I saw the remedial physiotherapist for the first time today - 20th February. It has been ten days since the calf-tear. I gave him the crutches back and said, "I no longer need those!" and he said, "So I can see!". I explained what I had been doing to self-treat and he was clearly impressed with how quickly the calf had been healing. He made various assessments and checked my range of movement and that there had been no trauma to to the achilles tendon, which there hadn't. He then proceeded to do some very painful deep-tissue massage on the spot of the tear to ensure no scar tissue was laid down. He couldn't do much of this because I was yelling too much and later did more Bowen to myself.
Where this physiotherapist came into his own was in giving me some remedial exercises. I requested exercises and was given some calf-stretches to bulk the muscles to the injured right leg. Apparently the muscle bulk was much greater to the left than the right, which I had never noticed, or even felt upon palpation myself.
I was given two different sets of exercises one lowering the right leg on it's own slowly from a rise to do six times, hanging off some stairs, and then to start with 4 rises from a bent leg, again hanging off some stairs, to give a good stretch to the soleous muscle.
I was then given the magic news that I had recovered so well I could start dancing again the following Monday if I was very careful and did no allegro or demi-pointe work. The physio trusted I knew enough about the body etc and healing to take great care. Having been originally told I wouldn't be dancing for 4-6 weeks and be back after 2, this was very good news indeed!
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