Tennis Leg

Symptoms of Tennis Leg:

• Sudden onset of pain in the back of the knee or calf muscle.
• The ability to move the ankle will be affected.
• Weakness and pain when trying to stand on tip-toes.
• Bruising and swelling are common.
• Sometimes mistaken for a deep vein thrombosis.

What is Tennis Leg?

Tennis leg is a tear or rupture of the plantaris muscle and possibly the medial head or inside of the calf muscle (gastrocnemius).

The Plantaris muscle is a thin muscle in the back of the lower leg, which attaches just above the knee on the outside, passes down the back of the calf and inserts on to the heel bone. It's function is to assist the larger calf muscles in plantarflexing the ankle (pointing the foot down). This muscle is absent in up to 15% of the population.

The injury most frequently occurs due to a force whilst the knee is straight. Movements such as jumping or pushing off may cause this injury. Both movements are frequent in Tennis, hence the development of the term 'tennis leg' to describe this injury.

Treatment

Treatment of a tennis leg injury should be the same as for any muscle strain:

• Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation to reduce bleeding, swelling and inflammation.
• Period of partial weight bearing if it is painful to walk normally - crutches may be required.
• Full weight bearing should be introduced as soon as it is not painful.
• Mobility exercises and gentle calf stretching may be performed after the first day or two (again provided this is pain-free).
• Once walking is comfortable, strengthening exercises can begin.
• Strengthening should start with isometric exercises - the patient pushes the foot down against a stationary object (the ankle doesn't move).
• This can be increased to using resistance bands and then performing calf raises.
• Once calf strength is equal to the other side, a gradual return to sports can be initiated.