Pop. You’re running after your toddler, trying to get him or her ready for bath time, when you feel a pop in her calf. You can walk, but it is very painful.
The most common injury is a strain of the calf muscle. The muscle is strained, or partially torn, because it gets suddenly stretched beyond what it can handle. This type of injury is more likely to happen when the muscle does not have good flexibility and is not warmed up properly.
A calf muscle strain was nicknamed “tennis leg” in 1883. Lawn tennis, a popular activity at the time, was responsible for many injuries. Tennis leg still happens frequently now. It can occur in sports that require sudden changes in direction, like soccer, basketball, or running after a toddler.
Calf pain may be due to other issues as well, such as a tear of the Achilles tendon or a blood clot (aka deep venous thrombosis or DVT). If you have pain in your calf, it’s best to have it evaluated by a medical professional. Either see your primary care physician or us at Central Montgomery Orthopedics.