Wednesday, January 27, 2010
calf heart attack
for the past year, i've been having bad calf problems. actually, it's not the calf, it's right below the calf, i'm pretty sure it's the soleus muscle. in any case, when running, i've been having intense cramping in both calves for a little over a year. what happens is: i go for a run and then in the middle of the run, the muscle feels like it explodes. no reason. it can just happen on a steady run. i'll go two or three months with no injury, then bam, muscle blows up again. i stretch well, i eat well, all that. it's been just an intensely frustrating year of working out. right when i feel like i'm getting to a kind of peak, the calf blows. and it's not just one, it's both. either. doesn't matter. anyway, i finally found some reassurance that i'm not just crazy and this actually does happen and is sort of a condition, so i wanted to put this up: Chronic Calf Spasm/Strain. also, this: Calf Heart Attack. the calf heart attack article pretty much exactly describes what i've got going on, as well as almost all the commenters on that running forum. i did a six miler yesterday and with less than a mile remaining, completely blow my calf and now it's weirdly swollen (never had the swollen part). but, i'm hoping this The Stick device actually does work. if any runner comes across this, any words of advice on this chronic and strange injury?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
10 comments:
Same injury here (as the "heart attack" post). Deep tissue massage is key. After dealing with this thing for months/ years, I finally met a PT who, among other treatments -- and here's the key part, did the following. I lay on my stomack with half my leg off the end of the bed/table with the knee half-flexed; the PT (or your friend) then puts pressure on your forefoot such that the calf/ soleus is flexed and stiff; using massage oil or sports creme they push down with both thums and run the pressure up the injured tissue; in my case, I have these bubbles in the tissue and can't go running until they are ironed out of the muscle tissue; after I finally get back to a decent routine (3-4 days per week) the bubbles go away (because my wife checks); but until then, it takes several of what the heart-attack article refers to as medicinal runs. You may not have the bubbles like me, but this massage may be a key weapon in your healing arsenal -- I know it is for me. Hope this helps.
Peter, thanks. this is helpful. i've been doing a lot massaging of the injured areas as well as some simple strengthening exercises. here's hoping nothing goes very bad, but things are working well for me after about a month off.
My husbands mother had a heart attack this morning around 4:30am central time.How can i console him i already buy generic viagra and what should we expect to happen with his mother. She is alive, she had to have one arterie shut down and another by-passed.Any advice
Sounds a lot like what I have: Chronic posterior compartment syndrome. I am a 40 year old endurance sports junkie who began to have this problem a couple years ago. I know how awful it is. I will warn you: If you read up on it, you will freak out because once you've developed this problem, it doesn't go away. Most of the info will suggest surgery (something that is rarely the answer and only a last resort in my book) but the fact is, from here on out every time you overload the muscle it will eventually spasm. If you want to keep running there is only one option: you need to CHANGE YOUR RUNNING FORM. It's not as hard as you think, and it will change your life, I promise (at least it did for me). The stick is helpful, but won't cure you.
You must re-learn how to run NATURALLY (which is the way we all run in bare feet). When we run naturally it is always with a midfoot/forefoot strike, never a heal strike. Our stride shortens, and our cadence (foot turnover) increases slightly and as a result the workload is instantly re-distributed (evenly) across muscle groups. This way we don't overload any one muscle group (like the muscles that make up your calf).
There are three great natural running resources out there: Danny Abshire (w/Newton Running), Danny Dryer (who wrote the book Chi-Running) and Christopher McDougal (who wrote Born to Run).
Once your spasm has released and you're not limping around anymore, wait about a week and then when you begin your short "medicinal runs" you have the perfect opportunity to begin easing into natural running form (this doesn't mean barefoot, just with bare foot form).
I say it's the perfect time because you will only be running short distances anyway so you will be able to focus on maintaning proper form without getting tired.
As you slowly get back into running you need to (go slow 10-11 minute mile) focus on these three things
1. Shorten your stride length
2. Quicker turn over (85-90 steps per minute.
3. Lastly (but most important) land on your midfoot/forefoot!
These things all happen automatically when we take our shoes off anyway. The problem is our running becomes un-natural when we put shoes on.
All the foam in typical running shoes cuts off the sensory feedback our bodies naturally use to regulate our body position in a way that keeps us running in balance and with a body position that is naturally protective. Our body naturally becomes a big spring. Instead, when we run in shoes we end up running in ways we never would barefoot (because it would hurt if we did). Running in shoes has changed many of us into heel striking over striders (which strains the calf) and leads to all kinds of other muscle imbalances.
Like I said, you will never get rid of this problem (if it is CPCS). Case in point, in addition to running, I do a lot of cross country skiing, and unfortunately the dreaded "Calf heart attack" has occurred during this type of activity (especially when climbing steep hills) but never during running anymore. Since we weren't born with cross country skis attached to our feet, I'm not sure there's a "Natural way" to do this sport. But this is not the case with running. Believe me, I know how you feel. I thought I'd share what worked for me, for what it's worth. Maybe it will save you another year of misery.
Good Luck!
Sounds like chronic posterior compartment Syndrome (something I have). If you have this same condition you have 3 choices.
1. Quit running
2. Surgery
3. Change your running form to a "natural running form".
I chose #3 and it has changed my life.
I recommend 3 terrific resources
1. Check out the Newton Running website
2. Read Chi-Running by Danny Dryer
3. Read born to run by Christopher McDougal
After struggling for an entire year with this "calf heart attack" problem I finally bought Chi-running and started practicing natural running during my "medicinal runs". Before changing my running form I was regularly limping home from my runs. Since I changed my for a year and a half ago, I have been injury free. Read the books (or) just check out Newton Running on line. It made all the difference to me.
Ya, I'm going through this right now too. I already knew about "chi running", etc, for years, and yet the old running form keeps creeping back, and i keep re-straining my lower legs. My solution is to use a metronome while running, and to stay above 90bpm cadence - this seems to force me to keep my feet 'under' me and not to over stride. I ran twice this week for about 15 mn each time, now 2 days later the calf is still sore, after 1 solid month of being too strained to run. i know i did too much too soon, but i feel like if i wait till it's not sore again, and then start off like that calf heart attack article says, there's hope. at least i've kept my form through pool running and cycling. i think changing the running form and stopping over striding is the key.
I am going through this right now myself - I have started to use a metronome while running and make sure i'm staying above 90 strides/min, this seems to force me to keep my feet underneath me and not 'overstride', i am going to use that calf heart attack approach too and walk/run for several days, hopefully the combination of those 2 will get the calf calmed down again. i've been off for a month, keeping my form by pool running and cycling. i'll try to check back in a few weeks and update progress.
Hey Gary. Thanks for the post. I amazed that people are still posting here since it's two years old. Anyway, I wish I had some advice. This has actually cooled down for me a lot. Now I have achilles tendonitis which is, amazingly, much more manageable. I can't say what eventually cured the calf strains for me, but I suspect one thing was this: running less. I used to go every day and play soccer on Sundays. Now I go three times a week. It's really helped and my mileage has dipped that much. Also, working in sprints rather than just straight jogging. I don't know. I think the answer is to understand our own bodies; every body is different and some bodies require different treatments methods.
In any case, I wish you luck and please do check back and let us know the progress.
I meant to say my mileage has not dipped that much.
Post a Comment