Injury: Knot in Calf, Robaxin? (Read 1173 times)

Hey all, Sorry this is long, I'm just looking for some advice I'm a little bit banged up at the moment. I always buy the same kind of running shoes over and over (asics 2xxx series) and I had recently bought two pairs that looked exactly the same. Long story short, I put 850+ miles on a pair of shoes that I thought was new and my left shin started feeling really sore. I bought a new pair of shoes (asics 2100s, but a different color) because I wasn't sure which pair was bad. My left shin felt fine at that point and then my entire right lower leg, including my knee, started hurting. I was probably compensating too much for my left leg. Ouch. Anyways, basically over the past three to four weeks I have been inconsistently training, trying to shake my legs out because the pain had only been a soreness, not anything I thought was a major injury until my right leg started hurting badly. Now I'm taking time off and I've discovered I have a gigantic knot in my right calf. When I press on this knot I can feel the pain in my knee and entire right leg that I feel when I run/walk. I feel like this knot is responsible for the pain I'm feeling. I had my girlfriend try to massage it out, but it won't go away (although I almost cried during the massage). At this point I'm just taking time off and riding a stationary bike to stay fit. I have a couple questions for those of you who might know: 1. Could a knot be responsible for all of that pain? 2. Is there a good way to get rid of the knot? 2b. Could taking a muscle relaxant such as robaxin be worthwhile and safe? I've heard this helps your body get rid of knots. I had it prescribed to me by a doctor for something a year ago but I didn't use it (I'm not a druggie, I swear!).

George, Sorry to hear about your problem. I have no idea what that knot could be. I thought I would reply to bump it up so others might take a crack at it.

Just a wild guess...acute compartment syndrome? An even better guess...student health!! As stated, "better than a kick in the pants" or a knot in the calf for that matter!! If it isn't better today, run (ok, don't run, drive) yourself to student health & have it checked out!!

Is/was this not up near the back of your knee? If so, is it on the inside or outside of your calf? This could be a possibility...rupture of the plantaris muscle or "Tennis Leg" "Pain varies depending on the severity of the strain. You may simply feel a tightness in one of the muscles. You may feel a dull ache. Or, you may feel sharp, stabbing pains that force you to stop exercising. In particular, a rupture of the plantaris muscle is very painful. If this muscle snaps, it feels like you've been hit in the back of your leg with a rock. Ironically, though, this muscle doesn't have any real function. Even if it doesn't heal, you can get along without it." Check this out... www.americanrunning.org/displayindustryarticle.cfm?articlenbr=1778

George, Glad to hear that the problem went away. It's rather annoying that student health asked you to layoff the running for 6 months to a year. Are they out of their minds? That's like not breathing for an hour. When will they learn that runners are stubborn?