CLINIC
Most runners can empathise with the sudden pain that can strike your calves and result in an enforced period of rest. How can you prevent a strain occurring, so you can focus on consistent training?
YOUR EXPERT
Sports Injury Fix member and soft tissue therapist Matt Scarsbrook is a keen runner who has raced everything from 5K to 100 miles. Matt is based in Chippenham, where he runs his clinic Therapy Evolved. Here, he discusses everything you need to know to help deal with that common problem of calf strains. Sports Injury Fix: sportsinjuryfix.com
“Aargh!” You clutch your calf muscle mid-stride and, on tip-toes, hobble to a halt. Something in your calf just went ‘ping’ and has left you with a very specific sore spot, making the whole area tighten up. Cue an odd limping gait back to the car. But why now?! Training had been going so well, pace was increasing and the weekly mileage figures on Strava were really starting to look impressive…
It’s the very common and dreaded calf strain, sometimes referred to as a tear. The power-house muscles of the lower leg are the soleus (the lower, more slender part) and the gastrocnemius (the bulgy shape at the top). Strains can occur in any muscle, but in the calf they occur most frequently on the inner part (medial head) of the gastrocnemius.