Calf Injury Tonight -- Argh!

[varuscelli]

<Edit from 10/04/06: I'm going to keep posting updates to this thread on occasion for future reference by anyone who might suffer a calf injury to an undetermined part of the calf. With me, it's likely either a plantaris tendon rupture or the gastrocnemius muscle tear. Not serious enough to justify surgery, but bad enough to keep me off the tennis courts for a while. For me, no medical insurance means no MRI to pinpoint the exact damage. But for anyone with a similar injury, I'll document what I can here, in case someone like me searches for such info but has a hard time finding what they want to know.>

Ugh, I'm not a happy camper tonight, folks.

I was subbing in our local doubles league (this evening) and had been playing for about an hour. I started to move forward in anticipation of receiving a serve, when I felt what I thought was a tennis ball hit me hard in the back of the calf. I figured the guys on the court next to me had really mis-hit a ball and it had hit me from behind. I looked around, no tennis ball anywhere.

I (and the other players) pretty quickly realized I had hurt my calf. I immediately could not put weight on it and had to be helped to a bench. The guys at the club (we were playing at our local fitness center) brought me out a bag of ice within about 5 minutes of hurting the leg, and I elevated the leg and iced it for a good 20 minutes.

But, I could put no weight on the leg (without quite a bit of pain, that is) when I finally stood back up and basically had to be carried from the courts to a car.

I'm almost certain it's NOT the Achilles tendon, but think it's a pretty good (fairly bad) tear or strain in the muscle. Pain is fairly constant. Hurts to touch the calf. I'm guessing for sure a second degree strain and maybe third degree as badly as it's hurting tonight. Keeping my finger crossed that it's not as bad as it feels.

Talked to my doctor this evening and will RICE the leg for a while (rest-ice-compression-elevation). I'm not seeing any signs of blood or bruising yet, but that might not be visible for a day or so (?). Will see how things look in the morning and likely pay the doc a visit so he can see in person.

Ugh. No fun. But I wanted to run this through the forum to see if I get feedback. I figure I’m going to be somewhat hobbled for at least a few weeks. Hope I’m wrong, but pretty sure I'm right.

PS, the injury is to a 48-year-old leg, which pretty much matches up to the rest of me.

PPS, I'm reading through some of the posts and links provided in these forums concerning such injuries (many posted by Marius Hancu, so thank you Marius).

 

[FuriousYellow]

Sorry to hear about your injury. I can certainly sympathize as I suffered a calf injury a few years ago while running. I was lazy with my pre-run stretching, it was cool day, no warning, then felt sudden tug on my calf muscle like the muscle had stretched and failed to contact. Took a few months before I could run without pain. Hopefully, yours was just a muscle strain.

 

[Cruzer]

This scenario is very similar to what happened to to my wife several years ago when she tore her calf muscle in the second game of a USTA match. What she felt was pretty much the same sensation as described by the OP. She had to be carried off the court to her car and it took about 8 weeks for her to fully recover. She was 42 when it happened. Interestingly as she hobbled around the club for several weeks she found that a couple of dozen people had sufffered the same injury and all had in been in their early to mid 40's when it happened to them. Recovery time varied from 4 to 10 weeks.

 

[varuscelli]

36-Hour Update

OK, the following update is for anyone who might be looking up info on this type of injury in the future and might choose to browse these message boards to find it (and anyone who's interested now, of course). Long post, but please forgive that inasmuch as someone else might find this info helpful at a later date.

The injury itself seems to be in the lower third of the "meaty" part of my calf, but I can feel it throughout the calf.

Within 24 hours of the calf injury (strain, pull, tear -- however it's supposed to be classified, since all of those seem to be variations on the same thing depending on the semantics you choose), I started to have noticeable swelling in my leg and foot.

At the 36-hour mark after the initial injury, I have much more swelling in the leg than at the 24-hour mark. There is some random bruising that I'm seeing, but it's not what I'd consider bad discoloration. The swelling at this point is very uncomfortable. While not excessive, I have swelling throughout the calf, ankle, foot, and toes. My left leg from upper calf on down is noticeably swollen compared to the unaffected right leg. My foot motion is very limited, but I see it as a good sign that I can wiggle/bend my toes to a degree and have some limited motion in being able to bend my foot up and down (very limited, though). If I set my foot flat on the floor, my toes no longer touch the floor with the combined foot and toe swelling. At least the foot motion makes me feel as though I don't have anything catastrophically wrong with the Achilles tendon. From what I've read, I don't think I can rule out a partial rupture of the tendon, but feel it's more likely some degree of tear in the calf muscle itself.

My doctor said over the phone that I didn't need to schedule a visit unless I end up with bad swelling in the leg. Since I see this as at least borderline to what he suggested to me, I'm trying to get in to see him today. (Best of luck to me on a Friday, though.)

As an overview to what I'm doing to deal with this, I have taken no anti-inflammatory medications yet. (It's generally not advised to do so within the first 24 hours, anyway, and the doc told me not to take anything yet.) At the 36-hour mark, I'm temped to take something now, but will wait until I can talk to the doctor this afternoon. I’m trying to follow the rest-ice-compression-heat (RICE) protocol. I’m resting as much as possible and I’m using an Ace Bandage style elastic compression band to help keep the swelling down as well. I'm icing the calf down for about 20 minutes at a time at least every 4 hours. I'm keeping the leg elevated as much as possible (on a stool next to my PC or on a large "reading pillow" on my bed). I'm using a walker to get around the house. Still, I find that I have to put some pressure on the foot once in a while when moving around. I can put weight on the heel of the foot, but not on the toes and no bending of the foot or toes while standing or I get a heck of a shooting pain through the calf.

Again, I'm going into this detail in case anyone else who might have a similar injury wants to compare notes with my experience. Overall, I’m finding this a very uncomfortable thing to deal with and it has limited my mobility greatly. Fortunately, I work mostly from my home. Unfortunately, I have to take care of my 4-year-old daughter simultaneously with working, and with this injury it’s far from an ideal situation.

I'll update at some point later if I feel there’s anything significant to add that someone else might benefit from or in case anyone might want to comment back to me on how I’m dealing with this.

Sorry if this info is excessive.

 

[MLoutch]

sorry to hear but i had EXACTLY the same thing happen under the exact same conditions. it took about a week before i was able to put any weight on it and it turned the worst shade of yellow, purple...etc i could not walk right for about 4 weeks.

I was told the "pop" or the feeling of being hit by a ball was the muscle tearing. The funny part was looking over for the ball that didn't hit me.

overall it took about 6 weeks before i could even try to play - i am 45 and it happened when i was 39. to this day i still think about it and at times when i step in on returns or on a serve i find myself paying attention to my leg. what i do now is REALLY REALLY stretch LONG and hard - i take plenty of extra time.

 

[varuscelli]

sorry to hear but i had EXACTLY the same thing happen under the exact same conditions. it took about a week before i was able to put any weight on it and it turned the worst shade of yellow, purple...etc i could not walk right for about 4 weeks.

I was told the "pop" or the feeling of being hit by a ball was the muscle tearing. The funny part was looking over for the ball that didn't hit me.

overall it took about 6 weeks before i could even try to play - i am 45 and it happened when i was 39. to this day i still think about it and at times when i step in on returns or on a serve i find myself paying attention to my leg. what i do now is REALLY REALLY stretch LONG and hard - i take plenty of extra time.

Thanks for that bit of feedback.

Even at the time this happened, a couple of other players who were on the court said that nearly exact thing had happened to them (or someone they knew) at some point in the past (there were a bunch of players out there at the time -- as well as the local pro -- so I got a LOT of immediate feedback on what had likely just happened).

And there's definitely a lesson learned for me about stretching. You can bet I'll be focusing more on that in the future once I'm fit to play again. I felt I had warmed up adequately before the match, but it doesn't seem as though I was adequately "stretched." I'll count this as a real warning of what the future might hold if I don't revise my techniques for getting ready for a match (and for stretching afterwards, as well). I definitely don't want this to happen again.

 

[dr.freestyler]

What you have likely had is a rupture of the plantaris tendon. Along with your achillis is a another very thin tendon/muscle that does the same thing, only probably gives less then 10% of the function of the motion you use your achilles/calf muscle. It is perfectly ok to not have this anymore, but it is far more painful then just a simple strain. It will heal, but it will take time. treatment is same, anti-inflammatories, rest, etc.
Personally, when i see cases of this what is most noticeable is the amount of bruising, the classic "pop" desc. by the patient, and usually severe pain in the calf area. Obviously the other thing to worry about would be a tear in the achillis.

hope it helps, might do a web search to read more about it and see if it fits your pain.

 

[varuscelli]

What you have likely had is a rupture of the plantaris tendon. Along with your achillis is a another very thin tendon/muscle that does the same thing, only probably gives less then 10% of the function of the motion you use your achilles/calf muscle. It is perfectly ok to not have this anymore, but it is far more painful then just a simple strain. It will heal, but it will take time. treatment is same, anti-inflammatories, rest, etc.
Personally, when i see cases of this what is most noticeable is the amount of bruising, the classic "pop" desc. by the patient, and usually severe pain in the calf area. Obviously the other thing to worry about would be a tear in the achillis.

hope it helps, might do a web search to read more about it and see if it fits your pain.

Thank you! Great info.

I'll be seeing my doctor in about an hour. It'll be interesting to see what he says. I called the nurse in his office, told her to pass along the message to him about the swelling in the leg, and he decided to have me come in to have it checked it out.

 

[varuscelli]

What you have likely had is a rupture of the plantaris tendon.

Well, Doctor -- good call.

My doctor did his exam of my leg and his thoughts (without any prompting from me) were almost exactly as yours were.

He's pretty sure based on my description of what happened and my symptoms that the plantaris tendon is likely the culprit. From what I see of the possibilities here, that's actually good news, eh? With a little caution and care (and a bit of luck), I shouldn't be sidelined by this for too long. Hopefully, worst case would be a couple of months, but it's possible I might be able to get back out on the courts in three or four weeks (or at least be well on my way there). I basically just have to listen to my body and push it as much as cautious rehabilitation allows. I'll likely visit with our fitness center rehab specialists to see that my doctor's advice, my planned course, and the therapists’ advice all are in agreement.

Today, I can hardly move around on the leg, but I suspect from your good feedback (sameermd), my bit of internet research this afternoon (based on your feedback), and my own doctor's advice I'll be able to put this behind me before too long.

Strange injury, though! I've had lots of little sports injuries here and there over the years, but nothing like this one. It's just one of those times when you know something went wrong but figuring out exactly what it was presents something of an altogether different challenge. Very unusual.

 

[drakulie]

Hey Varuscelli, sorry to hear about that man. I could sympathize, I "popped" my right hamstring severely. It started showing signs of bleeding and inflamation immediately. The blood flowed all the way to my lower calf. I was told I not only tore the hammy, but also ruptured several veins. Very painful.

Anyways, hang in there. And I know you want to get back out on the court, but don't until you are completely healed. If not, you will simply keep injuring it.

Best of luck to you!

 

[dr.freestyler]

now if only i can find a way to bill for this sorta stuff.....

just kidding, glad to help. I bet the pain will be pretty much gone within 2 weeks. I usually give people crutches. I contemplate if a tight wrap (not to tight) might be helpful too. I think you can get a sleeve like wrap at a medical supply store.

 

[varuscelli]

now if only i can find a way to bill for this sorta stuff.....

just kidding, glad to help. I bet the pain will be pretty much gone within 2 weeks. I usually give people crutches. I contemplate if a tight wrap (not to tight) might be helpful too. I think you can get a sleeve like wrap at a medical supply store.

I really do appreciate the tip on the plantaris tendon, since it gave me time to look it up before I met with the doctor. What he told me, then, didn't come so unexpectedly as "new" info to digest.

And yeah, I sent out an SOS for crutches, etc., amongst our local family members and got a cane, a pair of crutches and a walker. The walker actually seems to be working out best for me and it's certainly a way of getting around the house without putting extra stress on my left leg. But neither my dog nor my daughter seems to be able to figure out why I'm walking around the house that way, traveling at about 1/10th my normal rate of speed. The dog actually started barking at me.

I've explained it as well as I can to my daughter -- she's 4, I'm 48 -- and she's now my nurse. "Pass me the remote, get me some water please, pass me the remote, find me my cane, pass me the remote, where's my phone?, pass me the remote, where's my ice pack? " etc., etc.

 

[varuscelli]

I found good info here -- among other places on the internet -- but this was a kind of nice, concise overview of what I think I am facing with the likelihood of the plantaris tendon being the culprit (plus, it explains a few other possibilities related to such injuries, as well as prevention, treatment, prognosis, etc.:

http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/9339/31318.html

 

[varuscelli]

Fairly Significant Progress This Morning

Maybe a needless update, but:

After waiting 48 hours to take any anti-inflammatory medication (waited until my doctor gave me the OK), before going to bed I took two generic "Aleve" tablets (that is, Kroger brand with 220 mg naproxen each).

Went to bed with significant swelling in my calf, ankle, foot, and toes. Woke up with most of the swelling gone. What a relief! My level of discomfort this morning is about half of what it was yesterday. Moving around is definitely easier. (I'm not free from discomfort of the injury, but free from much of the swelling-related discomfort).

For what it's worth, my doctor recommended absolutely no anti-inflammatory medication for the first 24-48 hours, so I went with that.

My doctor had also recommended NOT to use compression initially (e.g., Ace bandage type). I had used one the second day of the injury (wrapped my foot, ankle, and calf firmly but not tightly) and woke up with very uncomfortable swelling the next morning. After his feedback yesterday, I did not use one last night (but did use the anti-inflammatory) and feel much better this morning. Maybe NOT using the compression bandage was a factor (hard to say for sure). But I'll throw that out there as part of my equation and how it fit it. (With the standard RICE approach, compression is recommended, so . . . I’m not sure what conclusion to draw from that). Guess I'll see if the swelling returns today.

 

[varuscelli]

One Week Update

For the sake of anyone who might be looking up threads like this in the future, I'll post an update.

A week and a day after my calf injury, I feel pretty well hobbled. I can walk without the assistance of crutches or awalker, but I try to use one or the other most of the day. As long as I put my weight on my left heel and don't try to use the whole foot (or put weight on my toes), I can sort of walk around, but with a noticeable limp. And if I do this very much, I pay for it later with extra swelling and soreness in the calf.

Swelling of the leg comes and goes (calf, ankle, foot, and toes still). It's there most of the time, but goes up and down. I'm getting gradual discoloring of my foot as blood from the damage makes its way downward. Got bruising showing up on the sides and top of my foot. I can touch the outside of my calf with no pain, but if I touch or lightly press the inside or back of the calf, ouch. If I bend the leg for very long (for instance, while sitting in a chair with knee bent in the standard sitting position), it's difficult to straighten it out again. Still icing down down the lower leg several times a day since I still have associated swelling and pain, but no heat treatment yet. I just get as much rest as I can get (Ha, very funny, like I can really just rest), ice, and elevation. Still not using the compression element of the RICE approach since my doctor advised against it, so I'm listening to him and not using an ace bandage or anything for the time being.

Looks like this one's going to take a while to heal. I'll be checking in with a physical therapist in the next couple of days to see what he says about starting a rehab process on the leg (stretching, exercises), but at this point, with still considerable pain and swelling, I think I've got a bit of time before I'll want to push anything. Still want to see what a sports therapist advises.

 

[varuscelli]

Ice Pack Notes

One of the things that's really helping me is that I have bought one of those reusable hot/cold compresses that straps around my leg via Velcro straps. Lots of different companies make them under various names (for instance, Elasto-Gel).

I got a generic one from a local CVS Pharmacy that's a 9"x13" rectangle with the support wrap included for about $19 (there's also a 9"x24" that I'd rather have, since it would wrap farther around the calf, but couldn't find one locally and didn't want to wait for an internet order).

I can take that 9"x13" pad and wrap it partially around my calf (in sort of a "C" shape) and it works a lot better than a standard ice pack. I can also slide it up and down my leg as needed, to ice the swelling in the ankle or the calf itself. The upside of these is that they work well for up to 30 minutes (you don't want to use them for longer than that at any one sitting) and you can put them back in the freezer to be ready to use again in a relatively short time. It beats messing around with ice and standard ice packs from the standpoint of convenience.

(This kind can also be microwaved and used alternately as a heat pad.)

 

[chopps]

im sorry but

where going to have to put you down.

 

[varuscelli]

where going to have to put you down.

Just make it quick. And bury me with my racquets.

 

[varuscelli]

Two-Week Update

For anyone interested...

I met with a physical therapist today at my fitness center and it was interesting. He feels the injury is to the gastrocnemius muscle. My doctor feels it's the plantaris tendon. Probably the only way to know for sure would be to do an MRI, and as I don't have adequate insurance to cover that without having to pay out of pocket, I guess I'll never know for sure. My problem is that I can see both of their points. The way it happened seems to point to plantaris tendon. The pain and symptoms afterward seem to point to gastrocnemius. At this point, the gastrocnemius is what I think it is. At the same time, the physical therapist says I MUST have been pushing off hard for a gastrocnemius tear to occur, and as far as I recall I was only in the “ready to receive serve” position, on my toes, bouncing, but not lunging in any direction. Puzzling.

In either case, even if it is a fairly major tear in the gastrocnemius (which would be more of a problem), it's not to the degree it would require surgery or I'd know by now. If the plantaris tendon actually ruptured, there's nothing to be done but for the body to get over it.

So, at the two week mark, I'm walking fairly well with minor limp. Still can't flex the foot properly without pain, can't negotiate stairs very well, etc., (up stairs is relatively easy, down stairs is difficult) so I'm still betting 6 to 8 weeks until I even consider running around a tennis court again. Still have minor swelling that comes and goes, still have bruising around my feet. As pain diminishes, I'll start slow stretching of the muscles so they heal properly.

So, if anyone out there in the future looks up threads like this one (wondering what the heck happened to their calf after that "pop" on the tennis court), this is where I stand with it. To me, it looks very good so far. Take it slow, let it start to heal before doing anything to put more stress on it, and follow closely with any needed physical therapy (as in the kind I can apply myself with light stretching, whirlpool, etc.). Can't push it too far, but can't afford not to push it a bit or the healing won't be optimal.

 

[varuscelli]

Four Week Update

Ahh, a month after injuring my calf and still no tennis. But I'm getting closer. I'm walking normally now with only an occasional twinge when I step wrong or push off wrong -- or step down when going down stairs (one of my main problem areas).

But, I'm to the point that I can stretch my foot out pretty well and actually do toe rises. I'm working out at the fitness center regularly, but just sort of working around the injury and not pushing that part of my leg too much. It really feels like I might be able to do light tennis practice now, but won't take the chance of all out push offs and running in real games. Just want to make sure it's healed first.

The interesting part to me is still not knowing exactly what the injury was. If it's the gastroc, then I think I have more chance of re-injury if I push it. If I actually ruptured the plantaris tendon completely, then ... well, there's likely nothing to re-injure. If it's gone, it's gone (if my understanding is correct).

And at this point, I've sort of flip-flopped and think it was the plantaris again. Why? Because I was not in the middle of some kind of action that should have resulted in the gastroc "popping" like whatever in my leg did that popped. I was standing, not pushing off or running or lunging. It's a pain not knowing, but it seems to come down to hoping it indeed was the plantaris and that there's nothing left of it to heal except to hear around where it was. That would mean, too, that I won't be able to re-injure it (again, if my thinking is correct based on what I've been told by my doctor and physical therapist). That's one way that it might be seen, anyway.

Oh, yes. And I still do have swelling that comes and goes in the calf and ankle area. Not painful at all, but noticeable compared to my other leg.

I'm sure itching to get out and play.

 

[heycal]

So what finally happens with all this and your return to tennis? How long did it take?

I looked up this thread because this injury happened to me tonight, for the second time in 14 months, but this time to the other calf... I wasn't doing anything particularly strenuous either time. I was still warming up before the match the first time it happened, and serving early in the match the second time (tonight.) Both times it felt like I had been shot or hit in the back of the leg by something and looked behind me to see what it was. You'd have thought the second time around I'd know better, but I still looked behind me to see what it was, and I when I saw nothing there, I immediately knew and went "Oh s*ht..."

At least judging by the first few hours after injury, this one feels a bit worse than last time. I eventually went to the doc for that one, and PT, and was actually back playing tennis and full matches five weeks later and had an excellent recovery all around with no recurrances. We'll see what happens this time...

I've been battling injuries of one sort or another since I returned to the game about 18 months ago at the age of 43, and right now I am so angry and depressed and just want to give up this game forever -- I am constantly hurting daily from one thing or another, yet hate when I can't play too. All around frustrating...

 

[varuscelli]

Hello, heycal...

Jeez, sorry to hear about your injury. From what you say, it's exactly the same thing as happened to me.

I've had a lot of time to think about the injury and as in my last post, I'm 99 percent convinced it was the plantaris. In my case, and in yours likely (in my layman's opinion) it could be a complete rupture of the plantaris. In some ways, that could be seen as good news. Why? Well, it it's complete rupture, from what I understand, it can't happen again to the same leg. Since you've had this occur to both legs, this is likely the last time you'll have to deal with it. Again, that's just my layman's opinion, but I had plenty of time to study this while I was laid up last time (along with my doctor's opinion).

My personal fear (for me) is that I'll have the same thing happen as you did -- that my other leg might be primed to go at any given time and do just as yours did. I know there are certain precautions that can be taken to lessen the likelihood, but then again, if it goes it goes.

For me, I was a solid two month removed from the injury before I felt I could go almost all out on the leg. But by the time I got to that point in my healing, I wasn't getting much chance to get out and play because of my holiday work schedule. (By the time I hit mid-November -- about the time I felt fully healed -- I had, as I always have, so much work that tennis becomes a near impossibility for me, until after the first of the year.)

But that's basically it. With me and with the severity of it, it was two months. I felt much better after two weeks and was walking around normally after a month, but it was two months before I trusted the leg. I'm not sure there was anything really for me to reinjure at that point (if my theory on the full rupture is correct) but still I didn't want to risk anything based on various levels of discomfort.

Again, sorry for your injury, but hang in there. As I said, now that you've done the same thing to both legs, and if it is the plantaris, you might have nothing left to reinjure in the same manner after you heal from this one. So at least there is good new from that standpoint (if you believe at all like I do about the nature of the injury).

And please do keep us posted on the progress. I'd like to know how it goes for you and others could find your reports helpful as well. And you have my ear if you want to talk about it. I feel like I'm right there with you, man (sincerely).

Al

 

[heycal]

Thanks, Al. Appreciate your thoughts and sympathy.

I believe my doctor called it a gastrocimous (sp?) tear or strain last time, what he called "tennis leg". There was never much or any visible bruising or discoloration that I recall, and I never used crutches or anything, just hobbled and moved slowly for a bit. My doc also said these things tend to be nagging injuries, which made me think it would be bothering me on and off forever, but I seemed to have healed completely from it in that leg. (So far anyway. I worried about it for several weeks after returning to play, then finally relaxed and almost forgot about it.) Don't really have an opinion on the complete rupture/never happening again/plantaris v. Gastroc theories.

Worried about this new one injury though, because 6 six hours later, it seems harder to move around than last time and an idea of a walker or crutches sounds pretty helpful at the moment... I sense I'll have a better idea of things in the morning and in the next couple of days, and I'll figure out how to proceed from there.

 

[varuscelli]

I had two experts (one an MD and on a sports therapist, both with lots of sports injury experience) who had opposite opinions of what had happened to me. The MD said plantaris, the sports therapist said gastrocnemius.

But most of what I have read and been told is that if it's the gastroc, there would likely be a hard push-off or something similar involved.

As with you, I was basically just standing there (I was waiting to return serve, and it happened before the guy even served to me). When I told this to the sports therapist, he insisted I must have remembered wrong and that I must have been pushing off to injure the gastroc like I had (or like he though I had). I humored him (not wanting to show disrespect) but I remember vividly the moment it happened. I was awaiting serve in the ready position, but not yet pushing off.

To me, it seems very unlikely that the gastroc could be injured that painfully and significantly while basically just standing there. The plantasis on the other hand can often rupture that way, especially in people who are over (roughly) age 40 and perhaps in a "come back" mode to tennis. My understanding is that significant layoffs can prime you for this sort of injury with the plantaris because it can become much less stretchable (perhaps even "brittle" might be used to describe it) when not used regularly and not accustomed to the motions and extremes that tennis demands.

But there are definitely a few things you need to do the first few days and first couple of weeks (the first few days being critical). The RICE method (rest, ice, compression, elevation). Use crutches or a walker for sure. Keep the leg elevated. Use and ice wrap for 20 minutes or thereabouts several times a day for the first few days. Those are a few of the things I recall (and I'm pretty sure I elaborated on that more in my earlier posts).

But I'll say again that my opinion (layman for sure) is that you're more likely dealing with the plantaris than the gastroc based on your description of the scenario and the sensation you experienced when it happened.

And I'd also advise this: if you see a doctor about it, don't see the same one or you'll likely get the same diagnosis. You might want another opinion on this just to see what someone else might have to say. Couldn't hurt, anway...

 

[heycal]

I had two experts (one an MD and on a sports therapist, both with lots of sports injury experience) who had opposite opinions of what had happened to me. The MD said plantaris, the sports therapist said gastrocnemius.

But most of what I have read and been told is that if it's the gastroc, there would likely be a hard push-off or something similar involved.

As with you, I was basically just standing there (I was waiting to return serve, and it happened before the guy even served to me). When I told this to the sports therapist, he insisted I must have remembered wrong and that I must have been pushing off to injure the gastroc like I had (or like he though I had). I humored him (not wanting to show disrespect) but I remember vividly the moment it happened. I was awaiting serve in the ready position, but not yet pushing off.

To me, it seems very unlikely that the gastroc could be injured that painfully and significantly while basically just standing there. The plantasis on the other hand can often rupture that way, especially in people who are over (roughly) age 40 and perhaps in a "come back" mode to tennis. My understanding is that significant layoffs can prime you for this sort of injury with the plantaris because it can become much less stretchable (perhaps even "brittle" might be used to describe it) when not used regularly and not accustomed to the motions and extremes that tennis demands.

But there are definitely a few things you need to do the first few days and first couple of weeks (the first few days being critical). The RICE method (rest, ice, compression, elevation). Use crutches or a walker for sure. Keep the leg elevated. Use and ice wrap for 20 minutes or thereabouts several times a day for the first few days. Those are a few of the things I recall (and I'm pretty sure I elaborated on that more in my earlier posts).

But I'll say again that my opinion (layman for sure) is that you're more likely dealing with the plantaris than the gastroc based on your description of the scenario and the sensation you experienced when it happened.

And I'd also advise this: if you see a doctor about it, don't see the same one or you'll likely get the same diagnosis. You might want another opinion on this just to see what someone else might have to say. Couldn't hurt, anway...

Haven't decided yet if I'll see a doctor. It just seems so similar to the last time it happened, and I may just follow the same routine if I can recall it... Calf is pretty well swollen today, 16 hours after the injury, but the only real discoloration so far is a small area in the front, on the shin, strangely enough.

Question: Why are so curious as to whether it's gastroc or plantaris? Maybe it's because I haven't read much about all this and have no background in anatomy, but I don't find myself very interested in what exactly the injury might be called or its exact mechanism -- just how long I'm going to be sidelined for. From everything I've read so far, it seems a classic case of "tennis leg", and I guess that's enough of a medical definition for me. Though I am curious if it's a grade I, grade II, or grade III strain. (Hopefully it's not III.) As for exactly HOW it happened this time, I had just served, and one does push off the foot while serving, so I'm guessing that was enough force to do me in. (The first time I think was less forceful than that, but I think I was not just LITERALLY standing there still when it happened. Maybe hitting easy warm up ground strokes or something...)

I notice in your original posts that you said your doctor recommended AGAINST compression of any sort, and based on reading that -- and my own gut instinct that compression (which I've never really understood the benefit of, anyway) is not needed. Let the the leg "breath" I'm thinking.

So, 1 day after injury, I am... icing, elevating, popped a couple of advil because it was hurting too much, and crying because I know I can't play tennis for weeks and weeks and have to go through all this rehab again and generally hobble around for a few weeks. Ugh...

 

[varuscelli]

but the only real discoloration so far is a small area in the front, on the shin, strangely enough.

The discoloration will likely take place over several days and can even last several weeks. Watch for a bruising appearance at the bottom part of your foot as time passes and as blood starts to pool in the foot. Likely, that will start a happening soon.

Question: Why are so curious as to whether it's gastroc or plantaris? Maybe it's because I haven't read much about all this and have no background in anatomy, but I don't find myself very interested in what exactly the injury might be called or its exact mechanism -- just how long I'm going to be sidelined for. From everything I've read so far, it seems a classic case of "tennis leg", and I guess that's enough of a medical definition for me. Though I am curious if it's a grade I, grade II, or grade III strain. (Hopefully it's not III.)

The main difference will be in the proper physical therapy steps you need to take in order for the injury to heal as well as it can heal. If the plantaris fully ruptured, the leg has to heal but the plantaris won't be coming back into play any longer. If it's gone, it's gone (as I understand it) so there would be no rehabbing it to get it back to performing as it once did. If it's the gastroc and it has torn, then you have to make sure as it heals that you take the right physical therapy steps to make sure it doesn't heal in a shortened stated that lacks in full flexibility. You have to make sure you start stretching the muscle as time and healing (level of pain/discomfort) allow. Warm the muscle (for instance, in a hot tub or bath), then stretch it. That process might start as soon as a couple of weeks after the injury, depending on the severity. But as I understand it, most of the healing process is the same. For the plantaris, though, if it's gone and you won't be using it again, you're not going to try and rehab it if you know what I mean. But if it's the gastroc and you don't take proper steps to make sure it heals with good flexibility retained, it can cause more problems later and be more prone to reinjury.

Again, that's just my understanding of it. To me, there seems to be quite a big difference in what you can do for a gastroc injury as opposed to what you can do for a plantaris injury in the long run.

Actually, I think to determine properly whether it is one or the other, you'd need to have an MRI run. Without that, it's likely just guesswork on the part of any doctor or other individual.

As to type I, II, or III, if it were a type III (for gastroc) you'd likely be in so much pain and have so much swelling and no ability to move the foot at all that you'd probably already have gone to an emergency room. If you can flex the foot a bit, you'd be looking (I think) at a type I or II injury -- and that's if it's the gastroc. If it's a type III, surgery is needed to repair it and your foot would be basically in a condition that you couldn't move or flex it of your own accord. I don't know that they actually use those categories for severity when in comes to categorizing plantaris injuries (but I don't know that for sure). I assume you can do anything from straining a plantaris to rupturing it completely. My guess it that if there's a plantaris pop so loud and strong that you think you've been struck (like we both did) that it's more likely a rupture.

I notice in your original posts that you said your doctor recommended AGAINST compression of any sort, and based on reading that -- and my own gut instinct that compression (which I've never really understood the benefit of, anyway) is not needed. Let the the leg "breath" I'm thinking.

Yeah, my doc was not in favor of compression but the sports therapist was. I think most experts favor it, but it seems somewhat of a coin flip. I don't really have a good opinion on that one.

And again, anything I've written in the last couple of responses is just my layman's opinion. I studied the matter, talked to quite a few people, read what I could and absorbed. But whether my analysis is on target is not guaranteed. Just somewhat educated opinions based on my own research and some medical feedback as I interpreted it (and as I'm remembering it).

 

[heycal]

So did you end up wearing a compression or ace bandage type of thing after a few days or not ultimately? (I don't remember either the doc or the PT telling me to wear one the first time around, but I have some relatives over at the moment telling me to do so.)

In terms of swelling and bruising and discoloration, what do you think would be a good sign for the future and length of recovery and what would be a bad sign for the future as I monitor my leg in the coming days? Is there even a relationship between those two things? As mentioned, I don't remember any real discolorization last time this happened, and I was fully recovered in 5 weeks and pretty pleased by that. But I remember my brother doing something similar many years ago and his calf was so black and blue it was practically scary to look at it, and he was out for quite awhile...

 

[varuscelli]

So did you end up wearing a compression or ace bandage type of thing after a few days or not ultimately?

I wore it for a couple of days and then gave it up. I found it somewhat uncomfortable and it just seemed to push the swelling elsewhere higher up my leg above the bandage line. Since I hadn't gotten a solid feeling of whether I needed to (or should) wear it, I finally just gave it up. I also found it more convenient to ice my calf often if I was not wearing the compression bandage.

Funny thing was that even after I was able to comfortably put a sock on my foot, if I wore the sock for more than a couple of hours, there would be a clear line of swelling above the sock. I could run my finger up and down my calf and actually feel the swelling line where it began at the top of where the sock had been. Strange feeling...

In terms of swelling and bruising and discoloration, what do you think would be a good sign for the future and length of recovery and what would be a bad sign for the future as I monitor my leg in the coming days? Is there even a relationship between those two things? As mentioned, I don't remember any real discolorization last time this happened, and I was fully recovered in 5 weeks and pretty pleased by that. But I remember my brother doing something similar many years ago and his calf was so black and blue it was practically scary to look at it, and he was out for quite awhile...

Sorry, don't think I can help with an opinion on the swelling/discoloration. That's probably going to vary somewhat from person to person, how their own body reacts, the severity of the injury, the exact nature of the injury (again, plantaris versus gastroc), etc.

Another thing to consider with yours might be whether both of the injuries are the same. Maybe one was the gastroc and one was the plantaris. I mean, it's within the realm of possibilities. And doesn't that just muddy things up? I probably shouldn't even be saying it. But I suppose the possibilities exist that both injuries could have been gastroc, both could have been plantaris, or you could have experienced one of each. (Again, without an MRI for verifications...who knows?)

 

[heycal]

I wore it for a couple of days and then gave it up. I found it somewhat uncomfortable and it just seemed to push the swelling elsewhere higher up my leg above the bandage line. Since I hadn't gotten a solid feeling of whether I needed to (or should) wear it, I finally just gave it up. I also found it more convenient to ice my calf often if I was not wearing the compression bandage.

Funny thing was that even after I was able to comfortably put a sock on my foot, if I wore the sock for more than a couple of hours, there would be a clear line of swelling above the sock. I could run my finger up and down my calf and actually feel the swelling line where it began at the top of where the sock had been. Strange feeling...



Sorry, don't think I can help with an opinion on the swelling/discoloration. That's probably going to vary somewhat from person to person, how their own body reacts, the severity of the injury, the exact nature of the injury (again, plantaris versus gastroc), etc.

Another thing to consider with yours might be whether both of the injuries are the same. Maybe one was the gastroc and one was the plantaris. I mean, it's within the realm of possibilities. And doesn't that just muddy things up? I probably shouldn't even be saying it. But I suppose the possibilities exist that both injuries could have been gastroc, both could have been plantaris, or you could have experienced one of each. (Again, without an MRI for verifications...who knows?)

Your experiences with compression seem along the lines of what my instinct is on this -- not crucial, and possibly counterproductive, not to mention inconvenient for icing, but if I see a doctor I'll certainly ask about it. But I had no trouble putting on a sock today and have been wearing it for hours now. It didn't even occur to me that that could be a problem area. Hmm.

As for the swelling and discolorization, we'll see how things look in the coming days. I'm hoping less color equals quicker recovery. I must say though, a large part of the calf seems to be swollen and painful, not just one little point where it was torn or anything, so I hope that's just a normal generalized sensation.

Can't be sure it is the same injury as last time, but it sure seemed similar, as if someone had shot me in the back of the leg both times. (I think a sniper is stalking me!) The only difference is that this time it seemed like he used a slightly higher caliber gun.

 

[varuscelli]

On the sock thing, that was more of an observation. I wasn't concerned about the swelling above it when I wore one, but found it interesting. I felt no extra discomfort or anything and I don't thinking it was causing any problems. The sock just seemed to serve as a very lightweight compression bandage in its own right.

An on the swelling in general, I was pretty amazed at how much swelling I got and how long it persisted. With me, the entire calf, ankle, foot, and toes all swelled. My toes got so swollen that if I placed my bare foot on the floor, the toes kind of stuck straight out and didn't actually curl and touch the floor anymore. My ankle looked as though I had actually twisted it badly, it was so swollen. But despite the swelling, there was no real pain in my toes, foot or ankle. Pain was in the calf/lower leg only (especially if I tried to flex the foot at all or if I accidentally put weight toward my toes when standing).

 

[heycal]

Hey, Al -

Checking in, almost 96 hours after my injury. The pain and swelling seem about the same as it did the first day or two -- no more, no less -- but now the leg is really starting to dis-color in both front and back. I've been pretty much bed-ridden since it happened. (The leg mostly only hurts when I stand or walk on it, not so much just lying around, and I've yet to get myself some crutches or a walker.) I've decided to continue icing and elevating today even though more than 72 hours have passed since the injury because, well, because I guess it can't hurt... (I'm pretty certain this injury is worse than the previous calf tear on the other leg, so if I was out 5 weeks with that one, I'm guessing 6-8 weeks here.)

I'm reluctant to go to the doctor, because A) I don't want to have to physically transport myself there somehow, and B) I have a strong hunch he's going to do little more than look at the calf for five seconds and then say "Yup. You tore a muscle. Lay off it for awhile and and start PT/stretching and strengthening when able. That'll be a 150 bucks, please."

Any thoughts?

 

[varuscelli]

Ugh...sounds like you're having no fun at all. Your description puts me right back there. :-(

When I hurt my leg, I called a couple of the second-hand shops locally and found that you can get crutches from those places (at least around here) for $5 to $10 for a pair. I found a place that had a bunch of sets of crutches and a walker and my wife picked me up BOTH the crutches and the walker for $20 total (ha, and both were like new). I wasn't sure which I'd need, so I had her go ahead and get both since it was pretty convenient (and inexpensive) to do so.

At my house, we have a lot of laminate flooring (Pergo style) so it was actually the walker that I used most at first. It was easy for me to get around the house that way since I could sort of slide the walker and not have to pick it up all the time. But if I had carpet to go over, I'd probably have opted for using the crutches. All in all, I ended up using both somewhat frequently that first couple of weeks, though. (With both, there was always something nearby and I wasn't as tempted to just try and walk through it.)

In any case, I strongly advise getting one or the other so you can keep from hurting the leg further and slowing down the healing process. I found it was pretty dang easy to tweak the injury even with the slightest misstep. Call around, find some used crutches or walker (again, "used" being a really inexpensive way to go as opposed to buying them new) and if you've got someone who can pick them up for you, have them do it. I really do think that for the first couple of weeks it will do you a lot of good. You likely won't need them much beyond that, but at first you sure don't want to chance any extra weight going down on that foot.

 

[varuscelli]

PS,

The other thing I had a big problem with was that I have such a hard time staying in one place for long. I get antsy and want to move around, so I'm pretty sure I set myself up on many occasions putting extra stress on the leg that I wouldn't have if I would have stayed put. Luckily for me, I do a lot of work via my PC, so I was able to station myself there for long stretches and actually work without getting up. But personally, I think I overdid it with a bunch of extra getting up and doing things I probably shouldn't have.

 

[heycal]

I guess I'll look into getting some crutches or a walker. Man, this sucks... I'm still adjusting to the fact that this injury is clearly much worse than the previous time, where I never even thought of crutches and was not bed ridden for several days.

But I sure do remember tweaking the calf from time to time from missteps or overdoing it the first time around. I vividly remember stepping on a curb the wrong way a few weeks after the injury and experiencing about twice as much pain in my calf as the original injury caused.

 

[varuscelli]

I'm still adjusting to the fact that this injury is clearly much worse than the previous time, where I never even thought of crutches and was not bed ridden for several days.

Yeah, it's kind of funny (well, not really funny but more ironic). When I was first trying to figure out what I did with my leg and was doing reading and research, I kept reading a lot of related threads where people would say something like, "Yeah, I did exactly the same thing to my leg but was out playing again in three weeks." It seemed pretty obvious to me that what they had happened to their leg and what had happened to mine were two different things in terms of severity.

Kind of like comparing a hairline fracture in a bone to a compound fracture. They might both be called "broken" bones, but there's a heck of a lot of difference in the two.

Glad you're talking about it here, though, heycal (even though going through it sucks). I think when others need to read about this kind of thing, we'll be giving them a bit more to go on in terms of in terms of "us" being those "others" who have gone through the same thing.

 

[heycal]

Yeah, it's kind of funny (well, not really funny but more ironic). When I was first trying to figure out what I did with my leg and was doing reading and research, I kept reading a lot of related threads where people would say something like, "Yeah, I did exactly the same thing to my leg but was out playing again in three weeks." It seemed pretty obvious to me that what they had happened to their leg and what had happened to mine were two different things in terms of severity.

Kind of like comparing a hairline fracture in a bone to a compound fracture. They might both be called "broken" bones, but there's a heck of a lot of difference in the two.

Yeah, my friend was telling me that the same thing happened to another friend of hers this fall, and "she was back on the court five days later, but in retrospect thought she came back a little soon." Five days?! I'll be lucky if I'm back in five weeks. Clearly, that woman experienced a grade I injury, while you and me are certainly grade II types, and perhaps my first injury was somewhere in-between I and II.

What do you think of my decision not to go to a doctor? I'm really thinking it would be pretty pointless and not worth the time/expense.

 

[varuscelli]

What do you think of my decision not to go to a doctor? I'm really thinking it would be pretty pointless and not worth the time/expense.

Personally, I think your decision is just fine (up to each person, of course). I ended up calling my doctor and going in, but even he just said the only reason he really wanted to see me was to make sure the injury was not more serious. Since I wasn't getting what might be termed "excessive" swelling and since I could still move my foot, there wasn't really anything he could do other than to recommend how to treat it. And that part, I think you've already got a pretty good handle on.

If I had a recurrence of the same injury, I'd probably opt out of going to the doctor myself (as long as it was no worse than the first time around for me -- which in itself was bad enough, to be sure, but not needing surgery or hospitalization or anything). It's easier for me to say that now than when it first happened, since at that time I had no real frame of reference and it DID hurt like heck. No fun, but no real danger as long as I respected the injury and treated it in the best way I could.

 

[heycal]

I feel the same way. The first time it happened, I didn't know what I was dealing with and off to the doctor I went. His exam lasted about 30 seconds before diagnosing "tennis leg", writing a prescription for painkillers, and recommending PT. Now that I'm on my second time around, if a bit worse this time, I don't see what the doctor can do for me or what he can tell me that I don't already know. I'll probably skip the PT sessions too and do that myself as well.

 

[Bjorn99]

Gimme your emails and I will send you the exercises to prevent you from doing this again. Calf injuries are the WORST. Lingering, annoying and RECURRING.

 

[heycal]

Gimme your emails and I will send you the exercises to prevent you from doing this again. Calf injuries are the WORST. Lingering, annoying and RECURRING.

okay, thanks. You can contact me at ctp071@yahoo.com.

 

[varuscelli]

Gimme your emails and I will send you the exercises to prevent you from doing this again. Calf injuries are the WORST. Lingering, annoying and RECURRING.

Cool. I'm all for adding to my arsenal of preventives...

Al

vruscelli@houston.rr.com

 

[varuscelli]

heycal,

Here is a link to one of the better short articles (Injuries to the Medial Calf) on "tennis leg," although they don't do a very good job of comparing injuries of the gastroc to injuries involving the plantaris (except for the plantaris being listed under "Other Problems to Be Considered"). But there's a lot of good info in about a 5-minute read.

http://www.emedicine.com/SPORTS/topic157.htm

One of the big points of this article, though (and the one that in my case leads me to believe that I'm personally dealing with the plantaris and not the gastroc) is the description of the way the gastroc injury normally occurs:

"One reason for the prevalence is the mechanism that occurs on the back leg during a lunging shot, where the knee is extended while the foot is dorsiflexed. This puts maximal tension on the gastrocnemius as the lengthened muscle is contracted at the "push off", and thus, the injury occurs."

Again, with me there was no such push-off or lunge. Just light "readiness" on my toes waiting for my opponent's serve, with a bit of swaying my weight from left to right leg like you might normally do when waiting to return a serve. I don't really believe the "force" I put on my legs by being in the ready position would be comparable to what would usually be needed to result in a gastroc injury. (I could be wrong, but the lack of push-off has always bothered me in terms of matching it up to a gastroc injury.)

Too bad this article doesn't go into more detail about plantaris injuries and what scenarios might lead to them, but it does describe them (in terms of symptoms) as being very close to the same as gastroc injuries.

Thought you might find this one of interest -- while you have time for a bit of light reading, that is...

 

[Bjorn99]

Thanks for your faith guys. I just got home, I will send the exercises tomorrow. Its a new beginning for both of you.

 

[heycal]

heycal,

Here is a link to one of the better short articles (Injuries to the Medial Calf) on "tennis leg," although they don't do a very good job of comparing injuries of the gastroc to injuries involving the plantaris (except for the plantaris being listed under "Other Problems to Be Considered"). But there's a lot of good info in about a 5-minute read.

http://www.emedicine.com/SPORTS/topic157.htm

One of the big points of this article, though (and the one that in my case leads me to believe that I'm personally dealing with the plantaris and not the gastroc) is the description of the way the gastroc injury normally occurs:

"One reason for the prevalence is the mechanism that occurs on the back leg during a lunging shot, where the knee is extended while the foot is dorsiflexed. This puts maximal tension on the gastrocnemius as the lengthened muscle is contracted at the "push off", and thus, the injury occurs."

Again, with me there was no such push-off or lunge. Just light "readiness" on my toes waiting for my opponent's serve, with a bit of swaying my weight from left to right leg like you might normally do when waiting to return a serve. I don't really believe the "force" I put on my legs by being in the ready position would be comparable to what would usually be needed to result in a gastroc injury. (I could be wrong, but the lack of push-off has always bothered me in terms of matching it up to a gastroc injury.)

Too bad this article doesn't go into more detail about plantaris injuries and what scenarios might lead to them, but it does describe them (in terms of symptoms) as being very close to the same as gastroc injuries.

Thought you might find this one of interest -- while you have time for a bit of light reading, that is...

Thanks for the link. Interesting article.

I tend to side with your sports therapist, Al, and believe you did misremember what happened -- or more specifically, the extent of movement actually involved in your injury. If we compare your vulnerable calf to a rubber band stretched to the limit, it's very believable to me that even the slight rocking or swaying motion involved in waiting to return serve would be enough force to make that rubber band snap. It's like the straw that broke the camel's back -- event the slightest bit of force can be too much if the conditions for disaster are present.

that's Dr. Heycal's take on it anyway -- Gastroc strain, grade II, for Al. And me.

 

[heycal]

duplicate post.

 

[varuscelli]

Thanks for the link. Interesting article.

I tend to side with your sports therapist, Al, and believe you did misremember what happened -- or more specifically, the extent of movement actually involved in your injury. If we compare your vulnerable calf to a rubber band stretched to the limit, it's very believable to me that even the slight rocking or swaying motion involved in waiting to return serve would be enough force to make that rubber band snap, that there was enough of a "push off" even in that minor activity to do you in. It's like the straw that broke the camel's back -- event the slightest bit of force can be too much if the conditions for disaster are present.

that's Dr. Heycal's take on it anyway -- Gastroc strain, grade II, for Al. And me.

Nah, not with mine. Even the sports therapist said I must have been pushing off hard to get the extent of injury I had (if it was the gastroc). That just wasn't the case.

Not that it matters much (what's done is done, no matter how it happened), but my own study of the situation (and study of similar situations as experienced by others), and knowing what I felt and what I was doing at the time, leads me to certain conclusions about what's likely and unlikely in my situation. What seems unlikely (and in this, both the doctor and sports therapist seem to agree) is that I could have injured the gastroc that severely without some kind of hard push-off. Without the hard push-off, it seems more likely that the plantaris ruptured. That apparently can happen without necessariy involving as hard a push as would the gastroc.

 

[heycal]

Nah, not with mine. Even the sports therapist said I must have been pushing off hard to get the extent of injury I had (if it was the gastroc). That just wasn't the case.

Not that it matters much (what's done is done, no matter how it happened), but my own study of the situation (and study of similar situations as experienced by others), and knowing what I felt and what I was doing at the time, leads me to certain conclusions about what's likely and unlikely in my situation. What seems unlikely (and in this, both the doctor and sports therapist seem to agree) is that I could have injured the gastroc that severely without some kind of hard push-off. Without the hard push-off, it seems more likely that the plantaris ruptured. That apparently can happen without necessariy involving as hard a push as would the gastroc.

I'm sticking with my diagnosis for you, Al: Gastroc strain, grade II. I'm concentrating on the symptoms you have presented us with among other factors, not your subjective views on how hard you were pushing off at the time of injury. I wasn't pushing off all that forcefully either time I was injured, so if your gastroc strain is actually a plantaris rupture, then MY gastroc strain(s) is a plantaris rupture too, and all hell has broken loose!

What was it again -- your MD said plantaris and the sports med guy said gastroc?

 

[varuscelli]

Sorry, heycal, but as qualified as you might be, I'll take my own doctor's assessment.

Early on, I disagreed with him (leaning more toward what the therapist suggested), but after taking a hard look at the circumstances I came to realize that my doctor was most likely correct. (Without an MRI, you'll never be sure in these cases, unless it's a type III gastroc injury, in which case the evidence should be somewhat overwhelmingly obvious.)

If you're worried about your injury possibly being plantaris-related, it's not that big a deal. Do some research on it. Healing time frame will be just about the same as a gastroc injury, but the plantaris is NOT critical in the long run. If the plantaris snaps, it retreats toward both anchored ends like a broken kite string. It won't mend again (so long-term physical therapy is not that much of an issue), but its absence (after the initial pain and healing process) will likely never be noticed.

If you're dealing with a gastroc injury, there are many more concerns in the area of making sure it heals correctly. You HAVE TO be conscientious in attending to it, warming and stretching it regularly as it heals (and stretching it using the correct methodology so you don't damage it further or prevent it from healing correctly). You don't treat it right and it can heal in a shortened state, not give you the full range of mobility, and be more prone to future reinjury.

All in all, given the severity, I'd rather have it be the plantaris. If the plantaris snaps, you deal with the healing process once. With the gastroc, you might face recurrence after recurrence. If your case, given the how hobbled you are currently, you might want to hope for it being the plantaris.

Again, my layman's assessment -- but based on a lot of research, evidence, and consultations with more than one professional.

 

[heycal]

At this point, about the only thing I can say for sure is that this calf injury seems twice as bad as the other one was. The first time there was never this discoloring, never this complete crippling effect. Heck, the first time it happened, I actually stopped into a sporting good store on the way home from my match to pick up something and hobbled in and out of there no problem. Now I'll consider myself lucky if I can go shopping sometime in in late march...

Plantaris, gastroc, appendix. Whatever it is, this is really sucking....

 

[varuscelli]

At this point, I can't remember if I wrote about this or not (and being lazy enough not to want to reread all of the thread), but...

When this first happened to me, I actually had to be helped off the court to one of the benches. I couldn't set my foot down or put any weight on it at all without bad pain. Couldn't even limp off the court.

When I finally got the the point that I was ready to leave the courts (the tennis pro there had someone bring out a bag of ice, so I spent 20-30 minutes or so just sitting there and icing the leg before leaving), I was basically "carried" off the courts by the pro and one of the fitness center trainers (one on either side, my arms over their shoulders). They didn't want me taking any chances, and putting the foot down at all was so painful that I didn't want to argue with them.

I found over the next day or so that I COULD walk (sort of), if I put my foot down on the heel only (no weight, not even the tiniest bit toward the toes). And even the "heel only" thing was difficult. For the first few days, it hurt just to sit there, let alone doing anything where the leg had to come into play.

But yeah, that night, it was all I could do to get home, even with help. Luckily I was able to call my wife and she picked me up (after the fitness center guys basically "carried" me to her car). I likely could have driven myself home (since I had injured my left leg) -- but if it had been the right leg, there's no way I could have used the car's brake and accelerator.

Don't know if any of these notes help, from a comparative standpoint, but those are some of my further recollections.