritate it or help?

Thanks!

10

I agree with tri de mental. Calf strain. I also got mine when I was young and stupid and because I was young and stupid, I didn’t rest appropriately and made it much worse and damaged the achilles as well–not good.

Take it easy, and you’ll be good in 1-2 weeks.

11

Just a guess - you ran out of TP, used some wax paper you found laying around, wiped all the way up to your elbow and injured your leg trying really hard to avoid a “soft” landing.