Runners frequently encounter calf injuries, and they often seem to appear without any rhyme or reason.
One runner I know who does a lot of mountain races succumbed to a calf injury whilst out jogging an easy run on the flat.
Calf injuries often appear without warning, but they can also disappear just as mysteriously.
A couple of years back I suffered a painful calf that literally stopped me in my tracks. Many running injuries cause discomfort, but this one felt so bad I could not run at all. After a week off, it seemed ok so I set off for a little gentle test; there was absolutely no pain at at. Then, after about one mile of gentle running, bang, all of a sudden a full blown calf strain, seemingly for no reason; this happened again after another week off. By this time I was getting more a than a little frustrated; I had a mountain race in two weeks time and a calf that couldn’t even manage a mile on the flat. I took a chance and with 10 days off followed by an easy run I started the race. Five miles and 3500ft later, no problem. Then the descent, still no problem and I finished the race without even the slightest twinge. Clearly, that calf injury was not due to damage in the muscle. Yet, it felt like it, that’s for sure.
An article written by Martin Haines, MCSP in SportEX Dynamics discusses an often overlooked cause of calf pain: the biomechanics of the sciatic nerve. Nerves do not possess the same elastic qualities as muscles and can be loaded or stretched too much leading to damage or cramps. If the stiffness of the nerve is near the calf muscles then it can feel like the calf itself is damaged; similar to sciatic pain referring or travelling down the leg.
How can this knowledge help runners? When we feel we have a calf injury we usually take steps to relieve or correct it. But if that pain in the calf is not a calf injury then our remedies could be ineffective at best.
A professional therapist should be able to correctly diagnose such injuries, but many of us assume we know what the problem is and do not bother to get treatment. Usually, we’d just follow normal practices: apply some ice therapy, rest and maybe stretch the calf muscle once the initial inflammation has died down — and then we’d wonder why it doesn’t get any better.
There are simple tests that a professional therapist should employ when isolating the cause of calf pain. If they produce a positive result for nerve pain then simple exercises can be used to mobilise the sciatic nerve and relieve tension.
Calf injuries often seem to follow no pattern at all. Understanding that they could be caused by the sciatic nerve and not due to calf muscle damage will hopefully encourgage us to think twice about our own remedies and maybe seek professional help. That way we stand the best chance of a quick return to pain free running.
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