Hey there, not sure if it is the right section but it seemed the most fitting one. A few days ago when it was warmer around here I was waiting for the bus when suddenly i noticed that my left shin looked different from my right. After I got home I observed my calves in the mirror and well my left one is way bigger than on the right side. The difference between those two is around 2-3 cm. It is the same with my clubmates but not by this much- I can imagine why this is how it is (being right handed most of the times the left leg applies the force) but this raised one question in my mind. Is it harmful in any way? Should I do some exercise especially for the right leg? Thanks in advance
Probably not, I have the same thing and I've never had any problems. I am however curious to why this happens.
It happens because you use your dominant leg to push and thus it gets more work than the other leg. Same thing with your hands. Workout more in the gym to limit the imbalance.
I haven't had any problems caused by this disbalance but being a physics student I really like symmetry
Its definitely a good idea to try and work both sides of your body equally. Muscle imbalances may cause you problems depending on the type of imbalance. I would have thought that right leg vs left leg imbalance is not as serious as say an imbalance in back vs front core muscles (panic!), but perhaps there are some experts around who can enlighten us. I would tend to recommend doing off court activities for both sides of the body, but not so much to cure imbalance as to prevent injury in general. Will be interested to see if we have any experts in this area!
surely if the imbalance was from badminton, your bigger calf would be your right (as you are right-handed)
Nope it is obviously the other way round. When you move most of the first and most powerful push is done by the left leg. Plus badminton is the only sport I do except from some jogging and cycling.
well you've addressed its just the nature of the sport and the mechanics of moving around the court. i always to jump squats and lunges after all my games have finished. along with racket+cover twists for my non-racket arm, just to balance everything out. my right shoulder is always slightly bigger and better conditioned as a result of playing as well.
