Hi Physio Bec.
Although I am only a student in Physio at the moment I trained in Canada as a Massage Therapist at the Canadian Therapeutic College and have been working in the field for last 10 years. With regards to ice/heat application there is no evidence showing it's effectiveness. The theory behind it is vasodilation and would vasoconstriction of the blood vessels resulting in a "flushing" of inflammatory liquid and toxins out of the area. I recommend this treatment to an ironman competitor and he seems to find it beneficial. I also do alot of deep tissue muscle stripping and TP work on his calves focusing on gastroc and soleus. I also address the peroneals just not to the same degree. One thing my client was not doing ( or doing well ) was soleus stretching. He rarely bent his knee during calf stretches causing his soleus to become overly tight. Not sure if tis helps but I hope so.
Hobbes.