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What is a calf strain?
How can I prevent a calf strain?
Improving sports performance
Calf strain rehabilitation for athletes
How can I prevent
a calf strain?
Stretching your calf muscles before doing your activities best prevents
a calf strain. If you have tight calf muscles, it is a good idea to stretch
these twice a day whether or not you are doing any sports activities that
day.
To reduce the chance
that you will strain a calf muscle:
- Keep your calf
muscles strong so they can absorb the energy of sudden physical stress.
- After a short warm-up
period, stretch out your calf muscles before physical activity (especially
in cold weather).
- Learn the proper
technique for exercise and sporting activities. This will decrease stress
on all your muscles, including your calf muscles.
- Know when your
body has had enough. Fatigue puts you at risk for a strain.
- Cool down properly
by stretching after exercise.
Improving Sports
Performance
The key to improving sports performance after a calf strain is a proper
rehabilitation program and adhering
to some of those same principles after the injury is gone.
The single most important
aspect of improving performance is stretching before and after you step
onto the field, court, ice, or golf course.
Benefits derived from stretching include:
- increased physical
efficiency and performance
- decreased risk
of injury
- increased blood
supply and nutrients to joint structures
- increased coordination
- improved muscular
balance and postural awareness
- reduced stress
- enhanced enjoyment
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