Calf Injuries in Running | How to Assess, Fix, and Prevent 

artisansportsman i know im late but did this work?

I am facing the same frustration as you, injured again yesterday even though I was wearing calf gaurd. Should we be running more on mid foot ?

I did tiptoe run. I need to change my stride. Calf pain too lingers here its been over a week

You need to change your gait. I used to run on my forefoot, had a ton of calf strain. That also means your footstrike is too far beneath you. Learn to use your glutes/quads. Stand up a bit straighter . It will feel like you’re “sitting back” on your stride, just not too much. Focus on your quads while running. Imagine pushing with your knees instead of running with your ankles. Focus on letting your calf’s relax. Let your footstrike without tightening up your lower legs.

Same problem dude, mine usually goes away when I've ran long enough and it doesn't even occur on every run. Makes me really confused and annoyed!

@@user-gh8kl8ff3v Lol! That's the same thing that happens to me. I was running last night and I had pain in my lower calf and I was just running while limping because I really do not like stopping. I eventually stopped and walked for a bit and then started running again. I'm hoping this is just another slight problem that I'm going through that will go away when I sleep later on, but I do need to warmup, but don't really know how.

Thank you, Elijah!

The ITBS is never going to release unless if you are using a scalpel.

Same

Hope you find some relief!

@@TheRunExperience Turns out that it was almost solely down to my poor form, as after working on that (both using the drills in your video and being more conscious of my foot strike out on runs) and doing some ankle mobility exercises, I have been able to run 12km in one stint without any of the aforementioned pain. Feels good,. thanks again!

Funny cause I’ve always heard running on your heels is horrible!!

Awesome! Keep us posted :)

Ikr

You get used to it pretty fast.

You get used to it and you can just brush it off after your done sitting

@@OneEyed8135 You're harder than I am lol

My Osgood Schlatters was screaming when he did that.

BayAreaEventDesigns Pretty sure he’s in Israel

Glad you found the fix!

let us know how it goes!

its basic, Glad to hear the pain is gone. I would check your running form as well. Make sure you're not putting your toes into the ground every time you run. We want to pull from the ground with a flat foot, make contact with the ball (not the toes) of our feet, all while kissing out heels to the ground. Check out our video on a proper foot strike to get a better understanding ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Rt9hgtFzZk0.html&lc=UgxLOlIVhAt_igJO4it4AaABAg

Maybe look at if you are favouring one leg ( the RIGHT one) over the other? Many athletes favour their right leg and push of harder onto the left foot. The tendency is to over-stride onto the left heel/forefoot. Try shortening your leg stride. The foot action should feel like its moving up and down in a "circle" - not backwards and forwards in and ellipse (oval). Running is a pushing action. You dont reach out and pull yourself forward. As you run ask yourself am I pushing or am I pulling. Over-striding causes you to pole vault onto the front foot. This causes your head to go up and down. As you run notice how much your head is going up and down. Try to minimise this. Are you having or going to have trouble with your left heel or left forefoot? Try to train on softer surfaces like grass. "Crashing " down onto your left heel over time will cause permanent trouble. The best fix is various types of one legged squats. Walk around in bare feet as much as possible. If possible regularly go to the beach and fast walk bare footed on the sand. Stretching the right calf muscle like you are appears to be making things worse. Find a small piece of board. Put something under one end so its inclined. Then stand barefooted on the board for at least 2 minutes. Do this well before training.

Great work!! Give this a look: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-4yurWE3S4Lk.html

Wonderful! Thanks Chris!

The Run Experience Think my main problem is that I've started running again after 25yrs (now 43). I used to be UK southern cross country champion in my teens and in my head thinks I can still run like that!! In 6 weeks I've gone from running 4 miles in 36 mins to now 28 mins! Maybe my body just can't keep up and I need to take it slower! Any tips?

If you aren't already, try incorporating some good strength training (specifically squats) for improved hip drive in your running. That plus doing some weekly speed work (intervals at desired race pace or faster) with rests built in between should help!

The Run Experience Thanks

How long did it take to heal?

I was going to put that in here, but you beat me to it.

really good video will give it a go. can you relate these exercises to plantar fasciitis

Great question. Check out this video for some more information specific to that! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-VejcHFlruKo.html

Try these out: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-FYyIXX0h3i0.html

Check these out: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-6WqK-bge_Ts.html

thank you!

What did u do

Take a look at our warm up and cool down playlist for good ideas around that!

I have yet to find the solution. Static stretching and raises definitely hasn't worked. I'm at a point where if someone told me that lighting their calf on fire and extinguishing with a homeless persons urine worked for them, I'd probably give it a shot. Several people I've found had success using the Cyriax/Eccentric method. The theory is the scar tissue heals in a more ply-able pattern. I'll definitely update with the outcome.

@David Maxfield Hi David. I've been a keen cyclist since my early 20's. I'm now 63. I always thought I could never run, because every time I tried I would pick up an injury after a few weeks; patellar tendinosis, groin strains, calf strains. With help from watching the Run Experience and some of the other quality running channels I've now been running injury free for the last 6 months and got down to 23:07 for 5k and 50:12 for 10k. I've found the following things work for me. First, no static stretching before a run, only after. Second, a good 10 to 15 mins of dynamic stretching before running; pick the stretches that suit you. Third, stick to the 10% rule ie do not increase either distance or speed by more than 10% for each run - and don't increase both at the same time. Fourth, don't run every day; ensure you incorporate rest days into your plan. Fifth, don't change more than one thing at a time, whether that is terrain, hilly rather than flat, or different aspects of your running style. Sixth, do cool down exercises after every run. And last, regular foam rolling, and cross friction for calf and other muscles which are giving twinges.

Tough to say without knowing the extent of the injury. Always best to double check with a medical professional when the pain is acute or lasts longer than a week. Try some walk-runs as you ease back in, with lots of mobility daily. Lacrosse ball (or two) is our favorite for calves!

pr0faker, check out our video "foot and ankle strengthening exercises for runners" as well as our "proper running foot strike". These will help with strengthening your feet as well as encouraging a better interaction with the ground with your run.

Yes per second! Think of the the heel drop as more of a relax to lower, versus aggressively muscling the foot to drop, thus increasing the tension through the whole lower leg as it takes the impact. Thinking of it more as a release will keep the calf long and the achilles safe as a result. My guess is that thinking of the heel drop this way will minimize calf cramping. Beyond that, keep up with the lacrosse ball regularly! Keep us posted!

Per second???

@@markrskinner 1 leg per minute. Which gives total, magical (for most people) 180 steps / min.

Yes. A cadence of 90/min is thenidealmrunning tempo.

@@TheRunExperience If I run at a cadence of 85 steps per SECOND, and I have a stride length of ~3 feet, then I can run at ~170 miles per hour. Are you sure you didn't mean 85 steps per MINUTE? That brings the speed down to 3 MPH.

Hi Ken! are you mobilizing through your lower calf REGULARLY before and after your run? Try foam rolling it if you haven't already. If that doesn't help, it may be time to get it looked at for further injury!

unfortunately that may be the case. hope it's coming along!

You can do a 1-on-1 injury consultation with our specialist Kyle Bowling if you like! therunexperience.com/injuryconsultation

Ram Nathan Try running more midfoot 🥴

Helen Graham hey helen! you can still use some of these prevention tips to try out, or you can always check out the calf strengthening videos we have here on our channel!