28 A common injury in runners and how to avoid it “One of the most common injuries I regularly see and treat in runners is calf strains or tears.” Dawn Nunes Occasionally these injuries happen suddenly with no warning, but often there are some key signs to be aware of that may help you avoid or at least lessen the likelihood of you sustaining a calf injury. There are two sets of calf muscles. The gastrocnemius – which is the big part at the top and this is a two joint muscle as it crosses the knee and then joins the Achilles for the ankle. The second is the soleus which is a one joint muscle attaching to the Achilles on to the ankle joint. It is important to understand some anatomy as this can help guide you to strengthen each part of the calf complex. If we listen to our bodies – and this can be for any injury – it often lets us know that it is tired, straining, overworked or stressed. This can be in the form of tightness that continues past when expected, a small area of tenderness or pain or if you feel exhausted due to life events and fatigued before you have even started your workout, be cautious. If you have a change in running shoe or wear shoes you are not used to – example high heels or flat shoes with no cushioning – these will change the way that your foot lands and may contribute to some additional tightness. Normally this will be ok. However, if you are training hard, these seemingly small changes may push your muscle into a position that it is not used to which can lead to tightness and a strain if over worked. If you change running shoes from a high heel to toe (the drop in the shoe from the heel to toe) to a low one or vice versa, this can also change the calf dynamics. The change should be gradually introduced rather than sudden. Regular foam rolling the calves can help keep the muscle in a good form as well as seeking out a good sports masseuse when you are in a competitive stage of your training. Calf sleeves may also help increase blood circulation and also aid with recovery after long or hard sessions. Gentle stretching after activities will help improve overall mobility and stretch to maintain a good length in the muscle. If you feel a sudden pain in your calf, the best advice is to stop the activity immediately, see if you are able to walk it off but if there is any residual pain then to gently walk home and see how you are the following day. Follow the RICE protocol (Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate) If the pain has eased, then test it out with a gentle run. Also make sure that you keep to the flats and slower paces if you do have a calf irritation as these two factors will place additional strain on your calf. With prolonged calf pain I would recommend seeing a physiotherapist to fully assess your running technique and give you a detailed assessment to make sure that you have a full rehabilitation plan as well as good running technique to help prevent future calf strains. You can reach me @dawnnunesphysio or email me on [email protected] to book in for your full running assessment. HEALTH : INJURY Dawn Nunes Head of Rehab & Physiotherapist MPhil Sports Physiotherapy, BSc (Hons), Dip SOM
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