I have also calf injury 2 weeks ago, it’s still hurting me if I step in a wrong phase, I walk a lot in my work every day. I will try this exercise hope it work, thanks
Hi friend how are you feeeling now I tore mine 2 weeks ago exactly still resting and in pain , but I would like to know how long before you could return back to sports
@ajtg3807 me two I'm a week behind you based on your post date. Two weeks ago today, for me, grade two tear for me, and I've been walking for a week but not long distance and just started physical therapy 3 days ago.
@@waynekurtz660 yeah since my last comment it’s healed alot I’m able to walk without to much pain but not with full weight on my left leg I’m still resting I’ll need 1-2 more months before I can return to any sport but I guess it’s all patience , good luck u too u tho physical therapy will help
My left calf muscles pain and my colour Doppler report is(There is fluid deep to the medial gastrocnemius with a tear in the deep muscle also seen as a disruption in the contour and echogenicity of the muscle fiber.)
Found ur excellent video after damaging medial head of gastrocnemius- that area is literally tender secondary to explosive running which didn’t work for me 😀 Appreciate the explanation Any advice for acute situations- damaged 3 hours ago Many thanks 🙏🏽
Thank you. This is a very helpful video. I'm wondering though how quickly should I start the rehab. I know it depends, but some general guidance would be helpful.
Hi Sam! As soon as you feel it is “tolerable”. This might mean for example that you feel you can do some isometrics and whilst it feels a bit achey you don’t feel like you have really flared it up! Hope that gives you some guidance e.g. it only creates 2-3/10 pain levels
I just retore my calf 3 1/2 weeks after my initial injury and over a week of no pain. I was performing a single leg hop, and I felt my calf pop again on the 11th hop without any warning (I had not been in pain doing any of the explosive movements before). Now I'm back to square one. Should you wait 2-3 weeks of no pain with a Grade 2 tear? Thank you!
i think i either tore or strained that muscle years back while playing soccer and it shows when i do quad extensions which essentially is the shooting motion, left it untreated and now its just bothering me because ive got reduced range of motion when bending my knee and pain too, this video defo cleared up some of the assumptions i had
This is actually really helpful thank you very much but I have one question I’ve been stretching it for a week and it doesn’t feel any better what stretch would be the best to do?
Definitely got pain on my calf when doing these exercises. Can you give an advice on the extent of pain, like up to what extent that it is an "safe kind of pain" vs "stop doing it kind of pain.". I just wanted to make sure I'm not making the calf condition worse. Thank you!!
this guy says dont try exercises until you can walk pain free: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-oLCkpEXqG-g.html. How is yours healing? mine's still in the pain-while-walking phase
@@SneakySonn brooo i am still nowhere near healed. i think its only a type 1 strain, but there must be something wrong w my body bc what feel like minor strains take a year to heal.
Hi Khalid, I strained my calf 2.5 months ago, I initially only rested for 1 week before returning to soccer & immediately re-straining the calf as it was not fully recovered. This second strain/tear felt more significant than the first one & I could barely walk/weight bare in the days after. I’m now at a place where I can perform single leg calf raises for 30 reps and single leg hops for 25 reps, however the injured calf doesn’t feel the same as the non-injured one & has a dull ache after performing the hops (about 3/10 pain wise) which lingers for a day or two. The injured calf also feels like it has a much lower work capacity & fatigues quicker now when walking. Should I persist with these exercises and progress to running soon, or dial it back a bit until there is minimal pain? Sorry for the long message, many thanks :-)
@@ClinicalPhysio Eh it’s life. Pretty wild muscle spasms. In the last two weeks I’ve woken up with the gastrocnemius in each leg tearing. This morning was my left leg which was substantially worse. (I suspect grade 3 but am seeing a doctor tomorrow to confirm.) I was mostly joking because my case is so incredibly niche.
I'm 44 and I just had my first calf tear ever and I used to being very active, sprinting, running, basketball, construction, etc. In my older age (sadly enough) I have to stretch in the morning and evening, but obviously not until I fully recover. Ice pack and message/cross vascular message. What a jip getting old 😂😢.
I have to add that this happened after a 4 hour car drive and my first sprint after getting to my destination it tore and hurt like an sob! Almost dropped me. What about shoe support?
My pain occurred when either hiking after several miles, or when on an indoor air bike. In both scenarios it's seems like it's happening when my knee is bent over and over. The pain is on the upper /outside calf, where the calf meets the knee. Any ideas? Is this the same situation as in your vid?
Can stretching cause this? I'm identifying my knee pain. I was once in a karate class where I stretched my leg more than I could and that resulted in pain for 2 months.
Thank you. I strained it and am currently rehabbing it. Hope to be back in action in a month. Already showing improvement 2 days later. @@ClinicalPhysio
What does it mean when you can't contract /flex your medial calf properly? One calf is also smaller then other calf after injury. I feel like it's going to cramp when walking. Could it be nerve damage? Have some tingling and numbness in toes too.
hi, just saw this. I have the same problem after injury. I have a medial meniscus tear and a quadriceps femoris tendon injury. I can't contract calf at all. On day 23 now. had MRI with a followup soon.. Did you see a doctor for explanation. I'd be interested to know.
@@ThinkBritishEnglish sorry for late reply. I did see a doctor, she wasn't too concerned about it as I could still move my foot and walk. Recommend me to some Physio. Sorry couldn't be of more help. I have another injury now that has taken priority 😞
I just cramped and pulled my calf muscle this afternoon doing taekwondo. I was a sudden snapping sensation. I hope it’s not seriously torn. It’s fairly tender and painful. I’ve rested and elevated it this evening, and am now icing it as well. It’s swollen. Lesson to self: don’t do martial arts without proper stretching and warmup beforehand.
What an amazing informative explanation for the gastrocnemius and torn muscles. I'm one of those that just slowly recovering this, going through physical therapy right now. Thank you so much.
Excellent! I ruptured the upper gastro but still have good dorsiflexion strength. What I can’t do is flatten out my foot on the ground. A heel wedge helps immensely. How long can i expect this soreness? Basically I can walk fine on my tip toes but have trouble getting my heel on the ground.
I jog, stair run, train with weights and I got injured doing none of them. Just crossing the road and the pain came like a shot in the leg. I had to drag my leg behind me to walk home. it happened 5 days ago and I can't flex the calf-and experience intense pain if try to ease up with my weight. Can't do one. There was minimal bruising. Swelling on the day but no real heat. The initial pain was at the back of knee and the whole belly of the medial side. But the pain now is at the top of the medial head near the knee. The worrying thing is that I can't contract the muscle at all. ;( anyway I subbed you because that was a great vid. ;)
@@ClinicalPhysio Hiya...well I went and had MRI. It showed Medial meniscus tear and quadriceps femoris tendon injury...I go back in a few weeks for a followup. After 10 days the blood had drained down from the injury to the foot. I'm still confused as to why the injury has taken away my ability to contract the medial calf muscle. That's the most worrying thing because it's affecting my walking. Anyway I'll stay positive as always. ;)
yesterday i strained what looks to medial head… hurts when i put weight and walk on it. been icing/elevating/resting. urgent care provided muscle relaxant and said xrays negative. Thoughts on when to ask for MRI/ultrasound?
Is it possible to tear the medial head (appears to me at the mtj) without bruising, pain, or bruising? I just discovered by looking at my calves in the mirror that my medial head appears like it’s almost gone. When I flex my leg’s calves, only the other head flexes while my medial head just looks rolled up and deflated. No problem with deadlifts, leg pressing or squatting. No issues with balance either. Heal raising with the damaged calf is weaker than my other leg.
I got my calf injured like 1 week ago, how can i treat it? I'm having difficult in walking, can i perform these Early stage excercise when i'm in pain? Or shall i rest more???
had this injury my mri readings are as below - "Complete tear of the right rectus femoris muscle at its tendinous origin from the anterior inferior iliac spine with surrounding edema. Mild edematous changes in the right iliacus muscle along its origin from its iliac fossa." this is 3 months ago currently I have started my rihabitaton want to know I can restore this to the original really need your help
I noticed that stretching routines arent mentioned as part of your rehab; are they unimportant? Truly curious--i know nothing and am looking to fix my calf :)
I do not feel any pain doing the plantar flexion/calf raises even with weighths+body weight. But i feel a sharp pain when i bend my knee behind my back, and do plantar flexion. This pain has stayed over a month. Any help? Trying to schedule a doctor office visit😢
So I have had calve pain doing single leg raises going down all the way on a ledge. Pain has gotten better with rest but I have subtle shaking on the eccentric doing the "hands on calves raises". I still have pain on palpation on calf muscle belly few days after. No bruising. What would you grade the strain/injury?
Thanks for your advice. My lower calf popped yesterday. I felt like I was shot on the back of my leg. I can’t put any weight on it so now in bed resting with my leg up, getting to the toilet is agony. Hopefully in the next 24 hrs I can walk on it.
Thank you Khalid, clear concise and no BS, just what I needed as I have just hobbled back from a sprint training session, having been either jogging or sprinting most of my adult life 40+ years and ‘never’ having experienced this injury before, ever! Will take all your advise on, thank you very much. 🙏🏻
Great and very informative video. Could you please provide more details on the 'Early Stages' and 'Middle Stages'? For example, what time frames do these stages cover, such as 1 week, 2 weeks, etc.?
Wow. Your incredible. I like your passion for helping people. I'm 62, not a long distance walker and decided to walk 2 km up hill in a park. Realized I was in trouble doing 2 km back. Had left calf burn for 4 days. On 5th day I got up from a chair and left upper side of calf felt like, in your words, a gunshot. Hours later I could walk straight but used a cane. Next day I walked around, went to doc who did a bunch of knee leg movements which didn't reproduce itand no real pain. until I was home my runner was planted in the rug and I twisted. Pain came back but not gunshot pain. I'm walking slow with little pain but know now if I twist with resistance it's back. I'm positive you nailed it in this video. Appreciate you.
No not necessarily but best medical advice is from someone who can assess you properly as will depend from one injury to another. If you have a small calf tear not necessarily, but if you have an Achilles rupture then very important!
@@ClinicalPhysio ok… i went to the dr she said i had a Gastroc tear … i can walk without the boot .i just assumed the boot just helps me not aggravate it until it heals …. What’s the normal recovery time ?
Needed this to remind me to be sensible! Had a grade one tear which I’ve been working on with stretches and single leg calf raises. It was feeling good so I risked a game of football (no sprints) all fine… Then decided to stay for a second hour, an opportunity to sprint opened up, I forgot I shouldn’t/didn’t consider my fatigue and rip! Grade 2/3 strain. Learn from my mistake folks and don’t play until you can complete explosive actions regularly in a controlled setting! One more week off is much better than making it worse and needing 3-5 weeks again!
Did you have an MRI that diagnosed the grade 2 tear? What were your symptoms? Did you have some shaking on the affected calve during the descent of a calve raise a few days after injury? When did you begin single calf raises and stretches?
@@GoodByeSkyHarborLive I didn’t have a scan, I didn’t have time to wait in A&E and I was quite sure what it was. I couldn’t put any weight on the plantarflexed foot for probably 5 or 6 days. There wasn’t enough strength in the muscle. During this time I just tried to avoid more injury but keep the muscle moving (non-weigh bearing). Then I started double leg calf raises and stretched, progressing to yoga and resistance training for the legs. Then week 2 the same progressing to slow single leg calf raises. Week 3 adding some light skipping and 1-2 km jogs. Week 4 adding 3-4 km runs (with changes of direction) and jumping. Week 5 - 5km runs, weighted calf raises and some multidirection hops/jumps. Next week will be week 6, I will try to add 75% effort sprints and some agility along with the weights. If I survive ill try 100% sprints and cuts the week after then go back to playing. I still have a strange sensation from time to time so I’m not confident to progress to full effort sprints/agility etc.
just found this video and it explains EXACTLY what I did.. I had been doing 5k runs every other day and I have the Savage Race coming up next weekend and wanted to do a 'mock' race.. so I just jumped to a 10k with sprinting 1/4 mile and then resting for 30 seconds for 6 miles and something must have happened during it.. If i am still able to walk normally with little to no pain in the area but some pain when walking up stairs, what would be the recommended recovery time? Again, I have the savage race in about 8 days.. Thank you for this video as it was very helpful!
Great information ,I wish someone would have explained to me don’t stretch or use the massage gun Until it’s healed I was stretching and massage gun two days after the injury then I screwed it up really bad
Great Video! I had a previous Pes Anserine Bursitis, which is basically sorted now. I can run on the flat no problem, but only get pain on the medial/posterior aspect of my knee when running downhill, quickly relieved by flexing my knee, then fine to continue my run on the flat. Could this be a proximal medial gastrocnemius tendinopathy, aggravated by eccentric control by gastrocs when running downhill? Very frustrating as a problem for a year now. Any diagnosis/management ideas would be appreciated.
I've been experiencing medial inner calf pain over the last week. For context, I dislocated my patella 5 weeks ago and have been proactive in RICE treatment, although I have fallen short on my physical therapy over the last few weeks. This calf pressure/pain has only been present for the last week. Initially, I favored my right leg heavily and used a cane for support but have now primarily switched to a knee brace when out and about. The pressure is mainly noticeable when seated and very rarely when walking. It is present in both legs in the same area, but when lying down or wakinhg up first thing in the morning not noticeable at all. The legs are NOT warm or hot to the touch, nor does there appear to be any swelling. My physiotherapist advised me to monitor it, but I am unsure of the cause. It could be due to dehydration, muscle strain, muscle atrophy, or, in the worst case, tendinitis or compartment syndrome. My foot is not numb, and it does not hurt when curled. Do you have any idea what this could be, even a best guess? I am at a loss, and the doctors I've seen have only told me to monitor it. I prefer to be proactive rather than passive.
The high jump brought me here. Thank you for this valuable information. Unfortunately, I am far , far away and can't visit your clinic. But anyway, I believe your exercises will help in the process of rehabilitation.
I have a MCL sprain in my right knee. It's been 1.5 months. I do rehab excersises daily 30 minutes and icing. Now I can normally walk, cycling etc. But it little bit hurts after waking up, to sprint, to stand up after long sitting. Can anyone please grade my MCL sprain and when it will be fully recovered through daily rehabilitation? I'll be really grateful.🙏🏻🙏🏻
I just had a massive Charlie horse while playing spots yesterday and this morning my leg is slightly bruised, 4-5inch line of pain between the Gastrocnemius and soleus, and I can’t fully flex the muscle. Didn’t feel the pop or tear like I did when I tore my hamstring but there was the cramping super bad.
I have a pain in my calf muscle and my ultrasound report is (There is fluid deep to the medial gastrocnemius with a tear in the deep muscle also seen as a disruption in the contour and echogenicity of the muscle fiber.)
Could this be confused with a thrombus? My GP has diagnosed thrombophlebitis in my calf just below the knee, but it's lasted 2+ months now and gets worse with cycling or walking. I can’t run on it. It aches a lot rather than a very sharp pain. It's swollen too.
Thank you for the gastrocnemius exercises specifically the early stage ones. I am a chronic repeater on calf injury. I injured my gastrocnemius again on last Monday. Hope these exercises will get me back to running again all to way to a full marathon.
Quick question. I have this pain behind the right side of my knee when flexing. Feels funny like my brain is going *bloop* it’s not a terrible pain and kind of weird. Been this way for a few years now. It gets better and sometimes it flares up and seems to get worse. I was jogging to the gym and tripped on a 1” chunk of lifted concrete. I was falling , well I raised my right leg and caught myself stumbled and fell to the side wall. That’s around the time I noticed my knee area wasn’t feeling normal during leg exercises. Could this be a calf muscle issue and not a knee ligament issue. I had my knee checked and the PT twisted it and flexed it around and said it seemed to be normal and I had no reaction to any of the stress I placed on my knee.
For me i was starting a short sprint on the upwards motion when it tore, it felt like there was a pop or rubber band breaking in my calf. There was no bruising, no swelling but, difficultly walking resistance and pain when lifting tows while leg is straight.
@michellenewell9017 at about 6 weeks now, I'm doing physical therapy to rebuild the muscle, lengthen, and strengthen my gastronemus. I'm now walking normally, I'm able to jump but am cautious about doing so. I'm thinking I'm at about 80%. The exercises I'm doing now are difficult but may have been pre-injury as well.
Is it normal for a 16 yr old to strain her calf every time she stretches cus I just had the best stretch of my life but had to stop it because I stretched my leg too hard I guess and had a horrible pain in my calf and it felt like my muscles were moving or something and I couldn’t even move my foot cause it’ll make it worse but the pain went away after like 20 seconds or so. My foot still feels slightly numb idk why my foot feels like that when it was my calf but maybe cause they are both near each other
Hi, a numb foot certainly would suggest nerve related in relation to what you did. If you were concerned my first suggestion would be to consult a Dr or Physiotherapist for more thorough assessment
Thanks very much for the video. My question is, I finished my third week after the injury, I still have some pain in walking and some moves, should I wait to have zero pain to start the exercises?
I had a loud pop sound when kicking a football and pain in my calf, I went to A&E the next day and the checked my muscle (not the Thompson check) and said I had a slight tear, so off I went to rest. 3 days later the pain was pretty bad and swelling was up even after rice. Went back to A&E and they did the Thompson check and said it wasn’t the acl and gave me strong pain killers. I’m now at a stage of 2 days after seeing them I’m in a very painful situation and before I could put my toes on the floor, I can’t even touch the floor and my leg is in terrible pain. I’m going to have to contact the doctors for what to do but wondering if this is normal.
Hi how is your recovery going??!, I did exactly the same thing i was just walking and felt like I had been shot and heard and felt a ping noise I'm 2 weeks in and can't put any pressure on my foot but bruising and swelling has gone down a bit
@jayd5625 Hi Glad the first 4 weeks are gone. I was in pretty bad pain for 3.5 weeks and found out i had a grade 3 tear, and it had aggravated my achillys. Week 5 today, and I've managed to put my foot on the floor this week but still use crutches. The pain has gone but very tight every day. I'm hoping to be able to walk without crutches in 2 -3 weeks' time. I'm sorry to hear about your injury and hope it's less painful than mine was.
halo khalid. last week i was hit by a motorbike when i was croosing road. it hit my medial head of my gastrocnemius. is there any treatment you can share? thanks bro 🙏
Sir it's been 2 years since I became an acedent and I got femur fracture and small nerves are rubbed now the nerve is joined but the foot drop is again you didn't tell me what is the problem plz tell me 🙏
Thx Khalid, This is the best video I came across on calf injury. I’m recovering from” Focal muscle bundle tear on the medial side in the distal M. Gastrognemius medial”. It’s been almost 2 months (9th January), I don’t find pain in my calf now but there is stifness, my Achilles Tendon pain while walking. When I work seating in chair, my calf get the swelling. Can you help me connecting over video call?thx a lot 🙏🙏
I was walking on a treadmill and Decided to do a sprint, after 30 seconds of sprinting my left calf muscle was on fire. 3 days later I still can’t walk on it, I’m hoping it gets better soon.
Thank you for the instructional video. I walk/run for cardio. Since I can't do that for the next 5 weeks, what is a good substitute? Can I ride stationary bike?
At work today i had some banding on a pallet grab my foot and i fell onto my elbows ive had this intense pain in between the 2 sides of my calf and high up at the very back of it.. now im in bed and i can barely move my leg at all, i cant raise it or extend it or close it without and very intense pain .. i cant take my socks off or touch my toes at all, the only comfortable way i can lay is eith my injured right leg laying against my left leg, but it slid of in my sleep and i fell into tears it was so painful... it took me half an hour to manage to get my leg back up ontop of the other one having to stop and practically grab my hurt leg and put it there by hand. I dont know what to do, the pain is so horrible and im afraid to fall asleep
I can stand on the leg, i can move my ankle completely and i can probably stond entirely on the injured leg, its just motion thats hurt it, like stepping up or trying to loft the leg upwarda
You explain it really, really well, thank you for this video. I pulled my calf this Saturday when doing a star save in a 1v1 scenario(I’m a goalkeeper) I overstretched my left calf and felt the sharp pain then when I tried getting up on my feet, I felt numbness on the area down to my foot, had to carry on playing for another 20mins The next day it got more stiff and I couldn’t stand on my foot so I had to tip toe the left foot, I think it’s not that severe as it feels like it’s getting better and I have another game on Saturday, so I hope to be fully recovered. Thank you for the video!
Man same problem for me today, It bought a sk8board after a 15 year pause and after 3 km just pushing I got that pain in the medial Gastroc, now Im in bed after I stretched a bit and out a cream for muscle pain, I cant walk like you... how many days you where out ? Peace god bless
Great video and explanation! However, I just had a partial tear in my calf and I am having a hard time understanding how the treatment is to do resistance training! Doesn't it need to heal or 're-attach first? This seems counterintuitive.
Hi Scott! A tear in the tendon or in the muscle? Naturally this is where it would be wrong of me to give individual advice over the internet if I don’t know your full case and history, but generally speaking unless we are talking about a TENDON tear, calf tears do not involve detachment of something that needs reattaching. Therefore, it’s more about allowing for adequate rest during the inflammatory stage as mentioned, and then letting the muscle do what it does best!
So what would you say about a calf "strain" that heals in 24-48 hours??? I am 54-year old male who has walked 15-20 miles per week (4.0-4.5 mph) for over 20 years. Former soccer and football kicker, so calves are pretty strong. When I run, I "strain" my calf before I hit the one mile mark. Cannot run through it because of pain, but am back to walking (scared to run) within 48 hours with NO pain. Could this be a soleus? Achilles? HELP!!!
I played pickelball for six hours over a seven day period of time. I took a normal step and felt a tremendous sharp pain in my calf. Went to the Dr the next day and he said it is a grade 2 tear. I am using a walking boot for at least two weeks. Such a bummer. But thankful that my Achilles didnt tear.
I just had the same thing occur 3 days ago playing pickleball as well. Any advice on the healing process and how long before you were able to play again? I hope you are doing well now!
