Thread: Inner calf- stiff and sore!

Hi,
I'm training up and getting fitter before I go off to the Army in 26 days. However, I've acquired a bad calf strain! I'm almost certain it is down to my +\- 2 year old running shoes, though I don't do an excessive amount of running and I have had the pains for a while now. It is just on the inner-calf muscle, quite stiff and sore when I break into a jog and it intensifies when I pick up the pace. It lessens after my warmup stretch and then just about goes away once I'm in full swing...but it is something that I shouldn't have at all!

What remedies could you advise? Stretches? Ice packs/deep heat? I need to keep up the running, which I'd imagine would just keep the pain and stiffness there, but I need some way of lessening it, or getting rid of it.

Thanks for any help!

you should really rest injuries mate. sorry i know you don't want to hear that. also take anti inflammatories (can't spell!)

Hi Ash

As above mate you really do need your rest, as for what to use leave the deep heat on the shelf mate its rubbish, Ive found Bio freeze to be much much better, I dont rate any kind of "heat" creams/sprays, its all about the cold, Bio freeze can be had in boots for about £5 or so mate, like a green jelly, my girlfreind used to put it on my back as I used to get awful back pain just below my left shoulder, found this helped a lot!

Eyup, as stated above, anti inflammatory tabs (ibuprofen) before a run might help, I have to take ibuprofen before training now as I trapped a nerve in my shoulder when I had my chest infection (violent coughs, I thought I broke a rib at first...) Does the pain go away when you stop running? ie once you've got home and rested got your feet up and a bit of corrie on? If the pain is only there when running it COULD (not saying it is) but could be your running style, I used to get leg pains when running in school and my PE teacher put it down to the fact I ran like a spaz (sorry not P.C. any more but those were his words not mine) and I still do run like a dork, I'm really flat footed when I run causes me to get really bad shin splints.

To quote wikipedia

"The function of the muscles of the anterior shin (tibialis anterior) is to dorsiflex the foot (bend the foot upwards at the ankle); other muscles here include the extensor digitorum longus muscle (long digit extender) and the extensor hallucis longus, which respectively moves the 2nd to 5th toes, and the big toe, upwards.

It might not be immediately obvious why a muscle which raises the toe can be stressed (injured) by running, because propulsion is not its function. Overstride is the reason: the stress derives from the runner landing heavily on the heel with each footstrike; thus, shin splints are a common ailment in military recruit training centers, [4] where recruit soldiers march extensively, by extending the leg forward and forcefully striking the boot heel on the ground. When this happens, the forefoot rapidly slaps down to the ground. Effectively, the foot, which is dorsiflexed before striking the ground, is forcefully plantarflexed, slapping the ground with the full sole of the foot."

If the pain is only there when you are actually running it could be the way you're running or the way you're feet are hitting the ground, in which case a change of footwear could help.. (although last time I checked the army issue boots didn't come with Nike shox onboard) If it's still there for quite some time after running.. Does it go away with rest, try not run for a day or two, do some other form of cardio.. Rowing machine for example. If it is there after running does it feel anything like DOMS? ie does it feel muscular or more like a tendant pain? Oh and what kind of surfaces are you running on? flat tarmac... grass, rocky, uneven etc?

how is the inner calf injury going.... any improvement with the anti-inflammatries? keep us updated

Mate look at getting a foam roll. you can get soft, medium and hard. They are fairly cheap. I used one the other day for the first time and i kid you not they are amazing. they aplpy pressure to knots in your muscles and so help release the tension (instead of stretching which actually doesn't help an already tight knot). It really hurts when you do it and I mean really hurts...but works. you basically put affected area on the roll for instance you leg. then lift body weight up supported and roll back and forth til you hit the knot (you'll know when cos as i said before it hurts!) hold for 30secs - 1min...relax and repeat 3 times or so. It works wonders and you find out a lot more muscles are knotted than you realised!

I've not used this company so can't garuntee the product or service but this will give you an idea of what I'm on about..

http://physiosupplies.com/acatalog/B...cm_x_45cm.html

hope this helps

Again i'm concerned with alot of these replys. Dont offer definative advice if you are a lay person. Tibialis Anterior is on the antero-lateral aspect of the shin - pain in this regoin would indicate a compartment syndrome type problem. Biofeeze is not a treatment - it just eases the pain.
Foam rollers help trigger points etc but do not address the mechanical cause of the problem.
It is a over use problem - if you keep running on it it will almost certaintly get worse.

It might not be immediately obvious why a muscle which raises the toe can be stressed (injured) by running, because propulsion is not its function. Overstride is the reason: the stress derives from the runner landing heavily on the heel with each footstrike; thus, shin splints are a common ailment in military recruit training centers, [4] where recruit soldiers march extensively, by extending the leg forward and forcefully striking the boot heel on the ground. When this happens, the forefoot rapidly slaps down to the ground. Effectively, the foot, which is dorsiflexed before striking the ground, is forcefully plantarflexed, slapping the ground with the full sole of the foot." -sorry your talking bollocks mate.

PM me with more info and i'll offer more detailed advice

Murph you tard, you're trying to trash common fact. I'll be happy to see if anyone sues you for the "advice" you offer.

Originally Posted by murph

It might not be immediately obvious why a muscle which raises the toe can be stressed (injured) by running, because propulsion is not its function. Overstride is the reason: the stress derives from the runner landing heavily on the heel with each footstrike; thus, shin splints are a common ailment in military recruit training centers, [4] where recruit soldiers march extensively, by extending the leg forward and forcefully striking the boot heel on the ground. When this happens, the forefoot rapidly slaps down to the ground. Effectively, the foot, which is dorsiflexed before striking the ground, is forcefully plantarflexed, slapping the ground with the full sole of the foot." -sorry your talking bollocks mate.

PM me with more info and i'll offer more detailed advice

Hang on a second! If you took the time and effort to read my post you'd notice the part that says

"To quote wikipedia:"

So before trashing something another members posted and making out that user is talking "bollocks" read the post and you might realise it's from a source and it was in reference to MY problem not the original posters.

Hi,
i play rugby and i suffered from the same problem last season. I found that plenty of rest was priority but as well as this i aquired the help from my doctor he mentioned increasing my consumption of salt therefore he sent me to holland and barret to buy some magnisium pills these helped dramatically and the pain went away quickly. Id suggest going down to holland and barret and asking the staff

all the best mark