Rupture of the medial gastrocnemius muscle during namaz praying: An unusual cause of tennis leg
Introduction
Rupture of the medial head of the gastrocnemius muscle, also known as tennis leg (TL) is a relatively common condition usually seen in middle-aged veteran tennis or soccer players [1], [2], [3]. The injury usually occurs during forced dorsiflexion of the ankle and simultaneous extension of the knee [2], [3]. We report a unique group of patients who developed TL during namaz praying.
Section snippets
Material and methods
The medical records and sonographic findings of 541 patients with diffuse or focal leg swelling and leg pain who were referred to our department for US diagnosis between January 2000 and March 2007 were evaluated retrospectively. Patients were sent from different departments, including orthopeadics, emergency, and vascular surgery. Fourteen patients (8 men, 6 women, mean age 61, age range 47–87 years) who met the following two criteria were included in this study (1) sonographic and/or MRI
Results
Partial rupture of the medial head of the gastrocnemius muscle was identified in 9 (64.2%) patients (Fig. 1), and complete rupture was seen in the remaining 5 (35.8%) patients (Fig. 2, Fig. 3). Fluid collection between the gastrocnemius and soleus muscle was seen in 11 (78.5%) patients. In one patient, fluid collection between these muscles was the only finding indicating muscle rupture (Fig. 4). In 10 of the 14 (71.4%) patients the clinical presentation and patient history was highly
Discussion
Rupture of the medial head of the gatrocnemius muscle, also known as TL is usually seen in middle-aged tennis or soccer players, but TL may also result from daily activities, such as running to catch a bus, climbing stairs or even hanging curtains [4]. Sudden pain is felt in the calf, and patients often report a “pop” in the calf or a feeling as though someone has kicked the back of their leg.
To the best of our knowledge, rupture of the medial head of the gastrocnemius during namaz praying has
Dr. Cengiz Yilmaz was born in Berlin, 1966. He received his medical degree in 1990, Uludağ School of Medicine, Bursa, Turkey and completed his radiology residency in 1995. He is currently working in Izmir Teaching Hospital, Turkey. He is specially interested in color Doppler sonography and musculoskeletal imaging.
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Cited by (0)
Dr. Cengiz Yilmaz was born in Berlin, 1966. He received his medical degree in 1990, Uludağ School of Medicine, Bursa, Turkey and completed his radiology residency in 1995. He is currently working in Izmir Teaching Hospital, Turkey. He is specially interested in color Doppler sonography and musculoskeletal imaging.
Dr. Yaman Orgen was born in 1960. He received his medical degree in 1983, Agean School of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey and completed his residency in 1989. He is currently working as an orthopaedist in Izmir Teaching Hospital.
Dr. Ruken Ergenc was born in 1972. She received her medical degree from Aegean School of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey and is currently working as a senior radiology resident in Izmir Teaching Hospital.
Dr. Nazif Erkan was born in 1969. He received his medical degree from the Hacettepe School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey. He completed his general surgery residency in 9 Eylul School of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey. He is currently working as an associated professor of general surgery in Izmir Teaching Hospital.