I see many muscle injuries; mainly in the lower limb, a large proportion being in the calf. They are generally on the inside of the calf and referred to as “tennis leg” although there are a variety of ways to sustain the injury – essentially a sudden explosive movement.
I do a lot of ultrasound scanning and this is the best way to pick up the injury – it’s a quick and convenient way to scan muscle injuries in the clinic setting and can give a lot of information. Once the diagnosis is made, compression is vital – a graduated compression stocking combined with good physiotherapy and a graduated return to sport will get the patient up and running in the shortest possible time frame.
Dr Kal Parmar is a Consultant in Sports and Exercise Medicine at the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health.
