Mid calf pain...

[tonywoodall]

Hi Tak Wing,
Clearly you have used Acupuncture but you have not indicated any other form of treatment. I have had good results from treating the Lumbo-Sacral area and the Gluteal muscles. My observations are that the problems start in the lower back caused by some minor injury which may or may not have been caused by the excessive running. The symptoms in the lower back may have been low grade but eventually the inflammation radiates into the Gluteal(s) muscles. This causes a developing muscle spasm in the Gluteals resulting in stress / compression / spasm of the muscle with consequent pressure on the Lumbo-Sacral nerves with resultant referred symptoms in the posterior Knee area, Calf and Foot.

So my suggestion is to concentrate your Physiotherapy treatment on the source of the problem and "mop up" any palpable inflammation in the referred pain sites. The inflammation in the Gluteals is very important. Its time for your patient to bite the bullet and have a break from running. In my experience it should only take about 2 to 3 weeks of the correct treatments methods. Spinal Mobilisation and Manipulation pus TENS for the muscle problems. I am not an advocate for stretching which may give short term relief but not a fix.
Good luck,
Tony Woodall. Physiotherapist - Retired

[Tak Wing]

Hi Tak Wing,
Clearly you have used Acupuncture but you have not indicated any other form of treatment. I have had good results from treating the Lumbo-Sacral area and the Gluteal muscles. My observations are that the problems start in the lower back caused by some minor injury which may or may not have been caused by the excessive running. The symptoms in the lower back may have been low grade but eventually the inflammation radiates into the Gluteal(s) muscles. This causes a developing muscle spasm in the Gluteals resulting in stress / compression / spasm of the muscle with consequent pressure on the Lumbo-Sacral nerves with resultant referred symptoms in the posterior Knee area, Calf and Foot.

So my suggestion is to concentrate your Physiotherapy treatment on the source of the problem and "mop up" any palpable inflammation in the referred pain sites. The inflammation in the Gluteals is very important. Its time for your patient to bite the bullet and have a break from running. In my experience it should only take about 2 to 3 weeks of the correct treatments methods. Spinal Mobilisation and Manipulation pus TENS for the muscle problems. I am not an advocate for stretching which may give short term relief but not a fix.
Good luck,
Tony Woodall. Physiotherapist - Retired

Good day Tony,

Thank you very much for the advice, I will speak to my patient again, and we will work from the lumbo-sacral region and down.