 Poster: A snowHead
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davkt, After I tore a calf muscle (a grade two tear playing tennis) I had to build up to doing the stretch on the stairs. I had physio twice weekly for the first couple of weeks then weekly for about a month after that. To begin with all I could do was bend and stretch at the knees while standing and sway from side to side. Then after the second appointment we added on walking heel to toe forwards then backwards (like they do in American films when the cops are testing for drink driving!). By the following week I could step up onto a step and do a very gentle calf stretch (the exercise was for both sides) I don't remember attempting calf raises on a step for the first few weeks. My exercises were combined with massage and ultrasound. The physio also gave me heel lifts and advised wearing a compression bandage. I also had to keep it elevated as much as possible to begin with as it was quite swollen and bruised. Massage was and, although very painful while being done, it always felt so much better afterwards. I would say it took about 8 weeks to heal but at least another couple of weeks on top of that before I was running properly again. I was back swimming quite quickly though.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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God yes, the bruising! I've never seen anything like it. My whole lower leg went multi-coloured...with some nice ankle swelling thrown in.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Well the leg has survived a summer of cycling and sailing so hopefully ready for the winter! Do need to potter off and see the doc again though again as it seems I have a permanent bruise over where the tear was.
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Sun 7-10-12 13:12; edited 1 time in total
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jayne durham Hope your calf's better and you're back skiing. 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Follow geetee, advice, followed same after calf tear skiing, now back as before.
On binding setting, get your din worked out by a shop or slope with a chart and stick to it. Add if you are aggressive expert, drop if over 50 etc but this will be taken into account on the setting given. Outside this parameter below or above is at your risk; a ski pre-releasing in most cases causes a head plant, so lowering settings can be a distinct disadvantage on hard surfaces particularly moguls.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Where the tear was is a bit sore today after a couple of 3hr fridge sessions and some trips to the gym over the last week and a bit, hope I haven't done anything to it again!
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davkt, have you iced it and done some very gentle stretches? Might be a good idea to get some massage treatment from a physio and take some anti-inflammatories. Did you ski after your gym sessions and was the muscle already feeling a bit tight? Hope it's feeling better soon. 
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Yup have used the RICE method again, have been back doing gym stuff (with the OK of the physio) for a couple of months and have done a couple of short snowdome sessions but these were my first serious ski sessions (and the first ones where my skiing seemed reasonably OK!). Latest gym session was a couple of days after last ski session. Will hunt out the physio's card out and give him a call.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Hmmmm. Tore my right calf muscle 2 weeks ago - an acutely unpleasant experience (especially as it happened on the third day of a trip to the US: a planned 5 days skiing + 5 days conference), and have been RICE'd and gently stretching ever since. I wasn't in the best state to haul baggage around airports.
The technicolour leg is now starting to fade, and there is still some swelling, but I'm starting to be able to get about a bit more comfortably.
I'm hoping the 6-8 weeks is something of an overestimate, since I want to have completely recovered for my trip at the end of March, and I'll be looking to get into the gym again to keep my general level of fitness up through an exercise regime that won't put too much strain on the recovering muscle.
I'll probably try and get some sports physio sessions in as well. davkt, I'll be following your progress with some interest!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Quote: |
jayne durham, The most important thing (IMHO) that only laundryman has mentioned is the stretching. When recovering from a tear, your muscle uses a tissue caleed collagen, and this tends to be made to the length required and rather inelastic. So to make long enough collagen fibres you need to stretch them out as they are being made.
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When I had a similar calf strain,I was advised that as well as stretching to align the collagen fibres, massaging in a longitudinal direction also helps with alignment.
The regeneration of the fibres was described like chopped-strand fibreglass with the strands forming in random direction, which is inflexible & can lead to future tears. In worst case tears, the collagen can apparently form into bone within the muscle 
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You know it makes sense.
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| geoffers wrote: |
When I had a similar calf strain,I was advised that as well as stretching to align the collagen fibres, massaging in a longitudinal direction also helps with alignment.
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Doc was very clear in his instructions of no massage or manipulation till I've seen the physio back home as at the early stage I'm at he said it could cause other micro tears
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Poster: A snowHead
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davkt, so sorry to hear that - it sounded like you'd made a great start yesterday. My injury should (finger crossed) heal up with far less on going problems than your sort of problem. I hope the physio can sort you out. Are you going to sit it out in LDA for this week?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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pam w, Yep, no flights back to Luton till Sat (assuming UK isn't snowbound) am still pretty mobile so may head out with camera. Think my EU work for next week might turn up on the web in the next couple of days so can do some of that to leave less to do next week.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Any thoughts/advice on preventative measures? Presumably getting more flexible and stronger is a start?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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If I understood the French doc right making sure the scar tissue geoffers describes is sorted should get the leg nearly as good as new again but it does seem from various running websites that once it has happened once you are a bit more prone to it.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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davkt, really sorry to hear that you're injured again. It does sound like you're rather prone to this injury now - like me.
When my calf went (when I tore it badly) I was doing a fast run from almost a standstill before the muscle had had a chance to warm up properly. The second time when I strained it quite badly (possible a mild tear) was when I was doing almost the same kind of thing as a 'warm-up' exercise. Since then, I wear a neoprene support if I think I might be exercising when it's cold to give the muscle a chance to warm up more quickly. I don't know if it's the right thing to do and I think it works for me. Maybe you could ask your physio when you get home if this is the right thing to do.
Hope you make a speedy recovery!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Being a peasant and probably having said this before with no medical knowledge whatsoever - I did this a few years ago and repetitively - no don't remind me - worried I had DVT the state of my foot - have ever since worn high arch insoles whether custom made for skiing or Scholl for walking/cricket and when I was younger squash - rightly or wrongly I believe that pronating feet cause this problem and since investing I have not repeated thank heavens - the worst and most debilitating of the few muscle tears I have ever suffered from. My sympathies are with you and there is I am afraid no quick cure
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This one isn't actually too bad but I know how easy it would be to make things worse!
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