Calf Contusion Recovery question

Hi, 5/6 days ago I got hit with a heavy tackle where I took impact from the other player to my calf in a football match, for the first 2/3 days I struggled to walk, especially if I was lying or sitting down for a while, after a few minutes of movement it would slightly improve and I could walk with a limp, it was extremely sore to touch. The calf muscle was swollen within an hour of the incident but has since improved, in the 4th to 5th day I developed a yellow bruise on my shin. I’m nearly walking as normal now after a few mins of moving around on it but I struggle to stand straight on the impacted leg as I can feel the tension on the calf so it feels more comfortable if I stand with a slight bend in my knee to relieve the tension, I attempted to stretch the calf but I can’t bring my leg back and rest my foot fully flat on the floor without feeling tension and pain, Will this injury recover soon as I have a cup final in 9 days that I want to be back for? Thanks

Hi Owen - that’s an early (or late) cup final! What you are feeling are the very normal after effects of a huge bruise, and you’ve given it a decent amount of time to start the healing process - which is really important. Now you’ve got to do a few things to get you back to “normal” in the next week or so. Get back your flexibility by stretching your calf with a bent and straight knee and also get your fingers into it (or a massage gun). Stretch for 40” and hold, progressing to dropping your heel over a step. You should feel mild/moderate stretch but nothing more than that - and if you do, eases back. You also want to keep your strength by doing calf/heel raises - initially just body weight and with a straight and bent knee. You should be able to do probably x25 raises on a single leg. And finally don’t forget jump and springability (!) so start some small, repetitive double leg jumps - progress your speed and height and single leg hops (after the weekend). A gentle jog also this weekend as a tester is also on the cards. You should be all good to go. Good luck! The Guru