What is a Calf Strain?
Calf Strain is one of the most common sports injuries. Calf Strain is a muscle injury which most commonly occurs in the calf muscle, but it can also occur in the back, hamstring, neck and arms. Calf Strain can involve a small tear in the muscle, or even a complete rupture. A characteristic of this injury is that most people hear a crackling sound when it is sustained. At the same time, you often feel a sharp/burning pain in the calf.
What causes Calf Strain?
Mostly, the muscle tear is caused by an explosive movement during sports. However, Calf Strain can also occur during everyday efforts such as cycling or walking. You increase the risk of a Calf Strain by doing sport without warming up your muscles. During a Calf Strain, you feel a sharp, intense pain and are often unable to stand on your leg. A swelling and a haematoma develop at the rupture. A dimple can often be felt at the site of the tear. Calf Strain is one of the top 10 sports injuries and recovery from a muscle tear can take as long as 3 to 6 weeks!
Faster recovery with CureTape®
In the recovery process of a Calf Strain, the physiotherapist can do a lot for his client by applying kinesiology taping treatment with CureTape®. The physiotherapist can apply the treatment with CureTape® fairly quickly after a Calf Strain. This reduces the swelling and also makes it possible to move pain-free, which will speed up the recovery process. For a good result it is very important to have the kinesiology taping treatment done by an experienced therapist. While applying the tape, you should immediately experience the difference. When the pain does not get much less, it is very well possible that the CureTape® has to be moved a little bit. It is very important to listen carefully and to test during the treatment. The physiotherapist knows from experience what results can be achieved with kinesiology taping.
How do you tape a Calf Strain?
- First, the rupture is treated with a ligament technique (maximum from the centre) . This can be done with a star tape (4 i-tapes of 2.5 cm width).
- The first tape is placed across the rupture with maximum stretching from the centre.
- The star is then finished off with the other 3 strips (photo 1). Alternatively, one strip across the rupture.
- If it concerns a rupture of the Achilles tendon or the muscle-tendon transition, we recommend applying a supporting ligament tape over the Achilles tendon (photo 2).
- Next, apply a relaxing tape, from the calcaneus under the foot to just past the knee, along the M. Tricepts Sureae with emphasis on the M. Soleus (photo 3).
Taping Calf Strain in 3 steps
Step 1
Applying a relaxing tape.
Measure the Y tape with the muscle in stretched position with the foot in dorsal flexion. Apply the base without stretching under the heel.
Let the tape run up over the Achilles tendon and apply both tape strips with a muscle technique around the muscle belly of the gastrocnemius towards the knee.
Step 2
Apply relaxing tape on the side where the muscle tear is present.
In the above example, the Y tape is applied with a muscle technique along the muscle belly of the medial head of the gastrocnemius (on the side where the tear is present).
Step 3
Treatment of the rupture.
In this example, the rupture is treated with two crossed i strips applied with a ligament technique.
Please note that applications provided on our website are not clinically proven. All mentioned applications are based on extensive evaluation and case studies with licensed physiotherapists and/or other health professionals.
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