Tennis Leg?

Tennis leg is a common orthopedic condition that affects people who play racquet sports. It is characterized by a popping noise in the calf during a movement associated with the leg pushing off during a jump, sprint, or sudden change of direction followed by a sharp, burning sensation that makes it difficult to bear weight on the leg. Though it may not initially be observed, tennis leg can lead to superficial bruising, swelling, limitations in knee and ankle range of motion, and increased calf pain at the end-range of ankle dorsiflexion (bringing the toes toward the nose) and with manual palpation. It’s important to note that like tennis elbow, tennis leg is not just a sport-related injury but can also occur in non-athletes.

If you hadn’t heard the term before, you may be surprised to discover it was first clinically described way back in 1883! The condition was initially attributed to rupture of the plantaris muscle tendon in the calf region of the lower leg. However, more recent studies using ultrasound and MRI have shown that in nearly all cases, tennis leg is the result of injury to the gastrocnemius and/or soleus muscles in the calf ¹. In one study, researchers evaluated MRIs of 58 patients with tennis leg and observed that edema or disruption of the medial head of the gastrocnemius at the muscle-tendon junction in 55 cases (90.2%); fluid collection between the medial head of the gastrocnemius and soleus in 44 cases (72.1%); injury to the soleus muscle (which is deeper to the gastrocnemius) in 22 (36.1%) of the cases; and plantaris muscle disruption in 7 cases (11.5%) ¹. In rare cases, tennis leg may be due to deep venous thrombosis posing as a muscle injury, which may require immediate medical attention ².

If you are experiencing symptoms of tennis leg such as pain or swelling in your calf or difficulty bearing weight on your leg, we encourage you to schedule a consultation with us at Morgan Chiropractic. Our team is here to help you find relief from your symptoms so that you can get back to doing what you love.