Acute Calf Pain in Running
As team sports have been put on hold during COVID-19 there has been an increase in
people turning to running as a sport to keep active. While running can be great for one’s health, too
much running too soon can increase the risk of injury.
Calf pain is one of these injuries often caused by training too hard while the muscles within
the calf aren’t strong enough to keep up with the increased load. If left untreated this can
lead to more chronic injuries such as Achilles tendinopathy or plantar fasciitis.
Symptoms
– Cramping at the back of the lower leg
– Tightness in the ankle joint and through the Achilles tendon
– Pain in the calf muscle, particularly during and after running
Causes
– Weak calf muscles
– Trigger points within the gastrocnemius and soleus
– Training overload
– Footwear
– Running technique
– Training surface
How can we help?
At TFC Podiatry our podiatrists are trained in diagnosing and managing injuries related to
the calf and will be able to get you back into running as soon as possible. Some treatment
modalities include:
– Dry needling
– Calf stretching and mobilization of the ankle joint
– Muscle strengthening
– Avoid increasing training load by more than 10% compared to the previous week
– If you usually run in a high pitch shoe, try and avoid running in a low pitch shoe
– Soft tissue therapy, such as foam/spiky ball rolling and massage
– Footwear education
– Orthotic intervention
