Adjustable Calf/Shin Splint Support
US$29.25 – US$29.69The Mueller Sports Medicine Adjustable Calf/Shin Splint Support features a wraparound design for easy application and removal.
A calf strain is an injury caused by stretching or tearing of part of the calf muscles at the back of your lower leg. A stretched calf muscle is also colloquially known as a “pulled” muscle.
This injury usually announces itself initially by means of a sharp pain at the back of your lower leg. In cases of severe injury, you may also experience a “popping” or snapping sound or sensation from that area. Walking may become difficult or impossible.
Most calf strains are treatable using conservative self care steps including protecting and resting your calf and applying ice and compression to the area.
The calf muscles actually consist of two muscle groups – the gastrocnemius and the soleus.
The gastrocnemius is the larger of the two and lies closer to the surface of your leg (the skin). It also has two heads at the top and extends over both the knee and ankle joints. The soleus muscle is smaller and lies deeper under the skin. Either or both of these muscles may be damaged if you experience a calf strain.
Calf strains can be categorized according to their degree of severity, as follows:
This is the mildest type of strain and (fortunately) it is also the most common. Either or both of the calf muscles may experience overstretching but no tearing (either partial or complete) will be present. Any interruption to your regular sporting or other injuries will be short – about 1-3 weeks.
As we mentioned at the start, this type of calf strain is also referred to as a “pulled” muscle.
This is a more severe injury in which either or both muscles can be partially (but not completely) torn. You will experience an interruption to normal activity of around 3-6 weeks.
This is the most severe type of calf strain but also the rarest. One or both muscles will be completely torn, usually near the junction with the Achilles tendon at the bottom of your leg. This usually produces significant pain and may require surgical correction. Expect to be out of action for several weeks or even months, depending on the severity of the muscle tear..
The most typical cause of a calf strain is a sudden contraction of the calf muscles as preparation for a jump or sudden burst of acceleration.
The gastrocnemius muscle tends to be particularly at risk in this situation as it is a biarthrodial muscle that extends over two joints (the knee and the ankle). As a result, it can be subject to greater forces than other types of muscle. However, as we have mentioned above, the soleus muscle can also suffer damage as part of a calf strain.
The sports in which calf strains tend to be most frequently observed include basketball, soccer, tennis and others in which jumping or sudden sprints are frequently required.
Many calf strains occur at or near the medial (inner) head of the gastrocnemium muscle. When this happens, the injury is also known as “tennis leg”.
Some of the risk factors that may increase your odds of experiencing this muscle injury include:
Symptoms of this injury commonly include the following:
If you experience some or all of these symptoms, you should consult a doctor, preferably one with sports medicine expertise.
Most calf strains respond to non surgical P.R.I.C.E. based treatment, such as:
Once your healing is underway, your doctor will likely refer you to a physiotherapist. An important part of your treatment will be physical therapy exercises to stretch and strengthen your calf muscles. A physiotherapist can devise an exercise program to achieve this. This program will help you regain your original knee joint range of motion and to return to normal activity with less re-injury risk.
Having said this, it is important to avoid aggressive stretching of your calf muscles at an early stage of your recovery. Any stretching activity should be very gentle and should stop if you experience any calf pain.
At the same time, you would be well advised to avoid certain activities that may aggravate the injury. These would include:
Although surgical treatment may be required for some grade III strains (with complete muscle tears) these are very rare indeed. If you do have this type of calf muscle strain, your doctors can suggest the possible surgical interventions with you and help you to choose one.
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The Mueller Sports Medicine Adjustable Calf/Shin Splint Support features a wraparound design for easy application and removal.
The LP Support Calf Power Sleeve features a Y shaped Power Band, a Regulation Area and seamless Lycra for enhanced performance and smooth comfort.
The McDavid Calf Sleeve offers contoured, pull-on and latex-free thermal and compression therapy, together with soft tissue support.
The BioSkin Compression Shin Splint provides unsurpassed relief from the pain of shin splints, calf strains and sprains and other injuries of the lower leg.
The LP EmbioZ Calf Compression Sleeve features a Power Band around your calf muscles that will help to enhance your lower extremity kinetic chain movements between the leg and ankle. This Band helpsyour skin to move against your underlying muscles as you make your regular movements. Like kinesiology tape, the Band uses the resulting forces of pressure, elasticity and recoil to promote the infusion of fresh blood to your calves. In addition, the same forces help to promote the removal of metabolic waste and lymphatic fluids from the calf muscles. The result of these actions is increased freshness of your calf muscles for longer periods. This will in turn improve athletic performance. The sleeve also applies compression to the calf to further support the replenishment of freshly oxygenated blood to the area. Compression also helps to further accelerate lymphatic fluid and waste material removal from the calf area. As a result, you maintain higher energy levels for longer than would otherwise be the case.
The LP EmbioZ Leg Support Compression Tights includes a Power System that acts on your lower body to improve your blood & lymphatic circulation, leading to greater muscle endurance and higher efficiency of your lower body kinetic chain. Combined with a seamless design and its Comfort System, these tights will raise your performance to higher levels while you enjoy higher comfort levels during training or competition.