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Case Reports
. 2016 Nov 29;12(1):120-123.
doi: 10.1016/j.radcr.2016.10.012. eCollection 2017 Mar.

"Tennis leg": gastrocnemius injury is a far more common cause than plantaris rupture

Joelle R Harwin  1 , Michael L Richardson  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

"Tennis leg": gastrocnemius injury is a far more common cause than plantaris rupture

Joelle R Harwin et al. Radiol Case Rep. .

Abstract

We report a typical case of "tennis leg", in which the main finding was a fluid collection between the medial head of the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles. Since the first clinical description of this entity in 1883, the injury has been attributed to rupture of the plantaris tendon. However, recent studies of this condition with sonography and magnetic resonance imaging have shown that most of these cases are actually due to injury to the gastrocnemius and/or soleus muscles, and up to 10% are due to deep venous thrombosis masquerading as muscle injury. The plantaris muscle and tendon are only rarely involved in this injury.

Keywords: Deep vein thrombosis; Gastrocnemius; Plantaris tendon; Tennis leg.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
MRI of the right calf. (A and B) Coronal T2-weighted fat-suppressed images show a hyperintense fluid collection between the medial head of the gastrocnemius and soleus. Increased subcutaneous T2 signal is noted along the lower leg. (C and D) Axial T2-weighted fat-suppressed images show a hyperintense fluid collection between the medial head of the gastrocnemius and soleus.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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