• For more information on how to avoid pop-up ads and still support SkiTalk click HERE.

Strained calf

Pasha

i hiked the ridge... twice...
Skier
Joined
Feb 11, 2019
Posts
843
Location
New Mexico
slid backwards from a mogul and strained my calf on Friday. There was a famous popping sound... scared me shitless but I skied down on my own. Such a dorky move, first run after lunch, no warm up, back seat galore....Lots of RICE over the weekend. Things seem to be improving. I’m worried about the knee joint: could I have damaged it even tho there was no pain or swelling in the knee? Will ask doctor/PT tomorrow.
Anyways... enjoy the video evidence

 

Andy Mink

Everyone loves spring skiing but not in January
Moderator
SkiTalk Tester
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
12,910
Location
Reno
That looks (and sounds) like when I ruptured my plantaris tendon/muscle. Not once, not twice, but three times. Two on one side, one on the other. Didn't really hurt but it put me out for about a month. Hopefully it's nothing bad and you recover quickly.
 

mdf

entering the Big Couloir
Skier
Team Gathermeister
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
7,215
Location
Boston Suburbs
I would say it is likely you blew your ACL (or some other knee component). Neither of mine hurt all that much, though they did swell. The popping noise is a strong indicator.
General practitioner doctors are notoriously bad at diagnosing knee injuires (mine played with my knee for a long time and said "I think you are ok"). Get an appointment with an ortho,
 

karlo

Out on the slopes
Inactive
Joined
May 11, 2017
Posts
2,708
Location
NJ
Years back, I tore my calf muscle. When it happened, there was a pop.
 

Wade

Out on the slopes
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 19, 2015
Posts
929
Location
New York
I would say it is likely you blew your ACL (or some other knee component). Neither of mine hurt all that much, though they did swell. The popping noise is a strong indicator.
General practitioner doctors are notoriously bad at diagnosing knee injuires (mine played with my knee for a long time and said "I think you are ok"). Get an appointment with an ortho,

It seems unlikely there would be no swelling from a torn ACL.

I've pulled a calf muscle skiing (hit a rock and went over the bars) and heard a pop when it happened. I remember being in the air and thinking my season was done because that pop was probably my ACL. Turns out it was my calf muscle, and while I was limping around for a few weeks, I was able to ski a few days later.

Still, best to see a doctor to make sure.
 

martyg

Making fresh tracks
Industry Insider
Joined
Nov 24, 2017
Posts
2,216
No way you should seek advice from a medical professional. Waste of time.

I saw a YouTube video where they used leaches to address this issue. It must be true since it was on YouTube. I'd go that route. You can probably find leaches on Amazon. As a matter of fact! Here they are!


Screen Shot 2020-01-14 at 9.56.28 AM.png
 

Coach13

Making fresh tracks
Skier
Joined
Nov 15, 2015
Posts
2,091
Location
No. VA
I’ve seen plenty of ACL injuries and several I’ve seen have not swelled excessively. That said, in every case ai know of there was pain, particularly in the back of the knee radiating to the center of the knee. The knee was plenty tender and the knee joint was very loose, Also in about every instance the person teported hearing/feeling a pop.
 

HardDaysNight

Making fresh tracks
Skier
Joined
Nov 7, 2017
Posts
1,342
Location
Park City, UT
No way you should seek advice from a medical professional. Waste of time.

I saw a YouTube video where they used leaches to address this issue. It must be true since it was on YouTube. I'd go that route. You can probably find leaches on Amazon. As a matter of fact! Here they are!


View attachment 90032
These are American Leeches which everyone knows are ineffective. For best results seek out the Congolese Leech.
 

Andy Mink

Everyone loves spring skiing but not in January
Moderator
SkiTalk Tester
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
12,910
Location
Reno
No way you should seek advice from a medical professional. Waste of time.

I saw a YouTube video where they used leaches to address this issue. It must be true since it was on YouTube. I'd go that route. You can probably find leaches on Amazon. As a matter of fact! Here they are!


View attachment 90032
Comment are, um, interesting as are the questions and answers.
 

Prosper

This is the way.
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
May 2, 2017
Posts
1,110
Location
Ken Caryl, CO
I would say it is likely you blew your ACL (or some other knee component). Neither of mine hurt all that much, though they did swell. The popping noise is a strong indicator.
General practitioner doctors are notoriously bad at diagnosing knee injuires (mine played with my knee for a long time and said "I think you are ok"). Get an appointment with an ortho,
What's you basis for making this assessment of an ACL tear or other knee injury? Also, what data or evidence do you have to support the claim that general practitioner doctors are notoriously bad a diagnosing knee injuries? It sounds like you're sample size is 1. If that's the case, I'd argue that your claim is a severe over-generalization and based mostly on ignorance and anecdote.
 

Andy Mink

Everyone loves spring skiing but not in January
Moderator
SkiTalk Tester
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
12,910
Location
Reno
@Pasha, any word on the POP?
 

mdf

entering the Big Couloir
Skier
Team Gathermeister
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
7,215
Location
Boston Suburbs
@Prosper , I will accept that surmising a knee injury (vs other soft tissues) is jumping to conclusions. I will propose that hearing/feeling a pop indicates something fairly serious has happened.

My evidence of poor diagnosis of knee injuries by GPs is anecdotal, but it is based on a sample size of around 5. In conversations about knee injuries, several other people have had similar experiences where their GP missed it. I have never had anyone say, "oh no, in my case my GP got it right."

I guess maybe we should score my knees as one-out-of-two. My first knee was the experience I described. For my second knee (a different year and a different doctor), the diagnosis was a) its probably not a bone but we will xray to be sure, and b) you have clearly done something to your knee, and should see an ortho.

Of course, the first knee was looked at months later after everything had resolved except an intermittent instability.

The bottom line still stands: if you know or suspect you have done something to a joint, see an orthopedic doctor.
 
Thread Starter
TS
Pasha

Pasha

i hiked the ridge... twice...
Skier
Joined
Feb 11, 2019
Posts
843
Location
New Mexico
Just came from the physician: damage to the knee is highly unlikely. She rotated the leg and I felt absolutely nothing in the knee. She run fingers through the calf pretty deep and pain was not awful. Clearly a Grade 1 calf strain. Looks like i dodged a bullet. I cannot even imagine the pain level of Grade 2 or 3. The clalf is definitely improving. Gotta take time to let it heal.
 
Thread Starter
TS
Pasha

Pasha

i hiked the ridge... twice...
Skier
Joined
Feb 11, 2019
Posts
843
Location
New Mexico
@Pasha, any word on the POP?

Who knows what was the pop that I heard... I'll keep an eye on the symptoms and knee mobility/stability. I used to have crunchy knees. That kind of went away after not skiing for five seasons. Back then ortho looked at MRI and discovered early onset of arthritis and small tears in meniscus. Can't justify to go to ortho without real symptoms now...
 

mdf

entering the Big Couloir
Skier
Team Gathermeister
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
7,215
Location
Boston Suburbs
Just came from the physician: damage to the knee is highly unlikely. She rotated the leg and I felt absolutely nothing in the knee. She run fingers through the calf pretty deep and pain was not awful. Clearly a Grade 1 calf strain. Looks like i dodged a bullet. I cannot even imagine the pain level of Grade 2 or 3. The clalf is definitely improving. Gotta take time to let it heal.
Great. I'm glad I was wrong.
One calf note: I injured both of mine years and years ago in a double forward ejection (one of the things that led me to reduce my DIN settings). They healed pretty quickly but the fluid persisted for about a year.
 

Andy Mink

Everyone loves spring skiing but not in January
Moderator
SkiTalk Tester
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
12,910
Location
Reno
Who knows what was the pop that I heard... I'll keep an eye on the symptoms and knee mobility/stability. I used to have crunchy knees. That kind of went away after not skiing for five seasons. Back then ortho looked at MRI and discovered early onset of arthritis and small tears in meniscus. Can't justify to go to ortho without real symptoms now...
My pop was the rupture of the tendon. Again, it didn't really hurt when it happened but it sure didn't feel to good later. Glad yours is apparently pretty minor. It is weird when you hear something like that. I also heard it with a tear of my MCL last season.
 

Prosper

This is the way.
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
May 2, 2017
Posts
1,110
Location
Ken Caryl, CO
I have never had anyone say, "oh no, in my case my GP got it right."

The bottom line still stands: if you know or suspect you have done something to a joint, see an orthopedic doctor.
I have gotten it right much more often that I have not when assessing joint injuries and I see many, many patients with joint injuries. I saw at least a half a dozen patients today with knee, back and other joint problems which is no different from a typical day in the office. I respectfully and wholeheartedly disagree with you. Not every patient with a joint injury should see an orthopedist. In fact, the vast majority of them should not and do not. If you have a good primary care doctor he or she should be able to competently assess a joint injury and determine a reasonable plan for treatment and further evaluation if needed. Your primary care doctor should know when to refer to an orthopod and when not to. If the only thing your primary care doctor does is refer you to specialists for any and every reason, you should find a new doctor.
 

mdf

entering the Big Couloir
Skier
Team Gathermeister
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
7,215
Location
Boston Suburbs
I have gotten it right much more often that I have not when assessing joint injuries and I see many, many patients with joint injuries. I saw at least a half a dozen patients today with knee, back and other joint problems which is no different from a typical day in the office. I respectfully and wholeheartedly disagree with you. Not every patient with a joint injury should see an orthopedist. In fact, the vast majority of them should not and do not. If you have a good primary care doctor he or she should be able to competently assess a joint injury and determine a reasonable plan for treatment and further evaluation if needed. Your primary care doctor should know when to refer to an orthopod and when not to. If the only thing your primary care doctor does is refer you to specialists for any and every reason, you should find a new doctor.
Well, that's the problem with anecdotal evidence -- the worst cases stand out. Maybe I should reconsider my position.
How long have you been practicing? My doctor that got it wrong was pretty young.
 

Coach13

Making fresh tracks
Skier
Joined
Nov 15, 2015
Posts
2,091
Location
No. VA
I have gotten it right much more often that I have not when assessing joint injuries and I see many, many patients with joint injuries. I saw at least a half a dozen patients today with knee, back and other joint problems which is no different from a typical day in the office. I respectfully and wholeheartedly disagree with you. Not every patient with a joint injury should see an orthopedist. In fact, the vast majority of them should not and do not. If you have a good primary care doctor he or she should be able to competently assess a joint injury and determine a reasonable plan for treatment and further evaluation if needed. Your primary care doctor should know when to refer to an orthopod and when not to. If the only thing your primary care doctor does is refer you to specialists for any and every reason, you should find a new doctor.

Agreed-not to mention many insurance plans (not mine) require a referral from your primary care physician before going to the specialist. I’m sure that’s so the primary care doc can do an assessment/recommend treatment and to save a trip to the specialist, if it’s not necessary.

Kind of off topic, but I’ve read many times that a big contributing factor to the high cost of medical care in the US as compared to other countries is our tendency here to make use of medical specialists when it’s not really necessary.
 

Andy Mink

Everyone loves spring skiing but not in January
Moderator
SkiTalk Tester
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
12,910
Location
Reno
make use of medical specialists when it’s not really necessary
What's funny (not haha funny) is, after you've hurt yourself enough times, you pretty much know if you need a specialist or not. I'm pretty tuned in to when I need an ortho. Unfortunately.
 

Sponsor

Top