Can I train legs with a calf injury?

swededmonkey

After my weight training, I was tight on time and opted for a run on the treadmill instead of my usual incline walk. Towards the end I felt a pull in my lower calf and will need to rest and rehab it over the next few days. What lower body exercises for quads and hamstrings would be safe to continue training while my injury heals up?

Mellor

What did you do to your calf exactly? Is it sore to press on.

I’d avoid anything that involves ankle extension. Even isometric contraction.

Leg extension, Ab/Adduction. Leg curls if the pressure on calves isn’t an issue.

swededmonkey

It's not sore to press on but is very tight walking. At the time it felt like a small tear more than a pop

Cill94

Best to experiment and find out yourself. Most compound exercises like squats and deadlifts actually involve very little calf activity so you may well be able to do those with no issue.

As Mellor mentioned, anything with a lot of movement at the ankle might be out for a few days.

bob mcbob

I have had a lot of calf injuries so here's my advice.

When you go to the gym use one of those plastic rollers on the injured calf area. It will hurt like hell at first but this is the way to get the knot out of the muscle. It is equivalent of a massage. When you don't feel any pain anymore, you should be good to go. I now use a roller everyday.

I am able to use the bike's at the gym with an injured calf.

billyhead

Sorry for going off topic but has anyone ever pulled a back muscle and if so how long was the recovery and what exercises in the gym could you do while recovering?

Cill94

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120193060#Comment_120193060

Glad it worked for you but just a note for others..

While foam rolling can provide short term pain relief, the ‘knots in the muscle’ thing is actually a myth. Foam rolling is also not necessary for the calf to heal, which is important to note because as you said, it’s a pretty painful approach. Exercise can be just as effective.

Black Sheep

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120193478#Comment_120193478

I don't know if this whole thread isn't medical advice, or flirting with it, TBH, but until the moderator decides otherwise...

If you've torn or sprained muscle, ligaments or tendons in the back then recovery is down to how severe what you've done is. You could feel normal after a week has passed, or it could be more protracted.

Obviously disc related issues and symptoms can come into play as well.

It's individual but when I have had low back issues I stopped pulling heaving off the ground for a while. I picked deadlift variations that let me pull from a higher position and with a more vertical back. Reduced load, increased reps, and did a few sessions like that until I gradually recovered back to pulling wit a full ROM and then I increased load.

Ironically, the worst twinges I had with my back when it was healing did not occur in the gym when I was training but in totally weird settings, once when I was leaning over the kitchen table putting down a plate and it felt like someone stuck a knife in me.

Opinions are divided on the value of core training for the relief and prevention of back pain but - personal view - I think Stuart McGill's "Big 3" will do no harm and are worth trying.

bob mcbob

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120194859#Comment_120194859

Ok I accept your point but there are many articles indicating the benefits of foam rolling which includes helping with injuries

If you have an injury or are sore after a workout, foam rolling can help encourage the removal of inflammatory waste products, flushing these tissues with fresh nutrients and circulating out toxins.

https://www.themanual.com/fitness/benefits-of-foam-rolling/

Cill94

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120196264#Comment_120196264

Yep, it can help. It’s just not necessary/superior to exercise. Which is good to know if you don’t want to foam roll.

The explanation for how it can help that you’ve quoted also applies to anything that promotes blood flow. Like going for a walk. :)

bob mcbob

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120196618#Comment_120196618

Yes, you often see elite athletes at the end of a game having a massage going for a walk

Cill94

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120197056#Comment_120197056

Pointing out foam rolling isn’t magic seems to have really irritated you.

I said it works, the research just show it’s no better than exercise. Given that it has none of the secondary benefits of exercise, it’s on balance a worse choice for most people.

Some elite athletes like getting massaged. I probably would too if I had my own private masseuse.

bob mcbob

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120197205#Comment_120197205

My mistake, I thought the point of Boards was to make points them back them up if challenged. Apparently not.

Mellor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120201129#Comment_120201129

It is. But you have haven’t backed up the idea that foam rolling will help an injury.

In my experience foam rolling, and other manual release techniques, can help loosen tight muscles. But will do very little to heel an injury.

Cill94

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120201129#Comment_120201129

I'm always happy to provide evidence for my beliefs. Below shows that foam rolling and exercise can both help with pain. Exercise has a host of other benefits that foam rolling does not, but people can do it if they want.

Should also be noted that pain mgmt and injurt rehab are not exactly the same thing. E.g. painkillers reduce pain but don't heal injuries. Research shows that foam rolling's effect is similarly mainly acute and fades quickly, like a pill. Graded re-exposure to training is the main course of action that should be taken for rehabbing any injury, as that has permanent performance and pain effects. So foam rolling really falls very far down the list of priorities.

"Overall, it was determined that the effects of foam rolling on performance and recovery are rather minor and partly negligible, but can be relevant in some cases (e.g., to increase sprint performance and flexibility or to reduce muscle pain sensation). Evidence seems to justify the widespread use of foam rolling as a warm-up activity rather than a recovery tool."

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2019.00376/full

https://bmcmusculoskeletdisord.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12891-022-05047-9

NeutralHandle

I slightly hurt my glute and one side of my lower back when squatting two weeks ago. I've not done any squats or deadlifts since. I was trying to find information on when to resume. Is there a protocol for it?

Pain was not bad, just could feel I did the movement wrongly and then it hurt afterwards. Back is fine now. Glute is a little stiff, like mild DOMS. Wondering whether to do some with lighter weights or wait until there is no pain at all? I'm 43, in case that is a factor.

Edit: did some squats using about 60% of usual weight. Felt fine/good. Felt it working hamstrings and thighs rather than anywhere that had been sore.

Black Sheep

Well, you're in a good position in that it sounds like it has largely resolved.

If you can perform the squat variation you want to train through a normal range of motion, and it is not noticeably worsening any lingering discomfort, then just start back light and ramp up conservatively.

After something like this I would always start light and add weight back as the weeks passed. It's not a significant setback and worth taking the time rather than attempting to jump back in at where you were.