Any advice on wearing calf guards after a calf muscle tear?

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Pale Skinny Vegan Jul 2014 10:55pm, 13 Jul 2014 328 posts	0 Pale Skinny Vegan It's a recurring injury for me. I think the problem is that I don't run much but I do cycle a lot, so when I do run my overall strength and fitness keeps me going long after my running specific muscles are tiring. I bought some calf guards and find they help with support and reducing the pain while walking, but I'm not sure how long I should wear them for. Just while active, then take them off while sitting down or sleeping? Or the opposite, wear them at night and take them off during the day? Or all day and all night and just take them off for showers?
Derby Tup Jul 2014 8:57am, 14 Jul 2014 11,384 posts	0 Derby Tup Are you asking about wearing the calf-guards as part of recovery from injury or just day to day? What's your running "form" like? Forefoot, heel-striker, somewhere in-between?
Pale Skinny Vegan Jul 2014 10:14am, 14 Jul 2014 329 posts	0 Pale Skinny Vegan I got the calf guards to help with injury recovery and also with the intention of wearing them when I start running again, which shouldn't be for another 4 to 6 weeks from what I've read. I searched on Fetch, plus a few other sites on the web, but there doesn't seem to be any standard advice on their use. I'm guessing I should always wear them when running in future if I'm prone to injury, but I'm not sure about their use to help recovery. I don't think I'm experienced enough to analyse my form myself. I suppose I'm a heel striker, I know I always feel heavy footed as I run if that makes sense. I certainly don't have that light, agile, efficient looking style that I see on other runners.
larkim Aug 2014 2:01pm, 15 Aug 2014 49 posts	0 larkim When I tore a calf a few months back, I was given a tubi-grip for the early stages of recovery, and told under no circumstances to wear it at night. I then bought some calf guards and used the same principle - wear them for recovery but not at night. Don't know if there is any logic to this! I did find that running or cycling with the calf guards on felt uncomfortable (I imagine that blood flow in that area was higher when I was active, so they were tighted), so after a few attempts I binned that idea and just wear them for immediate recovery after a run or sometimes throughout the next day if I think they worked particularly hard.
martin K Aug 2014 7:25pm, 27 Aug 2014 5,501 posts	0 martin K i tore mine last week whilst in a race, i wore nothing to calm it down just iced it every 4hrs and in between i put Voltoral Gel on it and it has now calmed down now and that was 9 days with the injury, so i'd say NO to calf Guards
JRitchie Jun 2015 11:38am, 6 Jun 2015 1,050 posts	0 JRitchie Just been checking the threads on calf guards. I had a calf strain five weeks ago. Twice I have been out on short "easy" runs on the flat - too soon with hindsight - and took a step back with the recovery. Had a bit of physio and wearing airline compression socks. However bought some 2XU calf guards and went for 6miles easy today and leg felt great. Now it could be the natural progression of recovery and a placebo effect but certainly I feel the support helped. Interested to read the comments about when to wear them - I assumed it was during a run. Perhaps a bit naive on my part.
idle_wilder Jun 2015 6:40pm, 6 Jun 2015 163 posts	0 idle_wilder I certainly find using compression calf guards or tights have helped during runs, and with recovery - everything held in place where it should be! - along with plenty of stretching after a run, no matter how short/easy it may have felt. If I've done a tough and/or longer run, I sometimes wear compression tights overnight (attractive, I know), and think it has helped reduce muscle soreness the next day. Fingers crossed for your calf!