Tell me your calf tear/strain recovery story

I think that’s a good point on not needing to 100% pain free as you work through recovery.

I know this is not what you're looking for but I used to get calf strains all the time. It got to the point where I even had a clearly defined recovery routine. A few days full rest, a few days jogging alternating with walking, then just jogging, then you can finally get back to full workouts after maybe two weeks.

Anyway, I dealt with this for years. Eventually I would do my routine and could run, do workouts, and race but the achiness would never go away.

My last competitive season I literally spent the whole season, from summer base training to spring track, managing constant calf soreness while still being a full time runner.

Eventually I stopped recovering. Somewhere around probably the 25th calf strain I ever had I stopped being able to recover from it and that was the end of my running career. My calves get sore after 1 mile in 10 minutes now and will feel like they are on the edge of a strain after 2 miles.

I'm grateful for the competitive seasons I had, and I wouldn't trade those, but looking back I wish I'd managed it better so I didn't have to give it up. I wanted to be one of those old guys hanging with the young bucks even into my 40's and 50's. Running fast is fun as hell.

Anyway, let it be a word of caution to you.

Rehab it correctly otherwise more severe injuries can result.

A few years back, I tore partially tore mine in late August and wasn’t cleared to run until late December. My calf tightness came on suddenly during a run and I felt a pop a few days later just walking around the house. I could walk pain free after a few weeks but still had some pain doing PT exercises for months. My PT had me doing a lot of hip/glute work, calf raises, and balance exercises. I progressed to jumping/hopping and had to be able to do a series of one-legged hops in multiple directions fairly equally on both legs before I was cleared to run. I started with a very conservative walk/run program and have had no issue since. Dry needling helped a lot as I returned to running. My PT though my injury was caused by weak hips so I’ve tried to stay diligent with strength training and core work.

I’m sorry this happened. I’m not sure how you were able to jump back in after two weeks...I’m at almost 3 and in no way ready. I’m not interested in turning this into a lifelong thing and will take it slow. Fortunately I’m no college star or elite, just a local hobby jogger.

I had hip surgery last fall so 100% agree to this being a hip weakness issue. That’s a loooong recovery. I really hope I’m not out that long. I spent a ton of time building hip and glute strength already but I think my post op buildup was too aggressive in terms of adding speed and racing. I was also not doing any calf strengthening. I am now though!

Stay off it, I had a calf strain mid-April, athletic trainer said it was ok to run on...developed into a weirdly located tibial stress fracture up under my knee. Took most of the summer just aquajogging but the calf was destroyed when I started trying to run again bc of the amount of scar tissue and atrophy. I went to PT and it gradually improved, though I had lots of inflammation and bursitis in my knee and getting back into shape had me puking A LOT. By the end of xc season it was good and 3 years later haven’t had problem since!! Run in hokas

calfok wrote:

Stay off it, I had a calf strain mid-April, athletic trainer said it was ok to run on...developed into a weirdly located tibial stress fracture up under my knee. Took most of the summer just aquajogging but the calf was destroyed when I started trying to run again bc of the amount of scar tissue and atrophy. I went to PT and it gradually improved, though I had lots of inflammation and bursitis in my knee and getting back into shape had me puking A LOT. By the end of xc season it was good and 3 years later haven’t had problem since!! Run in hokas

Weird. My pt also said ok to run through and then I couldn’t. I’ve been worried about bone as I have a very tender spot at the top of my tibia but doc said too high to be stress fracture. Even though it feels like one...he said they dont happen that close to the knee. I’m not convinced.

Following up here for posterity. After repeated calls to ortho doc requesting imaging or at least a follow up appointment, and being told to just continue heel raises and anti inflammatory meds and “give it more time”, I went for a 2nd opinion this week. It’s been 9 weeks from initial shutdown of running but I’ve continued to cross train and walk on it, thinking I had a muscle strain.

New doc immediate ordered an MRI (without me even asking-though I’d asked the other doc for one repeatedly.) Turns out I have a stress fracture high on my tibia. I’m in a boot and on crutches for at least 4 more weeks or more, cycling (which I’d been doing a LOT of) is out, as well as any hope of running this spring.

I had a hunch but my doctor was arrogant and I was not assertive enough I guess. I’m glad I found a doc willing to listen and take time to consider my case rather than rush me thru and give me a prescription but it sure is frustrating because if doc 1 had gotten it right I’d be healed by now or at least much better.