Calf injury

[yadda]

Perplexing calf injury:
on 9-30-09 I strained a calf muscle in my right leg. It recuperated pretty fast. (I played a racquetball tournament 3 days later and played 6 matches in 24 hrs.) Light strain...

On 11-3-09 my calf muscle in my *left* leg is strained....BAD I could not place my foot for at least 10 days. Was I unbalanced for 6 weeks??? Did I cause extra stress on my left leg??? Anybody know some good stretching exercises for racquetball???
I have been playing pretty consistently for 2 years now (45 yrs old) at least 2x a week. Am I just not stretching enough and my age caught up with me???

I felt good and decided to play 11-19-09. 20 minutes in another light strain on my left leg. I was just back pedaling. No pressure. I will say that after my first injury I have been doing a lot of stretching...

I am so frustrated....

 

[surfsatwerk]

I did the same thing to my left calf a couple weeks ago. Any type of muscle/tendon strain for me is a total bitch and takes a few months of patience work before I feel 100% again.

All I can suggest is wrap it up with an ace bandage when you work out to keep it warm so you aren't as likely to re-injure it.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

You need to re-condition it before you try to go back to your old intensity. I would suggest looking up myofascial release and trying that on your calf. On top of that, stretching should help. To be perfectly honest, you could see a physical therapist that would give you a list of exercises and stretches that would help you. That'd probably be the easiest and the most thorough way of doing things. You'd also get a professional opinion on your injury.

 

[eits]

you stretch? pfft... well, there's your problem.

stop stretching. you'll be just fine. instead, skip for about 20 yards, jog back, high-knee about 20 yards, jog back, can-can kick about 20 yards, jog back, run 20 yards, jog back, run backwards 20 yards, light sprint back.

also, if you were taking any painkillers/nsaids/steroids prior to playing, stop.

also, whenever you get done playing, immediately walk about a half mile or so. no stretching.

edit: how old are you? do you smoke? what's your diet like? are you taking any medications? ever have a history of blood clots?

 

[32fear]

You may also want to look into a compression sock like Oxysox or Sugoi makes one as well. They help to keep better blood flow in the calves and reduce residual affects of fatigue and tightness. You'll think they're dorky at first, but you'll become convinced after using them.

 

[yadda]

you stretch? pfft... well, there's your problem.

stop stretching. you'll be just fine. instead, skip for about 20 yards, jog back, high-knee about 20 yards, jog back, can-can kick about 20 yards, jog back, run 20 yards, jog back, run backwards 20 yards, light sprint back.

also, if you were taking any painkillers/nsaids/steroids prior to playing, stop.

also, whenever you get done playing, immediately walk about a half mile or so. no stretching.

edit: how old are you? do you smoke? what's your diet like? are you taking any medications? ever have a history of blood clots?

I take no painkillers or roids. I am 45 yrs old. I have never smoked. I stick to a high fiber/low fat diet. I have been doing that consistently for about 3 yrs. I took my BMI from 14 down to 8% in that time. I am 5'11" 155lbs.

I eat at least 6-8 bananas a week and a lot of foods with nuts. As a matter of fact in my desk at work the food I have:

Beef jerky
sunflower seeds ( unsalted)
wasabe almonds
raisins

My normal lunch is a peanut butter sandwich ( natural PB and whole grain bread), fiber crackers, some fruit and a fiber bar. Is it just my 45 yr old age catching up with me???

I am just afraid to start playing again and REINJURE......I guess life is a gamble.... lol

I have never been so frustrated....

 

[eits]

I take no painkillers or roids. I am 45 yrs old. I have never smoked. I stick to a high fiber/low fat diet. I have been doing that consistently for about 3 yrs. I took my BMI from 14 down to 8% in that time. I am 5'11" 155lbs.

I eat at least 6-8 bananas a week and a lot of foods with nuts. As a matter of fact in my desk at work the food I have:

Beef jerky
sunflower seeds ( unsalted)
wasabe almonds
raisins

My normal lunch is a peanut butter sandwich ( natural PB and whole grain bread), fiber crackers, some fruit and a fiber bar. Is it just my 45 yr old age catching up with me???

I am just afraid to start playing again and REINJURE......I guess life is a gamble.... lol

I have never been so frustrated....

yeah, you're fine. just don't stretch it. do the warm-ups i stated in my previous post and do the cooldown afterwards. you should be fine. if you feel a little soreness afterwards, ice massage your calves for about a good 5-10 minutes. if it starts to feel numb, you did it for too long.

 

[yadda]

I have just started taking mulitvitamins and potassium. I figure it cant hurt...

 

[eits]

I have just started taking mulitvitamins and potassium. I figure it cant hurt...

*shrug* i'm not sure what you're hoping for with it, but it's not like it'll hurt... i just don't think it'll help either (as it pertains to your calf).

 

[Unmoosical]

I don't know about the injury but how's the tourney go? What events/skill levels do you play at? I'm a B player in Florida looking forward to going to some tournaments again in the new year since I finally found a job.

 

[yadda]

I don't know about the injury but how's the tourney go? What events/skill levels do you play at? I'm a B player in Florida looking forward to going to some tournaments again in the new year since I finally found a job.

This was only my 2nd tournament. I played in C and B/C 40+. I won consolation C with a bum calf muscle. That felt good. I only play a few a year and I have just started playing in leagues at the local YMCA. These calf strains have me on sidelien until at least the first of the year. I need to TRY and let them heal.

 

[yadda]

*shrug* i'm not sure what you're hoping for with it, but it's not like it'll hurt... i just don't think it'll help either (as it pertains to your calf).

Definitely not expecting it to get rid of pain but *only* to reduce the likelihood of strainign again.

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