Calf Strain - Badminton

Featuring Carl Petersen, BPE, BScPT

Duration: 1 minute, 22 seconds

In badminton, a calf strain occurs in your lower leg, which is where the calf is. And it's often due to the pushoffs you'll have to do during your badminton strokes.

The person may feel like they've been hit or kicked by someone when the calf strain originally occurs and they may be unable to push off on it - in fact may have pain on every step as they walk.

A typical recovery time for a calf strain depends on the severity of the injury. If only a few fibers are torn, it may be only a few days. If more fibers are torn it may be several weeks, or if it is a full tear, it may be several months and indeed may require surgery.

When dealing with a calf strain in the first 24 to 48 hours its important to follow the RICE principle. After that, it's probably a good idea to see your physiotherapist They can give you some stretches and some exercises to try and help decrease the amount of scar tissue that's forming in that muscle.

But you may also be able to utilize a muscular support which can give you a little bit of relief by placing it on your calf. It will give some compression to the area and decrease the amount of irritation that you're feeling and also provide compression over the area to help speed healing.

If you suspect you have a calf strain, contact your local physiotherapist and have it evaluated.

Presenter: Mr. Carl Petersen, Physiotherapist, Vancouver, BC

Local Practitioners: Physiotherapist