What does whiplash involve?

The whiplash is a typical tennis injury and occurs mainly in players from the age of 35. The light form is often called cramps or strain. The serious form is a real tear, often on the inside of the calf. This muscle damage is caused by the sudden and powerful tensing of the calf muscles, for example during a sprint to get a drop shot. You often feel a severe, sharp or burning pain in the calf. In the worse form, you sometimes even hear a snapping sound. Such a wound usually recovers fairly quickly but leaves scar tissue. Unfortunately, this connective tissue is no longer as elastic as the surrounding muscle and therefore always remains a delicate point in the muscle and the chance of recurrence is very high.

It is not known how and why a whiplash occurs. It has been found that it is more common in sports where you sometimes stand on your toes with a straight leg and make fierce movements. Tennis (serving) and volleyball (smashing) are well-known examples. Not warming up or warming up poorly before exercise also increases the risk of a whiplash. In cold and damp weather, the risk is higher than in hot and dry weather.

Treating whiplash

In the first 48 hours, after getting the whiplash, it is important that you cool the painful area as soon as possible with ice or cold running water. Be careful that it doesn’t get too cold and that the leg doesn’t get hypothermia. Therefore, do not put ice on the bare leg, but wrap it, for example, in a washcloth. Next, it is important to apply compression to the leg. Use the Herzog PRO Compression Socks for this. Due to the pressure of the socks, the calf muscle remains supported and the strain or tear is not put under extra strain. After that, put the leg up.

Repairing whiplash

After a day or two, the worst of the pain and swelling will be gone. From that point on, you can slowly start building up loads. Make sure you take your time and take your rest immediately in case of pain. As a tax, you can choose to go cycling or swimming. These sports improve blood flow and promote healing. It is recommended to do stretching exercises so that the calf muscle does not shorten. During this process, the compression socks are very importance.

How do I prevent a whiplash?

To avoid a whiplash, a good warm-up and cool-down is indispensable. The stretching exercises for the calf muscles are especially important here. In addition, wear the Herzog PRO Compression Socks while exercising. These work preventively to prevent calf complaints.