The obvious thing to do after a calf strain while running would be to rest the calf for a few weeks and then try running again, right? Well!! this is often what I hear from runners, it can be a few weeks after the original injury that I will get to see the strained muscle.
There could be many different reasons for a calf injury from over exertion, pushing your running beyond what you can achieve for your fitness or running level, extending your runs, making changes to the type of runs - maybe more hills than you are used to completing. It could be that your foot landings on the injured side are somewhat different to the non-injured side where you may hinge more at the hip or use a side bend compensation. It maybe that you load the right leg more than your left. Other factors such as trying to fit in your runs into a busy work/life balance, maybe you are trying to train for a 10k - following a program that you are struggling to fit in each week.
So, your strained calf muscle may need some help to restore function. An assessment will be needed first where it could show up any of the above issues. Dependant on what’s going on or assessed manual therapy may be used initially where massage may help to ease some muscle tension. This is often followed by stretching the calf complex to restore normal range of motion in the ankle joint and then strengthening of the calf muscles. Other options would be to use isometrics which can be a great starting point to help restore function. These actions on their own could be enough to get you back running.
If we look at other reasons the calf strain may have come on, we may need to assess the foot and hip complex as these can sometimes reveal issues, where you may tend to favour one side when running, opting for a slightly rotated body position or leaning to one side as you run. A forward head posture can also cause more stiffness around your ankle complex and create problems with running posture and breathing.
Here is a video of some exercises that we may use to treat a calf strain
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