Recently, ive suffered some sort of slight injury to my right leg. This injury couldn’t have come at a worse time b/c i am supposed to report to preseason soccer camp in about a week. The area of pain is located behind my knee, where the top of my calf meets the bottom of my hamstring. I have no pain when i walk or jog, but when i sprint or just shake my right leg i experience quite a painful sensation. Its especially noticable during the first few seconds RIGHT AFTER i complete a 50 or 60 meter sprint, or during MaxV work. So, ive ceased all speed work and i am now iceing the area on a regular basis…which leads me to my question:
How many times a day, and for how long each time, should I ice this injured area of my leg? I know that nothing it torn or seriously damaged (yet), but it has definitely been causing me pain during my last 2 speed sessions. In the past ive been advised to ice the injured area in 20 minute intervals, for example: 20 minutes on followed by 20 minutes off, 20 on and 20 off, etc…but how many intervals of icing is too many? I will gladly ice my leg all throughout the day if it will help me to heal faster; ill do whatever it takes to heal as fast as possible.
What do you think? Thanks for any help. I need to heal ASAP.