Question

You are covering a soccer game when while heading a ball an athlete falls grabbing the back of their lower leg. You are concerned they may have strained their calf.

1. What would the athlete complain of (symptoms) and what would you observe (signs) if they had suffered a 2nd degree strain?

2. What are some predisposing factors that may have put the athlete at risk for this injury?

3. For a 2nd degree strain, what positive tests would you expect to find during each of your active, passive, and resisted testing?

4. You advise the athlete not to play, based on your assessment, and informed the coach of your decision. The coach demands that the player plays the second half of the game and the athlete suffers additional injury. What type of negligence is present and why?

Answer 1

The athlete complains for -Sharp pain at the time of activity in calf,Unable to continue activity, Significant pain with walking afterwards . May have swelling in muscle . Mild to moderate bruising may be present.

And the signs may pain with active plantarflexion ,pain and weakness with resisted plantarflexio. Loss of dorsiflexion ,bilateral calf raise pain.

The predisposing factors that have put the athlete at risk for this injury are as below -

Not warming up properly. If muscles are particularly tight, then they may be more susceptible to injury.

Athletes who have chronic shortening of the calf muscles, either from congenital reasons (genetics), or poor footwear choices.

Wearing high heels regularly increases the risk of a number of injuries including calf muscle injuries. The muscles adaptively shorten over time and as a result, are strengthened in a contracted state. When the athlete wears flat running shoes they over-stretch, increasing the risk of a torn muscle.

The positive test consider as -- The physical examination isolates the site and severity of the injury. A combination of palpation, strength testing and passive and active range of motion is necessary to help distinguish between strains of the soleus and gastrocnemius muscles.

Palpation of the calf should occur along the entire length of the muscles and the aponeuroses. This is required to identify swelling, thickening, tenderness, defects and masses if present.

The patient is also observed in both standing and prone positions, looking closely for swelling, bruising and deformity, as well as possible postural issues such as over-pronation.

Additional tests include the Thompson test for complete disruption of the achilles tendon. Simultaneous tears of the gastrocnemius and soleus are possible, which can complicate the clinical picture.

The types of negligience , it happens as a result of being overly tired, dehydrated, or running a lot of hills. However, the root cause is usually chronic tightness in the Achilles' tendon pulling on the muscle. and palyer has to resting for given required time, and also complete rehabilaton period like stretches.