Charley Horse Recovery
How to speed up recovery from a dead leg.
A dead leg (also known as a "Charley Horse") is a common rugby injury. It is where the muscle is crushed against the bone. Good recovery management can help a player return faster to training and playing.
Immediately: Apply ice to the bruise. Either use a medical ice pack directly onto the area, or frozen peas/crushed ice in a plastic bag (but use a cloth as well to prevent frostbite). Apply 10 minutes on the injury, 10 minutes off for as long as possible. Practically this will probably be for about an hour.
Later on: If moving the leg is possible and there is only some discomfort, gently stretch the muscle. Apply some very light massage, but if the pressure causes pain then it is best to stop.
Consult a sports injury specialist if there is more serious pain and discomfort. If this is the case, it is important to use crutches and reduce the amount of weight on the damaged leg until you can seek medical opinion.
Back to training: Attempt training once the knee can be bent more than 90 degrees. Otherwise running will employ other muscles to protect the leg, leading to damage elsewhere.