persistent calf muscle pain

[spacediver]

Back in May, I became more active on the field, running around playing frisbee, etc. A week after doing so, both my calves felt like they were on the verge of a pull. There was this tightness that would occur everytime I isometrically contracted them from a standing position. Eventually, the right one pulled while playing a very light game of frisbee. The day after, the area was red and inflamed, and healed up fast. But before it did, I pulled it again a couple weeks later in the midst of a tennis match. Again, the next day, it became red and inflamed, and healed up fast.

During all of this, I never pulled my left calf, but the tightness and sharp pain would still be there. It ebbed and recurred a bit, depending on how intense I was playing sports, but it never fully went back to normal.

It is now nearly October, and I have tried the following:

1: Concentric only calf raises,
2: Eccentric only calf raises
3: Prowler (with two different types of gait).
4: Rest

With each of these rehab attempts, I've taken at least two weeks with each one to really do it carefully with progressive increase in resistance. As a result, my right calf feels great, but the left one hasn't improved at all. I still get that sharp tight pain when I isometrically flex it against the resistance of the floor (i.e. standing up with feet planted on ground). It doesn't hurt at all if I fully plantar flex and contract the muscle as hard as I can - I get pain only during that isometric contraction (e.g. when muscle contracts just before you jump).

The pain is in the muscle belly - I think the gastroc.

I even tried stretching one day, but it felt worse the next day.

I broke my toe three weeks ago, so I haven't done any sports at all, yet all this rest hasn't made one iota of difference in my left calf. I should say that throughout this entire period, I've continued to squat and deadlift, so I haven't taken complete rest. But I don't get the sense that squatting and deadlifting aggravate this at all.

I'm beginning to think that perhaps the only way I can make it heal is to actually pull it properly, like the right one, generating a proper inflammatory response (although I've tried heavy eccentric calf "lowers" with no success).

Anyone have any advice? Would some sort of deep tissue massage maybe help?

[Carnivroar]

strech, foam role, massage

[spacediver]

thanks, I'll give the foam rolling and massage a try over the next few days.