Diagnosing severity of a torn gastrocnemius

[sup4fitness]

Nearly 3 weeks ago my fin I hit a rock whilst paddling a stand up paddle board. Fell off in waist deep water and noticed immediate pain in my left calf when I stood back up on the board. I assumed I had hit my board when I fell off and iced the leg for a few days.
Pain got progressively worse so I went for an ultrasound to rule out a blood clot. No clot was discovered. Pain persisted so I went to see an orthopedic doctor who diagnosed a torn calf. Muscle relaxers, rest and antiflammatories have done nothing to diminish the pain which still keeps me up at night, lately throbbing lower down the leg.
Is this just normal or should I go back for another opinion. My gastrocnemius is still painful to touch and I cannot straighten my leg or put any pressure on it?
Please help.

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[stefharley]

Hi, a gastrocnemius tears should be easy to diagnose using subjective tests and I would presume an orthopedic doctor should get that straight. If you want a more objective diagnosis of the extent of the tear then I would use tensiomyography (TMG), to compare the injured muscle belly with the healthy. The signs you describe are consistent with more severe tears I've seen in practice, although they usually respond well to rest, NSAIDS and therapeutic modalities I use in practice. I rely on TMG to manage my patients' recovery (mainly top athletes) and return to training timing. Unfortunately I'm based in Slovenia, I don't know who uses similar technology in the UK. Good luck!