Lower Leg Conditions

Explanation: A calf strain, occurs when one of the muscles in the calf (gastrocnemius or soleus) is overstretched, if it is overstretched beyond a certain point, it can even become torn.   

Causes: Sudden acceleration or changes in direction, overuse, or direct trauma can lead to a calf strain or tear. It is common in sports that involve running, jumping, or abrupt movements.  A calf strain or sprain is much more likely to occur when not warned up.  A lack of blood flow, or ongoing tightness in the muscles results in less flexibility and ability to adapt to sudden changes in length, resulting in a higher chance of calf muscle damage.

Natural Solutions:

• Rest and immobilisation initially
• Application of ice packs (see the compression icing principle below in the treatment section)
• Therapeutic ultrasound over the strained or torn calf (usually the most painful area). Also beneficial to use over old injuries to help with scar tissue
• Trio of Creams (Kirofix® Injury Relief Lotion, Bone Aid Relief Cream and Heativate® Relief Cream)
• Dry needling (must be done by a trained professional)
• Cupping therapy (once the damage to the muscle has healed, placing cups on the calf can help decrease muscle tension)
• Gentle stretching and strengthening exercises (only once the damage to the muscle has healed)

Explanation: Common peroneal nerve entrapment is a condition where the common peroneal nerve is compressed, leading to pain, numbness, and weakness along the outer aspect of the lower leg and foot.

Causes: Repetitive stress, prolonged pressure on the knee (e.g., from crossing legs, or an occupation or hobby where the outer aspect of the knee is leaning up against something hard - such as kayaking), direct trauma, or anatomical variations can cause entrapment.  In clinical practice I find that a subluxation to the fibula is often the cause of entrapment of the common perineal nerve a it comes around the fibula head.

Natural Therapies Overview:

• Rest and avoidance of activities that exacerbate symptoms (including sitting cross legged, or with legs crossed)
• Nerve gliding exercises
• Therapeutic ultrasound over the fibula head
• Dry needling of the hamstrings and calf muscles 
• Cupping therapy (hamstrings and calves)
• TENS machine over the area of altered sensation

Explanation: Shin splints refer to pain along the shin bone (tibia) caused by inflammation of the muscles, tendons, and bone tissue around the front of the tibia. It can be felt on the inside (medial shin splints) or outside (anterior shin splints) of the tibia, depending on which muscle is involved.  

Causes: Overuse, improper footwear, running on hard surfaces, imbalances with the calf and other muscles in the lower leg, and sudden increases in physical activity can contribute to shin splints.  Medial shin splints (felt on the inside aspect of the lower leg) is usually the result of biomechanical issues of the leg and foot, whereas anterior shin splints are felt on the outside of the tibia and is more commonly caused by poor footwear or toe running.

Natural Therapies Overview:

• Rest and activity modification
• Ice packs to reduce inflammation if you don’t own a therapeutic ultrasound
• Stretching and strengthening exercises to balance the muscles of the back (calves and front, tibialis muscles and perineal muscles, amongst others)
• Therapeutic ultrasound 
• Trio of Creams
• Dry needling (on the tibialis anterior muscles in anterior shin splints and the tibialis posterior on medial shin splints)
• Cupping therapy on the calves and tibialis and peroneal muscles 

Explanation: Compartment syndrome occurs when pressure within a muscle compartment increases, restricting blood flow and causing pain and potentially damaging the muscles and nerves.  It is extremely painful, depending on the severity of the compression. As you can see by the image to the left, there are 4 compartments in the lower leg.  The anterior compartment is the most common to become a problem.  It is bound by fascia, that only has a limited capacity to expand.  It the muscles inside the compartment suddenly swell with blood the extra space they take up in the anterior compartment compromises the other soft tissues in the area, including blood vessels and nerves.  In severe cases this can be a serious medical emergency.  

Causes: Trauma, repetitive exercise, and severe swelling can lead to compartment syndrome. It can be acute (due to injury) or chronic (due to repetitive activities).  It most commonly occurs when someone goes back to exercise after a prolonged gap in physicality.  All too often people go back to training or competing at the same level they did when they were last active, resulting in the muscles overreacting to “too much too soon!” due to the de-conditioning their body would have experienced during the sedentary period. 

 

Natural Therapies Overview:

• Immediate medical evaluation for acute cases
• Rest and avoidance of aggravating activities for chronic cases (once the issue has been resolved, return to activity much slower to re-condition the muscles involved)
• Ice packs to reduce swelling over the painful area (anterior compartment) if you don’t have a therapeutic ultrasound
• Stretching and strengthening exercises once the acute phase has passed
• Therapeutic ultrasound over the anterior compartment to assist the healing of the damaged nerve and vessels in the compromised anterior compartment and tibial bone sheath and to reduce the inflammation and pain
• Trio of Creams (great for dealing with the soft tissues involved as well as the periosteal (bone sheath) involvement and nerve involvement, as well as increasing blood flow to the muscles that are starving for oxygen and nutrients)
• Dry needling the tibialis anterior muscle (on the outside of the lower leg)
• Cupping therapy on the tibialis anterior muscle and surrounding calf and tibialis posterior and perineal muscles 
• TENS machine over the anterior compartment directly to drug free pain relief

Explanation: Inflammation of the Achilles tendon, which connects the calf muscles to the heel bone.  It usually presents as pain and stiffness along the Achilles tendon, particularly in the morning or after physical activity.  Left untreated the Achilles can become quite thick and inflexible.

 

Causes: Overuse, sudden increase in physical activity, tight calf muscles, and improper footwear.  Quite commonly occurs when increasing the level of activity either suddenly of consistently over a period of time without including stretching to keep the calf muscles flexible.

Natural Solutions:

• Rest and activity modification (be mindful of using stairs and going up hills particularly)
• Ice packs to reduce inflammation if you don’t own a therapeutic ultrasound
• Stretching and strengthening exercises to balance the muscles of the back (calves and front, tibialis muscles and perineal muscles, amongst others)
• Therapeutic ultrasound for fastest healing results
• Trio of Creams
• Dry needling (on the gastrocnemius and solues muscles - the two muscles that make up the Achilles Tendon)
• Cupping therapy on the calves to release tension and reduce the pull on the Achilles Tendon

Explanation:  A common cause of heel pain in growing children, particularly active ones.  There is a growth plate epiphysis on the calcaneus (heel bone) that can be affected by continued tightness in the calf muscles.  It presents as pain at the back of the heel, often worsened by physical activity.  Commonly causing limping after playing sport.

Causes: Overuse and repetitive stress on the heel during periods of rapid growth, especially in kids playing a lot of sport with little rest in between trainings and games.

Natural Solutions:

• Rest and activity modification (reduce the frequency of activity, ensuring rest days in between activities).  If the condition is significant, cessation of activity for a period may be necessary
• Ice packs to reduce inflammation if you don’t own a therapeutic ultrasound
• Stretching and strengthening exercises for the calf muscles.  Calf stretch with both knee straight and bent
• Therapeutic ultrasound for fastest healing results, pulsed setting directly over the calcaneus (heel bone)
• Trio of Creams
• Cupping therapy on the calves to release tension and reduce the pull on the Achilles Tendon (Keep in mind that this condition is a childhood condition, so if the child is very young, this may not be appropriate)

Explanation: Therapeutic ultrasound uses high frequency sound waves to penetrate deep into the tissues, promoting blood flow, reducing inflammation, and accelerating vibrational healing.  The high frequency vibration reacts with the water within our cells causing an excitation that translates into healing.  

Applications: Effective for muscle tears, nerve entrapments, shin splints, and compartment syndrome by enhancing tissue repair and reducing pain. We advise to use the therapeutic ultrasound as you final treatment protocol.  Regardless of whether you’re using cupping, stretching or even having dry needling, using the ultrasound at the end can dramatically enhance the results and limit inflammation and pain.  Although you always need to use the gel to conduct the sound waves of the ultrasound deep into the body, applying the Kirofix® Injury Relief Lotion and Bone Aid Relief Cream before applying the gel and using the ultrasound on the pulsed setting will further enhance the amazing effects.

Explanation: A set of three topical creams formulated to reduce pain, inflammation, and promote healing through 100% natural ingredients.  The Kirofix® Injury Relief Lotion has active ingredients that work their magic on soft tissues such as muscles, tendons, ligaments, bursae, meniscus, discs, capsules, cartilage, blood vessels etc. While the actives in Bone Aid Relief Cream have been chosen for their bone and nerve healing properties.  Finally, the trio is made complete with Heativate® Relief Cream, which has active ingredients chosen for their ability to enhance blood circulation, which is absolutely pertinent in promoting healing.  In fact the active ingredients of Kirofix® and Bone Aid are driven deep into the damaged tissues by the properties in Heativate®, optimising the healing abilities.  

To find out more or to order the Dr Kez Trio of Creams to assist you on your therapeutic journey, CLICK the image below!

Applications: Easy application, absorbed well into the skin and it goes a long way.  Can be used to manage pain and inflammation in conditions such as calf tears, shin splints, nerve entrapments and compartment syndrome.

Explanation: Dry needling involves inserting thin needles (the same as used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for Acupuncture) into trigger points in muscles.  Trigger points are areas within the muscle that has accumulated lactic acid, the waste product of muscle movement.  If left, these trigger points result in tightening and shortening of the muscles, which leads to joints being jammed up tight causing wear and tear arthritis, as well as dysfunction in the muscle, let alone pain and inflammation.  Dry needling increases blood flow to the local area allowing the lactic acid to be washed out, restoring normal tension, length and function to the muscle and alleviating pain. 

Applications: Useful for muscle tears, nerve entrapments, compartment syndrome and shin splints by releasing tight muscle bands and improving blood flow.

Explanation: Cupping involves adhering cups on the skin surface, by using the suction created by a vacuum pump.  This negative pressure draws the top layer of muscle, as well as the skin, up into the cup to break away its adhesion to the muscle below.  Tight muscles trap lactic acid.  Lactic acid is very sticky and causes muscle layers to stick together.  The different layers of muscles in the lower limb are designed to perform different functions.  When they are all adhered to one another, these functions become affected and instead of working independently these muscles get activated when they shouldn’t be which results in paradoxical (unusual) movement, leading to joint dysfunction, pain and inflammation.  Once the muscles have separated, the blood can flow effectively to all muscles involved, reducing pain and promoting healing.  Blood flow is necessary for healthy function of muscles and repair of injuries.

Applications: Beneficial for muscle tears, nerve entrapments, shin splints, and compartment syndrome by enhancing circulation and reducing muscle tightness.  Enhanced circulation will speed up the recovery of damaged cells and tissues, enhancing healing.

Explanation: Applying an ice pack wrapped around the affected area helps to reduce inflammation, swelling, and pain.  It temporarily decreases the blood flow to the damaged area, allowing torn vessels to heal.  The benefits of using a wrap on ice kit, instead of a trusty packet of frozen peas are worth considering: 

1. Hands free icing

2. Adequate compression (ideal for stopping swelling of acute injuries)

3. Avoidance of ice burns (due to ice pack not touching the skin directly)

4. Malleable gel pack for mouldability to injured area

5. 2 gel packs (one can be left in the freezer, ready to go at a moments notice)

6. Gel packs can be used for heat or ice

Applications: Effective for immediate relief in acute injuries like calf sprains, tears and chronic conditions like shin splints and compartment syndrome.    Ice for 10 minutes on and then off again for 10 minutes is the best protocol to be able to give the body a chance to replenish the area with healing blood cells, in between occluding the blood flow for the vessels to heal. 

Please note if you have a Therapeutic Ultrasound, I would strongly suggest using it over the ice therapy mentioned here.

Explanation: The Dr Kez 4 in 1 TENS machine has 4 features:

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) uses electrical impulses to relieve pain as the brain can only perceive one impulse from a given area at a time.  Apply the electrodes where there is pain and the brain will pick up the sensation of the TENS buzz over the original pain sensation.

Interferential Mode takes TENS to a deeper level.  By combining two electrode of TENS stimulation in a criss-cross pattern over the painful area, the magnitude is exemplified allowing the sensation to be experienced deeper in the body, helping deal with pain in deeper areas, like disc bulges, period pain etc.

Electro-Muscular Stimulation (EMS) is designed to provide an electrical impulse into a muscle to cause it to contract.  When used in the calf with your leg above heart level it can be used to very effectively return lymphatic fluid back to the lymph nodes eliminating oedema and swelling in the legs.  Likewise it can be applied to the forearms for hand inflammation, like what can be experienced in carpel tunnel syndrome.  Stimulating the nerves in this way, causing muscle to contract behaves like the pump for the lymphatic system, assisting with lymphatic return and elimination of oedema and pain.

Russian Training Mode takes EMS to the next level.  The strength of the muscle contraction that can be generated by this mode can build muscle strength, making it brilliant for rehabilitation after an injury or surgery and to rectify postural imbalances, which if left out of balance, makes us vulnerable for future ailments and injuries.

To find out more or to add a Dr Kez 4 in 1 TENS machine to your healing routine, CLICK the image below!

Applications: Useful for managing pain in conditions like nerve entrapments and muscle sprains and tears, promoting relaxation and pain relief and rehabilitating muscle imbalances that can lead to shin splints and compartment syndrome.

By incorporating these natural therapies, individuals suffering from conditions between the knee and ankle can find relief and support the healing process.