Orthopedist or just rest?

I work with orthopedic surgeons for a living. If you are questioning an injury I would find one that specializes in athletes. There is a big difference in a doc that builds his practice on the elderly and one that is sports minded. A sports minded doc will take everything into consideration, including your goals and training.

To give you an example, I was having knee issues and some of the questions my doc asked me where - let me see the wear on your running shoes: what is the cadence you maintain on the bike?... He treated me and said we would reevaluate after my Ironman. The treatment got the job done and i kept my training intact. If you have any question go see a doc and listen to what he has to say. If he tells you to lay off, lay off. A ruptured muscle is far worse then losing a few weeks of running.

Just my 2 cents

Sounds like you've been pushing through an impending/recurring injury for a while. I'd see a doc, and agree with finding one that specializes in athletes.

Go see someone but see a doc who is sports trained.  MRI may or may not be appropriate and will do nothing to treat the problem.  THere is a link to AMSSM on this site or you can try AOSSM http://www.sportsmed.org to find a doc near you.  If you PM me where you live I may be able to reccomend someone in your area. 

Edited by Socks 2009-08-17 8:12 PM

If you know what your problem is--repeated calf strains--I'd say maybe visit a PT who specializes in runners. He or she can look at your gait, your shoes, your build, etc., and evaluate if you have any underlying issues that can be treated to prevent it from happening in the future.

Otherwise, you may just get stuck in a cycle of rest...recover...return..re-strain.

I thought I had a recurrent calf strain as well. All the symptoms pointed at a muscle strain based on an internet-based diagnosis. Kept running 50-60 mpw for 4 weeks even though it was sore all the time. Turned out to be a nasty stress fracture that will take months to heal. If I would have caught it early I'd be back training already. My advice-spend the hour or so it takes and the few bucks to get it checked out.