My team of expert physios have found over the years that whilst winter sports are in full swing, patients experiencing calf strains are at a peak.
Calf strains are very common among athletes especially runners and those who compete in sports that involve a lot of stop start movement like Football and Netball. This injury is caused by a combination of overuse and poor stretching technique.
Suffering from a calf strain can cause you a lot of grief, you will feel sudden pain up the back of your leg, predominantly in the calf area, have difficulty standing on your tiptoe and experience swelling and or bruising of the calf muscle.
If you want to ensure that you don’t get the same strain reoccurring, risking further damage and want to be pain free again it is highly recommended that you opt to get physiotherapy treatment to restore full function to the area.
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What can you do for relief?
The best form of relief for the typical symptoms of a calf strain (Sudden pain, pain whilst on tiptoes, swelling and brushing) can be found by utilising the RICE method – rest, apply ice and compression and elevate the affected area. ).
In addition to this however, physiotherapy treatment is required in order to restore function to the area and to prevent the recurrence of the injury.
So, what treatments are there for a calf strain?
Great question! We typically treat calf tears initially with Scenar Therapy. It can greatly reduce recovery time and improve quality of healing. Treatment would also include dry needling, strengthening and stretching exercises, footwear analysis and a range of other options. After initial treatment and after the muscles have returned to full strength, running exercises will be recommended to build condition and pave the way for a return to active sports.
So if you or someone you know is experiencing tight calves, or calf strains contact the clinic today on (02) 9997 4970 for Newport or (02) 9949 3770 for Balgowlah to take the first step on the road to recovery so you can enjoy pain free activities.
That’s all from us today,
The team from Back to Health Physiotherapy
