Sal's ➶ ⋆˙⟡

Tennis leg

I got “tennis leg” two days ago. Tennis leg is an acute strain of the large calf muscle. I found some other guy detailing is journey with it, and that was helpful to me, so I figured I’d do the same. I’ll update this as things progress.

This post will probably be boring unless you’re interested in this specific injury.

Day zero

I’m playing tennis! I’m at an adult drills session with my wife, and while I’ve been hitting balls with my family here and there, this is the first time I’ve actually been trying to win points against anyone since I played competitively 25 years ago. I’m having a blast, but my body is not used to it.

I’m at the baseline, and an opponent hits a short ball. I lunge forward to rush the net, and suddenly it feels like someone punched me in the back of the calf. My immediate thought is that someone whacked a ball super hard and it hit me there. I turn around thinking, “Who did that?” But no one is behind me. And now I can barely walk.

I limp off the court, hoping it’s nothing, but soon I realize something significant must’ve happened. A quick web search on my phone tells me this is a classic case of an acute calf strain (a muscle tear), also known as tennis leg. Quite common in men over 40 who work desk jobs and suddenly try to be athletes again. Hey, that’s me!

I hobble to the front desk and ask for ice, and I spend the rest of the session icing and elevating it. My wife checks on me and says we should go home, but I insisted she stay and finish the session. I was super bummed I had to quit and didn’t want her to lose out too.

It’s very painful to walk, and It’s quite painful even when resting, maybe a six or seven out of ten on the pain scale.

When we get home, I have my wife do the Thompson Test to check if the Achilles is also torn. The test suggests it’s not. I also book a doc appointment for the next morning (ZoomCare) to get a professional’s opinion. If the Achilles is torn, it may require urgent surgery to avoid permanent damage.

I sleep okay that night, but I have to keep my leg elevated, and even then the pain is enough to be distracting.

Day one

I wake up with much less pain while lying in bed. That’s a good sign. But moving around still hurts a lot. I’m heavily dependent on crutches all day.

I ice and take ibuprofen. The ZoomCare doc confirmed the Achilles seems fine. Phew.

I try to work, but I’m feeling groggy and dejected. I don’t get much done.

Day two

More progress! Pretty much no pain while resting. I start the day with crutches, but soon realize I can walk without much pain as long as I keep my leg bent just so. I’m aggressively limping, but at least I can use my hands again.

If I accidentally straighten my leg too much and put weight on it, there’s a flash of searing pain. It reminds of the Fellowship of the Ring movie when Gandalf touches the ring.

I’m a little less useless around the house, at least cleaning up after myself and making dinner for the kids while my wife is out.

My head is more in the game at work.

I sit down to write this blog post before bed.

Day three

Zero pain when resting, but still limping carefully. My calf still feels swollen and right. Still get flashes of Sauron pain if I’m not careful. I iced in the afternoon and it felt like that helped.

Got a good amount done at work. I don’t feel fatigued anymore.

Day four

My gait feels a little closer to normal. I don’t feel any need for crutches or a walking boot anymore.

The Sauron flashes still happen but are less intense. I’m back on my treadmill, going slowly and carefully, but it feels okay!

I get the sense that soon it will feel good to stretch my calf instead of horrifying.

Day five

I’m still limping but with minimal pain. I need to be careful on sloped or uneven ground, but otherwise I can be on my feet for hours without a problem.

Day seven

My gait is inching its way back to normal. Less and less limping and pain.

My entire calf gets pretty swollen by the end of the day, which sounds like it’s typical.

I did my first Peloton ride today. I took it easy, just fifteen minutes or so, with steady cadence and relatively low power, staying well within heart rate zone two. It felt good. Some pain but it was mild.

Day nine

Another Peloton ride. Thirty minutes this time. Still easy on the cadence and power. Felt good.

Day ten

Saw a physical therapist. They said recovery seems to be going smoothly and gave me some exercises. Said I should elevate at the end of the day and do ankle “pumps” (flexing my ankle forward and back) while elevating my calf to promote circulation.

Day eleven

I started wearing a compression sleeve. Maybe should’ve done this a few days ago. The PT confirmed it’s fine as long as it’s not too tight.

I just realized I’ve been walking on my treadmill with no pain. I’m still limping a bit I think, but it’s almost gone.

Day fourteen

Two weeks in. I’m still limping, but now I think it’s out of fear rather than a physical limitation.

I’m able to go just about as hard as I want on the Peloton rides. I’m still avoiding getting out of the saddle just to be safe.

Day sixteen

I’m not wearing the compression sleeve today. Hopefully the swelling stays low.