The calf muscle is the bulky mass of fibres on the back of your leg that run from the back of the knee to your ankle. It made up of three separate muscles which include gastrocnemius, soleus and plantaris muscles. It is heavily involved when walking, running or jumping. Depending on the mechanism of injury, it can either be sprained, strained or ruptured/torn.
Signs and symptoms
Calf strains are categorized into grade I, II,III and IV based on the severity of the injury. The signs and symptoms vary depending on the grade but they include;
Sudden sharp pain at the back of the lower leg, often in the medial belly
Tenderness to touch at the injury site.
Swelling
Bruising
Ankle movement produces pain.
Pain with weightbearing on affected leg
Antalgic gait, often limping.
An audible pop at the time of injury
Throbbing sensation on the calf
Causes
It is common in sports that involve sudden, forceful and high energy movements of the calf muscle particularly during sprinting or sudden change of direction. This frequently occurs in footballers, ballet dancers, tennis players and athletes.
Direct trauma.
Diagnosis
Conducting a thorough physical exam to know which of the calf muscles has been injured.
Understanding the history of injury, nature of pain etc
Special tests- Thompson squeeze test
Diagnostic ultrasound
Management
Rest and limited weightbearing.
Use of prescribed footwear- orthopaedic boot to facilitate healing of the tissue.
Cryotherapy, in initial stages, to reduce inflammation and pain.
