What could I have done? Calf press injury.

[Big G]

At the end of my last leg workout I did 3x25 standing calf presses w/365lb on a smith machine with the balls of my feet standing on 25lb plates each. As I left the gym I did 7 BW calf raises on each of the 16 stairs up out of the gym. I had no pain, no discomfort. Everything seemed fine.

The following morning my left foot was doing something weird. If I leant forward, transfering my weight on to the ball of my foot, then stood normally again, it felt as if a small bone was (kind-of) dislocating just a little bit, then going back in place. It didn't hurt. It just kind-of bugged me, even as I was just trying to walk. It was clicking, not audibly, but in place and out of place. Weird feeling. Its right in the middle of the ball of my foot.

It was like that for about 4 or 5 days, then started to get sore. And it hasn't stopped being sore now for 4weeks. I haven't done any leg workouts, and I've been limping to try and avoid putting any weight on it. It never got bruised or swollen looking. It just doesn't seem like it can hold my bodyweight comfortably and it's still doing that weird clicky thing.

Anyone any ideas what I might have done? What kind of injuries can happen from doing calf presses?

I'm going to go to the doctor. I just thought I'd ask here too.

 

[Merkaba]

lets see. 75 reps with 365. 7 reps at what 197 at end of the leg workout, after you've been using the calves and feet for those other movements as well especially squats and presses. Sounds like an issue waiting to happen to me.

When was the last time you had some days off?

All of that tissue is connected. You work the foot as well when you calf raise....all of the tendons, muscles and everything on the bottom of the foot as well. Just like you don't know how the back works till you pull it. Pull the lower back and feel how that impacts the upper. Sounds like youre on the right track. Gotta see a doctor now. Gotta take a month or two off. I do sets of 6 or so with 540 on the edge of the step block. I also do toe ups when I'm the leg press to counterbalance the calve work. I generally don't do heavy calves on "leg" days either.

 

[Big G]

Saw Doc' yesterday... Good news! There's no bone/muscle/tendon/ligament damage of any kind.

Diagnosis: Morton's Neuroma.
Morton's Neuroma - Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment, Surgery - podiatrychannel

Mine was (unusually) between 2nd and 3rd toe. A quick injection of steroid and numbing agent into the middle of my foot (from on-top and below... Ouch!) and it cleared up immediately. Doc had me walking normally before I left his office. And there was no clicking. Excellent news. I left grinning from ear to ear.

Doc said it'll either fix it for good, fix it for a year (then do it again) or it won't make it past a week (in which case he wants to cut the nerve out!). Whatever.

Today it feels like I stood on a nail yesterday... ouchouchouchouchouch.

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Merkaba - Thanks for your response. I've been endurance training my calves for quite a while on high reps. 75x365lb is 100lb shy of my last cycle max. It's really no big deal. I added the BW calf raises and a whole bunch of calf stretching to reduce next day DOMS & calf tightness. Don't ask me why it helped, but it really did. My calves used to get crazy tight after high reps and heavy poundages, but some end-of-workout BW raises, done slow, with a couple of breaks for some stretching, works wonders for me. I'll probably play with some lower rep stuff later next year. I've been doing everything on fairly high reps recently.

Thanks though! Much appreciated.