The Effectiveness of Tecar Therapy in Management of Calf Muscle Strain Injuries

Calf muscle strain is one of the most common muscle injuries in high-performance athletes and contributes to substantial player downtime because of its high mean time to return to sport and occurrence during critical periods in the competitive season. Published reports on lower-body muscle strain have provided frequent updates on the rehabilitation of high-profile muscle groups, such as the hamstring muscles, and improvements to calf strain management are seldom discussed despite the prevalence of these injuries in competitive sports. In this article, we discuss the diagnosis, treatment, outcomes, risk factors, and prevention of calf muscle strain in athletes.Transfer of Electricity-Capacitive and Resistive (Tecar) therapy is considered a special form of energy that uses frequencies between 300 KHz and 1 MHz and is characterized as a non-invasive high-frequency energy that awakens the body's natural ability to self-regenerate. Thus, it promotes the natural physiological processes of the tissue metabolically, transferring energy without introducing radiation from the external environment. TECAR therapy stands out as a promising yet underexplored modality. Its mechanism of action-utilizing both capacitive and resistive energy transfer-suggests a novel approach to addressing musculoskeletal injuries and pain. While preliminary studies and clinical applications hint at its potential advantages, such as improved tissue healing and pain relief, a comprehensive evaluation of the existing research is necessary to fully understand the role of TECAR therapy in rehabilitation

Inclusion criteria

• Aged between 16-39 years of age.
• not having suffered leg injuries in the past 6 months.
• not having suffered a triceps sural rupture in the past two years.
• be diagnosed with latent MTPs in the gastric-soleus complex through manual therapy in the dominant side.
• Presence of Calf muscles Strain evaluated by Ultrasonography.
• Athlete willing and able to participate in an exercise program safely.
• The radiologist also assessed whether the tendon ends could be reduced in passive plantar flexion of the ankle joint with the knee extended.
• Athlete BMI from 18.5 to 24.9 kg / m2

Exclusion criteria

• connective tissue pathology.
• lymphatic disorders (lymphadenopathy).
• Skin injuries (open wounds, infection, psoriasis, tattoos, hematoma).
• peripheral neuropathies.
• previous fractures.
• previous lower limb surgeries (in the past 12 months).