CALF STRAIN THAT WAS ACTUALLY REFERRED FROM THE LOW BACK
                     CALF STRAIN 
THAT WAS 
ACTUALLY 
REFERRED FROM 
THE LOW BACK
http://www.virtualphysicaltherapists.com/
Jen had been suffering from left calf pain for six years. Her family physician gave anti-
inflammatories, and she received traditional physical therapy consisting of calf 
stretches. When her symptoms persisted, she saw a specialist, who gave her a walking 
boot to wear for six weeks to reduce the stress on the calf and Achilles tendon. Her 
symptoms never really went away, and she then Jen started to notice buttock and thigh 
pain on the same side. Her husband saw an ad for Virtual PT and convinced her to give it 
a try as he was desperate to help her find relief.
 
As an MDT clinician, we always screen the spine first as isolated extremity symptoms 
often are referred from the spine. Overlooking this critical finding will lead to a poor 
outcome and chronicity because the treatment would be to the wrong body part.
 
 
As soon as we started to move Jen’s spine, there was an effect on her calf 
symptoms. Repeated movements into extension immediately decreased her calf pain 
from 6/10 to 2/10. We explained to Jen how the spine refers pain to the leg when there 
is pressure on a nerve, specifically S1 or the sciatic nerve, referring to the calf. The 
motion of back extensions reduced the pressure on her nerve. 
 
Jen went onto do the exercises by herself every day, and by her third visit, she no longer 
had any calf pain!
 
Chris Erickson, PT, Cert. MDT
VIRTUAL 
PHYSICAL 
THERAPISTS
[email protected]
HTTP://WWW.VIRTUALPHYSICALTHERAPISTS.COM/
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