Half Calf

Last week my left calf started hurting big time. By Wednesday, it was very tender, making me limp, and noticeable even when I was in bed. By Thursday, it was aching even when I was sitting down.  Because of my history, I made a doctor’s appointment for Thursday afternoon. Because of my history, the doctor ordered an ultrasound to rule out a DVT (blood clot).

I was relieved when the ultrasound didn’t show anything unusual, but puzzled about my calf. It hurt near the top of my calf, not in the middle where I would expect a calf strain. While it bothered me when I walked, it hadn’t bothered me when I ran on Wednesday. I couldn’t remember doing anything to injure it. The doctor prescribed rest (with gentle stretching and light activity), ice and alternating Tylenol/Motrin.

Friday morning I started my day with my favorite yoga routine–the “Twists” program on my Rodney Yee A.M. Yoga For Your Week DVD. I took Tylenol and Motrin but never got around to icing it. While I was working at my kitchen counter Friday evening, I crossed my legs and–ouch!–found that tender spot. I remembered working at home most of Monday (Memorial Day), sitting at my kitchen counter, crossing my legs. Was that the source of my problem? I made a point to keep my legs un-crossed and stood and stretched frequently.

I alerted my friend that I wouldn’t be able to meet her for a run on Saturday, and just took my dog for a walk instead. When I took my dog out again in the afternoon, I noticed that my calf did not hurt at all.  By that point I was pretty sure that the whole episode stemmed from my over-zealous leg crossing. I sent a text message to my friend indicating that I might be able to run on Sunday morning, and she immediately tried to convince me that I was fine.  The weather in the D.C. area was amazing this weekend–with temps in the upper 50s and low humidity at our usual o’dark-thirty running time.

We met up for a run at her house (her neighborhood has gentler hills than mine) and went for 6 miles instead of our usual 7 or 8. My calf felt fine, and I felt good as we averaged a 9:15 min/mile pace.

So, I guess I will cancel my follow-up doctor’s appointment, but I’m not sure I’ll tell the doctor my theory of what I really did to my calf.

On a similar note, ever since my chiropractor fired me and I made a doctor’s appointment about my ITB/piriformis issue, that hasn’t really bothered me either! My ITB feels a smidge tight when I run, but it hasn’t been bothering me any other time.  I still am going to keep at least my first few physical therapy appointments because I know I have some muscle imbalances, but hopefully I will be explaining what “usually” bothers me instead of pointing to current pain points.

Have you ever had a mystery injury?

Did you ever figure out what it was?