How to recover from a muscle fiber tear?

Back with you all again to continue sharing old and new experiences. There’s no need to repeat everything said before, but it’s important to emphasize key concepts that we will recall and gradually focus on. This time, we’re going to talk about: How to recover from a muscle fiber tear?

We’re going to really put the Sizen into practice and see what role it plays in this type of treatment. Next, I’m going to explain a real case. Probably one of the most striking I’ve had in my 27 years of career, and one I remember well.

The story begins some time ago, when one day the phone rings and someone starts telling me about their situation and their unusual diagnosis.

Among other details, and as interesting information, the patient tells me that while skiing, they suffered a fall and heard a loud sound. Immediately after, they felt a strong sensation that something had torn in the back of the leg, in the calf and soleus area.

After several tests, including the usual movements and inspections, more thorough examinations were done due to the severity and sensations. They detected: a partial tear of the gastrocnemius muscle (commonly known as the calf) in the right leg, but with the “curiosity” of the length of this tear… 18 cm.

18 cm tear in the calf!

But as always happens to me, curiosity gets the better of me, and so do challenges. So I accepted the challenge of treating this patient. Apparently, the patient was given up on by the traumatologist. We scheduled a visit and got to work. I started thinking of a plan to improve, recover, and restore function to the leg. An important part of the recovery process would be the benefits of pressotherapy.

After the first visit, where we caught up and gathered initial data and information, two things became clear:

1.- Due to the location and length of the tear, it will require different care in many aspects, and a strong commitment from both sides.

2.- The injury has been present for some time, so mobility and drainage will be very important. Lack of activity and movement causes atrophy in the area, leading to other injuries and discomfort caused by this inactivity. It’s worth mentioning that pressotherapy works and is highly recommended for this type of condition.

How do we recover from this muscle fiber tear?

From the first visit, due to the atrophy in the area, we focused mainly on recovering movement and improving circulation and drainage, so that the area would gradually start to regain its previous condition.

Little by little, with the patient’s involvement in all aspects, recovery began to show results. After some sessions, we saw how rehabilitation was working and noticed some very positive signs in the leg.

The application of pressotherapy in physiotherapy for this injury proved to be very important, since it was a long-standing injury. This involved immobilization, followed by a rest period and gradual activation, making mobilization work—both active and passive—crucial. This is where pressotherapy plays a key role.

It provides movement to the area and its vital organs, essential both for recovery itself and for future activities. Pressotherapy is aimed at these people. Pressotherapy has played a major role, since for daily life and especially for sports activities, the legs always play a leading role. That’s why the drainage and circulation provided by sports pressotherapy is very important when it comes to recovering from a muscle fiber tear.

In short, from an injury we began treating a few months ago, where all the forecasts were poor. Where sequelae such as limping were expected, and almost certainly the patient would not be able to return to sports or moderate-intensity activities…

We recovered 70% of mobility in 2 months!

With the patient’s participation, we returned to a normal life. They practically don’t remember their injury. After 2 months of treatment, recovery was about 70%, and 100% at 6 months.

Remember, the tear was 18 cm long; the calf was almost completely torn.

This reminds us: Never give up, NEVER! Especially when we talk about how to recover from a muscle fiber tear.

There is always something that can be done, always an alternative, and our effort and perseverance always take us to places we never imagined… Every effort has its reward!

Jordi Langa
N. 10492