Sport And Muscle Injury Calf Injury Symptomatology

By Cristiano Antonino Last updated Jun 1, 2023

Let’s talk about muscle injury: the calf is the anatomical area most frequently involved in muscle injuries during sports practice, even at amateur level

This is because the triceps suralis, composed of the medial and lateral twins and the soleus, is one of the muscle complexes most frequently involved in loaded sports activities.

In particular, in movements that require changes of direction it performs eccentric work (contraction of the muscle during a stretch) that is at high risk of causing an injury.

It is mainly movements related to sporting activities such as football, tennis, running, middle-distance running and athletics that cause calf injuries.

Muscle injury: the symptoms

Muscle injuries can have three different degrees of severity, depending on the amount of muscle fibres that have been injured in the injury (the third degree is what we commonly know as a ‘tear’).

The athlete feels an acute stabbing pain during acceleration or during a change of direction.

After the acute event, palpation of the muscle is painful as well as active contraction and passive stretching.

Symptomatology and functional impotence are usually proportional to the extent of the structural damage.

In a first degree injury the athlete feels pain when walking or running and the sensation of not being able to continue without risking worsening the condition.

In a third-degree injury, the athlete is unable to walk and usually has to be escorted off the playing field by rescuers.

In addition to structural injuries, there is also what we might call a ‘grade zero’ injury, in which the muscle has been stressed to the limit of its mechanical resistance and reacts with a more or less painful spasm or contracture without, however, any damage to the muscle fibres that can be detected by instrumental tests.

This type of problem is usually associated with a pain in the calf that arises slowly with the passage of sporting activity.

Of an even different nature is cramp-like pain (calf cramp), which, on the other hand, is very often associated with electrolyte deficiency, dehydration, muscle fatigue, and usually resolves itself by performing stretching exercises and stopping sporting activity.

How to diagnose a muscle injury

Muscle injury is diagnosed by the orthopaedic specialist or physiatrist or sports physician, by collecting information reported by the patient, which will concern the type of pain felt, the activity performed and the movements carried out at the time of the injury.

Fundamental to the diagnostic process is also the objective test, during which the calf will be examined, assessing for example the extent of swelling and possible bruising, pain on active contraction and passive stretching of the muscle.

To complete the diagnosis, the patient will then undergo ultrasound 48-72 hours after the acute event or any other second-level instrumental tests such as MRI.

How to treat a muscle injury

If you have a muscle injury, you should stop exercising until the injury is resolved.

In the first 72 hours immediately following the injury, it is useful to reduce pain and swelling by applying ice and a compression bandage on the affected area; following the examination and possible instrumental test, once the diagnosis has been made, the specialist will indicate the duration of the physiotherapy course required for sports recovery.

The latter is essential to avoid the risk of new injuries because it allows the athlete to strengthen and increase the elasticity of the muscle, preparing it for sporting stress.

The recovery time is related to the extent of the injury and the adequacy of the rehabilitation course.

It is usually possible to return to sport after about 20-25 days for a first-degree injury, 45-50 days for a second-degree injury, and it can take up to three months for a third-degree injury.

How to avoid injuries

Two things are essential to avoid injuries: prevention and safety.

When engaging in a sporting activity, it is important that the place and the ground where it takes place are suitable.

Also fundamental is the choice of shoes, which will be different depending on the chosen sport.

Before each workout, then, time must be spent warming up, with stretching and strength exercises aimed at mobilising the joints and activating the muscular structure.

Lastly, if you are overweight, you should reduce your body weight and, in general, engage in unloading activities, including cycling, swimming and gym exercises recommended by a professional trainer, before carrying out weight-bearing activities.

Those who practise sport should also follow a balanced diet.

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