Could it only be just over a year ago when I first tore my right calf muscle? What I find most interesting is that this article has generated the most search hits on my blog - over 35%. Also of interest is that this spring and early summer, I noticed the frequency of these search hits increasing.I guess this makes quite a bit of sense, as the weather improves and people get outside more frequently and over-do stuff. So, if you are one of those people who arrive here via a search for "torn calf muscle", welcome! Please leave a comment on how you injured yourself (accident, sporting, shark bite, etc.) and what your recuperation and recovery experience was. Especially helpful would be stretches to loosen up the ole' calf muscle to prevent this from happening a third time.
"Did he say third time?", I hear you mumble? Why, yes I did. However, this time it was the left calf muscle. Thus, it seems as if the universe has balanced out my damaged lower leg muscles once and (hopefully) for all.
We were at opening day for the Vista Soccer Club, and all three of our kids are playing this season. Besides team pictures, there are several booths there for the kids and/or adults who still think they are kids (that would be me).
My son ran a timed sprint, and set the record for his age group at that early hour. He encouraged me to give it a try, and I did so, even though my left calf had been bitching at me for several weeks that something just wasn't right. I didn't stretch, warm up, or do anything to remotely warn my calves what I was about to ask of them.
Two steps into the sprint, and I feel a pop in my left calf muscle, and immediately pull up and hop around like a wounded stork. Stupid, stupid, stupid! I applied ice immediately, went home, and applied R.I.C.E. therapy. Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation.
Comparing the initial discomfort to my previous injury, I knew that the new tear wasn't as bad as the old one. Instead of feeling as if someone hit the back of my leg with an aluminum baseball bat, the new injury felt as if something just popped loose.
So, as of this Monday morning, I am limping around the office like a goon, but relatively pain free. I will be taking it extremely easy over the next 4 weeks, with a goal of returning to the water and surfing gently at some point after that. Wish me luck!
54 comments:
Looks like no one has commented yet so I'll be the first. I am sitting on my couch Google searching torn calf muscle because I just did my left one a few hours ago. My scenario: I am 35 and in decent shape. I ski all winter and as spring was just starting here, I went out on a 2 hour bike ride yesterday. Today, I joined my wife for some recreational volleyball at the park. No stretching of any sort before playing, of course... I was at the net and jumped up to hit the ball as it came over the net. I felt a "pop" in about my midcalf and it felt like someone threw a rock hard at my calf. I remember my mind thinking "why did my wife just kick a rock into me?" This quickly turned into "Oh no! I know what just happened." Immediate pain in the calf and my toes pointed straight down. I could not put any weight on the leg. Next stop was the ER because my fear was a torn Achilles. Doc checked it out and decided no complete tear of Achilles. After poking around for a while, I was feeling much better. Doc asked me to put some weight on it. Sure, why not? As I gingerly put weight down on my left leg, the sharp pain hit and I nearly collapsed. OK, half splint on the lower left leg and an appointment for an ortho and MRI later this week.
As I read much more information about people and their injuries, it is clear there is a wide range of recovery duration and options.
Sorry to hear about the injury, Anon. I can only hope that yours will start to feel better in about a week, as mine did. However, don't do anything stupid once it starts to feel better, as it is *still* injured. I stupidly re-injured my left calf muscle the first time I had a tear, and boy did I feel dumb.
Good luck!
Hi guys,
Thanks for sharing your calf war stories. Here is mine.
At age 55 I decided to give slow pitch softball a try after a 15 year "rest" and a gain of 40 extra pounds. I was surprised to discover that I was the kid out there.
First time out was a gas. Swung the bat fine, fielded grounders OK, threw great after the first 25 or so. The experience was fun but left me a bit sore. Five days later was the next game. While playing third base, I did a cross over step to backhand a grounder down the line...pulled my left hamstring. Earlier, I felt something pop in my inside elbow/forearm area. Turns out I either pulled a muscle or tore a tendon there as well. 8 days and lots of soreness later, I was left with nasty bruises on both but at least I was feeling better.
Game #3. Batted and played first. Ultimate humiliation...a 63 YO lady ran for me the entire game but I survived, unscathed but sore.
Today was game number #4, 5 days since the last. Now comes the part relevant to this thread. This time I "ran" for myself at bat and played short fielder. I had lots of action in the field and the inning before had to hustle to score from second. Lots of long dormant muscles/sinew was stressed.
While in the field a ball was hit to my left and I just tensed as if to go for it when I felt a pop in my mid to lower left calf. It did not feel like I was struck or stabbed or anything traumatic, just a distinct pop that caused me to go straight down probably more due to fear than pain.
I was helped off the field and iced it for 15 minutes before gimping very gingerly back to my car which was about 150 yards away...yikes! It turns out I couldn't manage any "push off" with my left foot while walking without intense pain. I almost had to walk sideways or backward as dumb as it sounds.
My Subaru outback is a stick and it was almost impossible to use the clutch, but I managed to get home.
It's now 12 hours since the injury. No swelling or bruising, and I have no pain except if I stand and try to walk. Then it's whoa-gee-momma pain! However, if my left knee is at a 90 degree angle while sitting or lying on my back I can flex my foot up and down but in the standing position it is very painful and impossible to flex the foot forward as if to walk.
This is the weirdest part. My son was taken aback when he saw my calf from the rear while I was trying to stand up straight. Turns out I have sort of a hollow spot in my lower calf and it has what I would descibe looks like a vein running just under the skin like what most men have on the tops of their hands.
I'm speculating that this is probably a part of my achilles tendon that has torn from the calf muscle and retracted towards my heel. A visit to the hospital may be in order tommorrow depending on how it goes tonight.
I'm considering re-evaluating my decision to play softball. What do you guys think?.
Joe,
I would hustle to the doctor ASAP and have it looked at. My doc said that if it was a bad tear, surgery may be needed. However, when he examined my calf muscle he said that he could detect no "voids", which it sounds like you may have.
For all of my injuries, I attribute them to a lack of stretching beforehand and sudden acceleration causing the tear.
I was thinking about trying to play some soccer again, but I know that my lower legs are not in the best of shape anymore, so I am currently in the same dilemma as you.
Good luck, and let us know how it goes!
Alan
Alright, here's my story, on Monday, I was walking out in a field with my client, who is an adult and disabled. I am a 49 year old female, not in the greatest shape, but actively losing weight and working on my fitness. So I was walking slightly uphill, she wobbled, I wobbled, put my foot down on an elevated spot and my heel dropped. Pop. Shriek! I thought I had the Charly Horse from hell, until it became obvious that the pain wasn't receding and I couldn't walk. Yup, I was stuck in the field with my disabled client. My MD assured me that its not a tendon, diagnoses is Undetermined tear of muscle, ligament, fascia. Go home, Ice it and come back in a week. Its been three days and the pain is still extreme. Sigh...
le' ouch, anonymous! Hopefully, after around 7 days, your leg will begin feeling normal. However, DON'T do anything stupid, as you can easily re-tear the muscle... Don't ask how I know that, just learn from my stupid mistake (see http://c600g.blogspot.com/2006/07/torn-calf-muscle.html ).
Good luck, and I hope you feel better ASAP.
Thanks to all and especially Alan for giving us this forum to share info on our similar injury. I'm finding the advice and experiences very helpful.
It is now seven days since my injury occurred and I never did see the Dctor.
There's good news and bad news.
First the good news...Just like Alan said, my left calf is pain free except if I try to walk with a 100% normal gate. It's the push off part from the ball off the left foot.
If I try to stand on tippy toes with both feet, I can put maybe 20%weight on my left foot before feeling a twinge. Standing only on the toes of the injured side is out of the question at this stage. However, I feel my progress is wonderful compared to where I was 7 days ago. I feel I would be back to normal in about another 3 weeks except for...the bad news.
I have 2 ruptured disks in my lower back for years that flare up at least once a year and cripple me. Well, the 150 yard crab gimp to my car after the injury triggered my back to go out.
That will pass in a week or so as it always does and then I'm sure I'll be OK...that is, if my wife doesn't kill me in the meanwhile for being such a wuss.
To the 49 YO female....
I'm curious how you made it out of the field? Ambulance? Also, FYI...I never had any steady calf or heel pain. It only hurt if I tried to work the associated muscle/tendon group. Interestingly enough, on about the fourth day I was able to bear weight on the small toe edge of the foot first. Little by little the strength worked it's way toward the ball of my foot. The remaining weakness now seems to be centered over the second toe on the left foot. Walking on my left heel as if it were a peg leg for the first three days is what put the coup de grace on my back. I had to sit on an exercise ball to take a shower because I couldn't stand.
I hope anyone doing a google search of achilles tendon tear, or injury or pulled calf muscle or torn calf muscle or pop in my calf muscle finds this blog. There, I think I have all the keywords/phrases in there.
Best to all. I'll check in in another week.
I am 46, work out 3 times a week and have always been active and in good shape. In the last inning, with two outs, I went for an over the shoulder running catch (which I made) but felt the pop and went down. I used crutches the first two days because the pain was unbearable walking. Now 10 days later, I still can't walk without discomfort (or a bent knee), I am still swollen in my lower leg, and things just don't seem to be getting better. My reading tells me this is a Grade III strain/tear, but surgery is not necessary. It looks like a long road to recovery, so the playoffs are out of the question for me! I will use crutches to minimize use and see a sports medicine friend if things don't get better. He was team doctor for the pro basketball team here for many years, so I know he will have the right diagnosis. Good luck to everyone else.
This is my 3rd post on this blog. My first was the day of my injury. The second 7 days later. This one, my third is at the 14 day mark.
Because of my back I've been basically housebound, barely able to straighten up. But today it felt better and I decided to try a 1/4 mile walk around my building. I'm pleased to report that I almost have a pain free normal gate. The only 'discomfort' is when I tried to walk up an incline where you need an exagerated push off from the ball of the affected foot.
I still can't raise myself or even hold myself on my left tippy toes alone as a can with my right foot, but I can comfortably stand on both simultaneously.
I'm confident that my calf will heal without surgery on it's own. I expect it to be there in about another 3-4 weeks if my back allows my to get out and exercise.
To 46 YO 3X/week workout guy...Your injury seems way worse than mine and you're nine years younger and in better shape than I am. I suggest you see your Doctor sooner rather than later. 10 days is too long without seeing any improvement.
At least you have a heroic tale and an awe struck crowd to go along with your injury. I hurt mine doing basically nothing other than trying to react to a ball hit in my direction.
Best of luck to all and thanks again Alan for the blog. I think I have one more update left in me for next week.
Anonymous 46 year-old ball player,
Sounds like a bad one! I hope you saw your doctor and got some professional advice. After 10 days, I would have expected a bit more decrease in pain than you note.
Joe,
Glad to hear that your back is being somewhat cooperative now, and allowing you to get up and about.
I have been jogging again and getting back out in the surf a bit, and make sure to stretch out my calf muscles fairly well each time. I believe that once you tear a calf muscle, it heals but it is "shorter" than it was before, and hence more susceptible to tearing again.
Also, going up on your tippy toes will probably be the last thing that you can do, at the end of recovery. That is putting pressure almost entirely on the calf muscle, and is in fact how I re-injured mine the first time (I had to jump up to get on a water slide).
Good luck, and I look forward to your next update!
Alan
Hey guys. Here is something that may surprise you. 5 days ago i was playing a pick up game of basketball. I was chasing down a loose ball when i slipped on a wet spot on the court and i felt like someone just hit me in the calf with a bat or something. Sure enough i tore my left calf muscle. Here is the surprising part. Im only 19 years old! I tore it five days ago and still cant really put any weight on my left leg or really straighten it out.Its starting to become black and blue. Everyone keeps telling me that someone my age should not get this injury. Thats kind of scary to me because im a very active person and i love to play sports. Right now im keeping it elevated and taking anti inflamatory pills. Just thought i would share my torn calf muscle story with you guys.
Who knew there were blogs devoted to this?? Not me - until this afternoon. I was out playing tennis when I ran for a ball and felt a pop in my calf and went down. It was extremely painful - I couldn't walk on it at all. My husband practically carried me to the car where we went straight to the emergency room. Now I am sitting here studying for the bar exam with my leg elevated on a baggie of ice. My calf is still excrutiating and it feels like it keeps cramping up around the tear. One question - most of you say you can't go up on your tiptoes, my mine hurts when I flex my foot in the other direction (towards the knee). Tiptoe is the only way I can put ANY weight on the leg - I'm wondering if I've been misdiagnosed... Also, the doctor told me that I should NOT compress or wrap the leg - but I keep hearing RICE - any thoughts there?? Also, how long will this last?? I want to get back out there on the court and I also can't imagine carrying my backpack while using crutches.
Gosh, I'm glad this forum is here! I am really struggling with this stupid injury. I "pulled" my left calf muscle about four weeks ago. I took it easy for about three days and then played softball on it. Tweaked it a bit but was able to finish the game. I then decided that something really wasn't quite right, and I needed to take some time off from any running activities, so I took off for two weeks. On Monday, I'm back on the softball field, hit the ball, take off for first, and POP!, I'm down on the ground. I had to crawl to first base (it was a triple hit for sure) and I said a few choice cuss words because it hurt so bad. I immediately applied ice and elevated my leg. Went to the doc the next day, MRI, x-ray, etc. Now I'm in a boot for a minimum of two weeks with the hopes of starting pt at the two-week mark. I've heard that you can spin while dealing with this kind of injury . . .anyone out there heard this or tried it? Working up a good sweat in spin class would be a welcome activity for me to get through this and not do something stupid too quick to re-injure my leg. Thoughts?
And P.S. to the 19-year-old - my doc said this can happen to anyone if you've got a tendency to have tight muscles, so although it seems to afflict us older folks, it is not unheard of in young people! Your advantage is that you're younger and will heal quicker! Hang in there!
Anonomyous tennis player -
I imagine that how the muscle was torn will determine what types of muscle movement will cause the most pain. When you flex your toes down, the calf muscle is contracting, whereas putting your toes up will stretch out the muscle.
As far as RICE (Rest, Ice, Cold, Elevation I think), that is what my doc told me. After one week, the cold won't do much, however.
Finally, the timeline for me was as follows: 1 week until I wasn't in constant pain. 4-5 more weeks after that until I felt safe enough to try exerting the muscle "vigorously" again.
Good luck!
Laura -
A boot - wow! Must have been a doozie of a tear.
And let me just say that I find it amazing that this one blog post of mine has generated so much traffic and comment. You'd think there would be a more informative site than a personal blog, but I guess that just isn't the case.
Anyhow, I hope these and future comments detailing our experiences help others deal with this type of injury.
Great forum, although sorry to hear about all the painful injuries.
I was playing 2nd base last night and lunged for a line drive. Felt a twinge in my left calf but decided to take a couple more steps in case it was just a minor cramp. BAD DECISION!! Had to pretty much hop off the field after that.
5 hours later at the clinic, turns out I had torn it. No big bruises yet, but have to use crutches today at work as I cannot walk on it without pain. I can stand with some pain, but trying to take a step is killer. Also, every so often, it feels like I am getting a series of painful mini-spasms which hurt like heck, but am afraid to wiggle my foot around cause that hurts too.
Oh well...Sounds like a couple of weeks rest and RICE will do it, but am itching to get back on the field.
How long did it take some of you other ballplayers out there?
Thanks for the timeline Alan - It has been almost a week now since I tore my calf playing tennis and I still can't flex my foot without great pain - I can't even think about walking on that leg.
I finally made a doctor's appointment for Monday, I hope he gives me good advice because I'm dying to get back to tennis, but afraid I will tear it again.
My tear seems to have happened in a unique way. I was on my feet all day at work (standing with little movement for 12 hrs) and 4 hours after I got home I started getting cramps in my calves which is normal for me after a day like that. My left calf cramped hard and I jumped up to press down on the ball of my foot to stretch it out (like I've done hundreds of times). Well I heard and felt it tear and hit the ground. The worst part was the cramp didn't go away so the pain was intense. A trip to the ER and no Achilles damage only the upper muscle was torn. I can put pressure on it, and even limp around on it but have stuck to the crutches in hopes of a quick recovery. I don’t really have any pain as long as I don’t straighten my leg while sitting. If I do the pain shoots all the way into my hamstring.
My Orthopedic said no surgery, but 4 months until I am running any foot races. I'm hoping for 3 months after hearing about some of your injuries. I see him again this week and he will have the MRI results to confirm the amount of damage.
The hardest part is managing the cramps I was already having. It’s only been three days since it happened so it can only get better.
Good luck with all your injuries, it’s nice to be able to share the experiences of others. Thanks Alan!!
Well thank you for your great blog. It has helped me out a lot. I am 36 and overweight but very active. I coach little league and was doing a workout with my pitchers yesterday when I bet them that I could outrun them up a 60 yard incline to help push them alittle. They had stretched and worked out for about an hour already.
I was trying to show them to run on the balls of thier feet so I let them take off so I could watch them and then try and pass them to movitate them. It took about 20 yards and I heard and felt the pop in my left calf. I turned around thinking someone had hit me in the leg with a baseball and then the pain started. Well I decided that was enough practice for one day and took my pride and my hurt calf back to my truck. I went home and started R.I.C.E for the rest of the day.
I woke up this morning and it took about ten minutes to get from my bed to the shower (all of maybe 20 feet). My only pain is mid-calf but it is intense which makes it hard to walk at all. I was hoping to be able to umpire the 4th of July tournament but after reading these posts I am not so optimistic now. I guess I should get down and have an MRI to see how bad it is. Thanks to all that have posted and good luck in your recovery.
I too googled "torn calf muscles".. and was so pleased to find this informative board...
Okay my story - out of shape 45 year old female...2 days ago - I had just stepped into the swimming pool for my first swim of the season-the children were chanting "cannonball..cannonball.."-I give off a big splash!! -- So off I went--I am not sure what actually happened- I think I may have been off balance on my take-off-- Onlookers said I gave off a loud "uggg"" on entry to the pool-once I hit the water I had the oddest sensation in my right leg- a popping, pulling feel- --Once out of the pool I was in intense pain and could not put any weight on my leg at all... got to a chair and elevated the leg and immediately applied ice.. terrible pain - upon touch-or movement--
sat for about 6 hours before realizing that I would not sleep well with a leg that kept turning purple when i stood with crutches(which we had on hand from previous injury)--not knowing exactly what was wrong...
Off to the E.R. - where they said I had ripped my calf muscle and they put an ace bandage on it--and gave me percocet for the pain-and said to see the orthorpedist on Monday...who might do an MRI to determine extent of damage and possible surgery....
Well, just returned from ortho who confirmed that calf muscles were torn and ruptured.. he said "think of a piece of steak torn apart.. that's what you did" -- He put me into a full boot shoe to knee with a compression sock underneath--tightend me up and said try to stand up! (I was brought in a wheelchair!)--I used the crutches- still can't put full weight at all on my right leg- but at least I am not hopping anymore!
I am to start Physical therapy next week - for 6 weeks - 2 times a week...Keep the boot brace on-- when hanging out take boot off and keep applying ice. Must take 1 aspirin twice a day to prevent clotting (which he said can occur with this injury)--he gave me prescription for vicodin (refillable-percocet not)- He said this injury will heal itself-at least 6 weeks before-- said that scar tissue will form and it will heal... in about 6 weeks will be able to move better- may be weak for a while..
so here I sit with my leg elevated and my ice pack on--exhausted from this day-- I am having difficulty moving about... we'll see what happens--will keep you updated..so much for my summer of cannonballing the kids!!---
Well this is an update to the June 9th 10am comment. I went to see the docter and she said that I have a classic Grade 2 tear and that I shouldn't try and run for 8 weeks. I am walking with a little pain but much better after taking the last two days off work and using R.I.C.E.
She has given me Ibuprofen and Vicodin but find I don't need the Vicodin except before bed so I can roll over without waking myself up. I will use crutches for a couple more days just to let the muscle relax as much as possible but it feels so much better than it did two days ago and the swelling has reduced significantlly.
After how much better I feel today I am shooting to be umpiring by the 4th of July but decided to not push it to much if I can help it. Good luck all and I will give an update in about 4 weeks.
I was lucky enough to not need any prescription painkillers with my two calf muscle tears. I found that Ibuprofen and Acetaminophin (a.k.a. Advil and Tylenol - a safe combination as they have different active ingredients) did the trick for me, with my tears.
Some of you sound as if your tear is worse, and of course pain is a very personal thing.
I have been surfing more, and feeling a bit better although I am very conscious about what kind of stress I place on my still weakened calf muscles.
The other day while swimming, my left calf muscle locked up in a vicious cramp, so I am still not back to 100% yet. So, either I still have a bit of recovery yet to do, or I'm getting old!
I am 50 years old last month an was going to play basketball again after 12 years just working too much. First day was last Wednesday, 2nd game I had a familiar pain shoot through my lower back. I was upset this happened the first day yet was determined to continue, bought a back brace, stretched, took some Advil and this morning at 6am I was ready. 2 games - no problem yet they asked me to play a 3rd. As I was running down the court I looked to see who kicked me in the calf, no one around, who through the ball that hard into my leg, no ball and just then I knew that big pop meant the game was over for me. I hobbled home , logged in to check on the recovery time and this is the first site I found. I have had many sports injuries over the years but I never had a calf problem, are my basketball days over?
Tonight i was jumping on my friend's trampoline and my foot got stuck between the springs on the circumference of the trampoline. I fell backwards and twisted my leg. I felt a sharp pain in my upper calf. After disentangling my leg out of the springs, I attempted to walk to a chair. However, I was unable to walk. I could put pressure on my foot with my calf only hurting a little, but i was not capable of moving the calf muscle to walk. I quickly put ice on it and elevated it. A few hours later, there is still a lot of pain in this area and I still cannot walk. The muscle feels very sore and stiff. Whenever i straighten it, it hurts a lot. I'm not sure if it is a pulled muscle, torn, or something worse? any thoughts?
Okay, after reading everyone else's experience with this injury I thought I should share my experience. This happened two weeks ago on 6/7/08.
During a flag football game, a guy was coming right at me and I tried to get out of the way as we were both out of bounds. As I was getting out of the way, I slipped and felt a pain in my calf. I thought some one hit me in the back of the leg with a baseball or golf ball. I looked around for either, but nothing was behind me. There was a guy standing right next me, who asked what happened? I explained that I thought something hit my calf muscle, he said that is what it looked like. I was done with flag football for the day and on my way home I called my friend who is a physical therapist as I thought my achilles was torn. He explained that it could be either the achilles or a torn calf muscle. Made an appointment to see my doctor the next day.
Went to see my doctor, who is the team doctor for an NFL team, about my injury. He told me I had torn my calf muscle and put me in a boot for three weeks and told me I had to go to PT after the boot.
If you ever have had to wear a boot before you know how annoying it can be.(This is my third time in the same boot). However I couldn't really walk without it, let alone walk with it. My leg was very sore the first 10 days. I did a lot of icing and taking anti inflammatory. After the 10 days it started to bruise and still had some swelling but it started to feel better. I would walk around the house and to the store across the street without the boot. Even though I was walking with a limp, i had minimal pain. So on Day 13 from the injury i decided to go the whole day without wearing the boot, big mistake. By the end of the day, my leg really swollen and in pain not as bad as when I first injured it but the swelling and the pain was more than I experienced the past few days. I decided I will keep wearing the boot for the full three weeks.
My goal is just to be back to normal by sometime in August, as I know injuries can be nagging future injuries if you do not properly let them heal and rehab them correcly.
Ok, here's my Torn Calf Muscle story..I should say Stories..I'm very active, hike, lift, swim, run..anyway, I played golf on a Wed and walked the course, a very hilly course. I noticed that day my calf muscles were really tight. I sell houses and the next day I was coming out of the back of a home and turned quickly and felt a POP and practically fell to the ground...the pain was huge, I limped around for a few days and then felt better...once in awhile, I would feel a twinge. So fast forward to two weeks ago. I am up at my house in Flagstaff and decide to go on a short easy run. I wasn't 10 feet from starting when I felt the pop again and new right away what happened. Except this time I fell to the ground. That was on a Sunday by Tuesday the side of my foot was black and blue. I went to my Dr. who confirmed that I tore a calf muscle. He put me on celebrex to reduce inflamation for a week and scheduled me for an MRI to ascertain the level of the tear. All in all not so bad. Today he called me and said the results confirmed what he thought. Start with light stretching with Ice. It should start healing. No physical therapy right now. The thing that surprised me was how much blood pooled in my foot. That is looking better now. It is still painful to touch. I am hoping that all should be good in a few weeks, but am going to be carefull with the calf for a few months.
I am swimming with a bouy between my legs and using hand paddles for cardio. avoiding stress on the calf.
This didn't come through the first time. I'm active 48yr old male. Last fall I broke up a fight at, of all things, a volleyball game, when I lifted one boy up, I felt my left calf pop. My sunglasses cut my head, at ER and 9 staples later I kept telling the Dr. my calf hurt worse than my head. He finally put me in a knee brace, why I have no idea when it was my calf.
Back home the Dr. said I snapped the plantarus muscle, no biggie he said, 6-8 weeks all will be well again. It did pretty much heal but this Spring I tried walking and then running and my right leg started hurting. I guess I injured it too and didn't realize it. I might add that when flexed, it appears as though a portion of the lower, medial side of my gastroc is missing. My wife said it looks like s shark took a hunk out of my leg.
I've been officiating basketball games, and after doing 2-4 games a night, it really hurts like hell! A chiropractor friend of mine has been doing ultrasound and some PT on it. But still after games its really, stiff, sore and sometimes swells. Yes, I do R-I-C-E, and advil.
The Dr. now says he thinks its either a Bakers Cyst or torn popiletus(sp). I know its not Bakers Cyst because no swelling behind my knee but I can pin point in upper part of calf to the spot that hurts and in my mid-calf.
I have an MRI for this weekend but in the mean time I'm still officiating. I'm running backwards because it doesn't hurt as much and wearing a neopreen sleeve on my calf. I really stretch good, before, during and after the games.
Will this EVER get better? I'm no longer coaching but want to take up officiating
Ok, here my story but it's still in progress so I can't tell you how it ends yet. I'm 47 yrs old and have been playing soccer sine grade school. I've been very lucky, no injuries at all to date. Yesterday I was playing on our 3v3 soccer league and felt a pop in my right calf. A few weeks ago I had some pain in my calf and rested then decided to start playing again when it felt better. After feeling the pop I limped off he field and put ice on my calf. I came home and used RICE until today. I can move my ankle without pain so I think my tendon is OK. I'll wait a few days and see if I need to see my doc. I need to travel in a week so I hope I can at least walk somewhat normally by then. Hope I can get back to playing in 4-6 weeks.
What a relief! I did a Google search to learn about my most recent sports injury, a torn calf muscle, and I stumbled across this blog. I guess I’m not the only middle-aged guy suffering from this ailment. What’s also a relief is that so many of the stories are identical to mine. What the heck, I’ll share my story.
I will be turning 50 in exactly 1 month. While I have a sedentary job (I’m an attorney), I’m very active in that I play racquetball once or twice a week, play hockey once a week, ride my bike, play golf, and work out at the gym three or four times a week. On Thursday the 26th I was playing an early-morning racquetball game when, after I hit a shot and was waiting for my partner to returned his shot, I felt a “pop” in my left calf like someone had shot me with a gun. Needless to say I went down, and was in excruciating pain. My racquetball partner came over and thought that I had a cramp in my calf and started to knead my calf. My howls of pain immediately stopped him.
I hobble off the court and up to the locker room literally dragging my left leg behind me as I could barely put any weight on it and couldn’t keep my foot in a forward position. I went to my doctor who wasn’t quite sure what the problem was, and referred me to an orthopedist. She came into the exam room and asked me what happened. As soon as I told her my story, she told me she knew exactly what had happened; I had torn my calf muscle. I was somewhat surprised that such excruciating pain could be diagnosed in such a glib fashion, but after having read the posts to this blog and seeing that my story is mirrored dozens of times, I now understand how she could be so sure.
My doctor tells me I’m looking at a rehabilitation of six to eight weeks. She put me in a “ski boot” to keep my ankle at a certain angle to my leg to allow the calf muscle to stay in the same place so it can heal back together. The boot allows me some mobility as I can hobble around on the boot without putting any pressure on my calf. My doctor wants me to use crutches for the time being, but they are a major nuisance and I seem to be alright hobbling around. Without the boot I can barely take a step on my leg so I’m thinking I have a Grade 2 or 3 tear.
I can’t imagine a worse time of the year for something like this to happen! I think I’m going to go crazy for the next six to eight weeks laid up and unable to exercise or participate in any of my sports activities. There’s rarely a day that goes by where don’t do some sort of physical activity and not only will my psyche be damaged, I’m afraid my waistline might also take a hit! I guess I’m going to have to watch those bowls of Häagen-Dazs! Mike from Minneapolis
Yes...I was googling "torn calf muscle" and arrived here! Hi everyone! Guess this isn't so uncommon...I just unwrapped my leg and it's starting to get yellow and bruise marks all over. Here's my pitiful story....I'm rehearsing for a work talent show w/ two other ladies (we're known as the "divas") on Tuesday eve...we were doing a 50's theme and we've been rehearsing for months...the night before the show, I'm doing the Chuck Berry goosestep to Johnny B. Goode and I swear one of the other divas kicks me in the leg...actually felt like a baseball going a 100 mph hit me. I'm the youngest diva at a week shy of 54 in fairly good condition...went to the gym that morning and did stairstepper.
We applied ice and elevated for a bit, hobbled down two flights of industrial stairs and drove home where I continued to apply ice and elevate. The next morning I could hardly walk, but discovered the higher the heel the better. I fully intended to "go on w/ the show" w/ a muscle relaxer and pain pills, however,my more knowledgeable co-workers sent me to urgent care where, not surprisingly, the doc knew exactly what I did. He didn't say what stage I have, but I start pt this coming Weds.for four weeks. I'm not in too much pain now, in fact, as long as I hobble, I do pretty well, altho my foot is swollen. I can actually wear lower heeled shows now. I was given crutches and only used them the first day since I was more dangerous on them than hobbling.
I don't like staying still, so I tend to get up and hobble a lot --I hope I'm not injuring it more, but it's not too painful unless I take a misstep and then it lets me know I've done something. I'm so bummed this happened now, cuz I love to dance at our local summer weekly rock concerts....I'm hoping this doesn't last too long. I've learned a great lesson.....stretch, stretch, stretch!!!!!
Hey there,
Even though my calf injury happened a few years ago, I find I'm still looking for info about how to make a full recovery!!
I was 32, and I had been playing tennis, like many of you. I limped to my car and in the ER they told me it was an "older person's" injury! The tear must have been a 2 or 3, as I could not walk without crutches for 2 months. It was extremely painful,
I never had an MRI - is that weird? I'm not sure I was getting good care, esp. considering the severity. One year later I still had tenderness (it's the gastroc/soleus area, I believe), and discomfort working out, so I started more intense physical therapy.
I'd say things have improved about 80%. I've lost 30 pounds since then (I guess the weight may have contributed to my getting the injury), but the problem is I still feel weakness if the leg. I was playing tennis this weekend, and my footwork is terrible. I exercise regularly so this is frustrating after all this time. Maybe I need to keep training the leg with weights for the rest of my life?
Has anyone else had this lingering problem? Please, if you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.
I am 40 years old and work out 3-5 days a week. Always active. I am 6'1'' and about 200 pounds. I can still dunka basketball. Well, that was until 2 weeks ago when I tore my left calf. For the first 48 hours is hurt like hell and swole up really good. I saw a my doc on day 3 who send to a leg doc about 5 days later. He said if I could walk I was fine and it would just take a while to heal.
I had some good bruising after the first week. Both on the front shin and then on the back were the tear was. It has been two weeks now. Bruising still there but I can walk fine now. Still can't jump or run. But I can bike so I am going to start that tomorrow about 3 days a week.
I am very frustrated to say the least.
Now that all the swelling has gone down you can see where the calf tore and moved over to the inside front. You can see difference for sure between my left and right calf.
The only good news is that is has gotten progressivly better over the past two weeks.
I want to post photos on my blog so I will post back here when I do.
If anyone has fully recovered I would like to know how long it took you.
Thanks.
Yes, the doctor too told me this is an injury that he sees in men my age, 48, that play tennis, or racquetball.
I went for an MRI on Sunday, they did two, 1 on my knee and 1 on my calf. Hopefully I'll have the results back by Wednesday and will share them.
In the meantime, I officated 5 basketball games on Saturday, I guess I'm learning how to run w/out hurting it too much but its still pretty sore today on Monday. Oh, my groin in my left leg is hurting now, I guess from compensating for my bad right calf. It's hell getting old!
All you guys that have hurt it recently, I can promise you that it will take 6-8 weeks to heal it. In the mean time, one thing I do is ice it and I use an elastic band around the top of my foot and pull it back as far as I can and hold it for a 5-8 count. I do this about 10 times when I'm sitting in my recliner watching TV. I do it in the morning and night. When I'm sitting somewhere I'll end up doing it but without the band. I just raise my toes back as far as I can. It does hurt some but you will know when to stop. This has seem to really help me to be able to run up/down the gym floor. Good luck on recoup time.
Ok, so this is how it happened to me. I’m 30 years old (31 this August). I’ve lost about 80 lbs in two years and have taken up Muay Thai (think kickboxing with elbows and knees) and Brazilian Jiujutsu. I’ve had 3 Muay Thai fights in the last year and at my peak trained about 15 or more hours a week.
I had hurt my right calf a while back, but thought it was ok because I let it rest. Earlier this month, I had what I thought to be a killer charlie horse. I stretched it out but went to train the next week like nothing had happened. I still felt sore but thought I would be fine. I started to jump rope and on the first landing POP! I could have sworn I heard AND felt it pop. I was man down for a few, but because I was helping teach the class I actually stayed hopping around for another hour before I iced it or elevated it.
Went to see the doc and yup, I had a tear. Now I’m going crazy because it’s been 3 weeks today and I want to exercise but I don’t know what to do. I still have a cane (that I hate) and if I walk too much without it I start feeling sore again (which freaks me out.)
What do I do??? I want to do something but am afraid I might over do it and end up worse. I’m on the DL and don’t think I’ll be fighting again until at least September. Any suggestions? And how long usually till this thing stops feelings sore?
Good to hear all your stories, but makes me wonder what's going on with me.
I am a 32 yr old male, not overweight at all but not in top shape. I was playing softball and collided with another guy in the outfield while running to catch a ball. Initially I thought I just had a bruise, as it only hurt a bit and I finished playing the game, including running the bases and playing the outfield some more. I never heard a pop or felt like I'd been shot. I limped around for the rest of the evening and most of the next day. About 20 hours later the pain was getting to be too much and I went to the ER.
After an exam, x-rays and 2 ultra-sounds the next day, I was diagnosed with a 4 inch tear in the gastrocnemius muscle and a large bruise in my lower leg. I was given tylenol 3's (codeine) and crutches. No boot or wrapping at all.
I spent days 3-8 post-injury doing very little, limping around watching my leg swell up and bruise. I went to my doc yesterday and he said the swelling and bruising was normal, and to expect at least 3 weeks for recovery.
It is now 10 days later and I still can't put weight on it with a flat foot, only with my leg out to my side at an angle so that my foot is not a right angle to my leg. It hurts a lot to bring my toes up towards my knee. Walking is near impossible, and results in a lot of pain after a short while. So I use my crutches to get around.
After reading all of your posts, people putting weight on it after a few days and running/cycling in a 4 weeks etc, I don't think I'm going to be doing much for at least 6 or 8 weeks. Bummer.
Well, they called today about my leg. They told me my knee is good, no problem w/the ligaments or tendons and the meniscus is good too.
The did say its a possible popilital cyst and something to do with the medial side of my gastroc, I don't remember what she said. However, they did say that I had an edema between the gastroc and the soleus muscle. So now I have to wait to see the ortho until July 24th and see what he has to say. Just my luck!
Wow, this is awesome! Misery loves company. My story started three days ago while playing softball. I'm 40 years old and I think I'm in pretty good shape...lift 3-4 times per week, run 3 miles twice a week. But that didn't seem to matter to my right calf as I rounded second trying to leg out a triple in softball. Halfway to third the dreaded POP! I crumpled like a burlap sack and thought I had been shot. Face covered in sweat streaked dirt thanks to my less than graceful fall, I was carried off the field by two teammates and immediately applied ice. I was able to crab walk back to my truck and drive my wife and I home. I work in physician practice management so the first thing I did in the truck was call an orthopedist we manage. It was almost 9 pm but he answered. I described the injury and circumstances, as well as the strange little dent in the calf. He diagnosed a fascial tear (different than tearing the actual muscle which is much more severe - when it comes off the bone).
Told me to ice it and stay off of it for a day. Then, I had business at the hospital yesterday and he took a quick peek. Thanks to lots of ice and tons of stretching, again per his instructions, I was much better. No bruising and the swelling was relatively minor. He said it's very important to start stretching right away to prevent blood from pooling (that's what causes the pain and swelling - internal bleeding) in one spot. That's where you get the blood clotting that can be potentially dangerous.
He recommended 10 days of no running but do other things that I can tolerate. Let pain be the guide for how far you stretch and how much you walk - but for sure get up and on it to loosen it up. So today, I'm at about 65% and hope to be at 90% in about 10 days.
Best course of action is to see an ortho if you can. Every tear is a little different and require a slightly different course of action.
Happy 4th of July! Cannonballer here with my update after 4 weeks with my injury--very, very slowly improving a bit--I am still in the full boot (ankle to knee)--it is very cumbersome, heavy--but I can't walk without it or without the crutches/walker. I am not having the severe pain I was having those first 2 1/2 weeks whenever I put my leg down-especially in the morning after waking up. But, I still have extreme tenderness, soreness, and can't put full weight on it at all.
I've was back to the orthopedist- (at the 2 1/2 week mark) and after updating him of the pain and discomfort- he was pretty straight to the point-saying what do you expect? these are serious injuries that take time to heal--then he reminded me that he gave me the vicodin with refills for a reason-use it!
Been going to physical therapy twice a week- my leg feels like a dead weight! But I am moving it and flexing the foot...Again, being told it will take time to properly heal. FYI -they use warm packs on my calf before I begin the therapy-afterwards, it's iced.
So- to all of you that are suffering with the same problem--accept that it will take time to heal, it's painful and not fun! There goes my summer! I will update again--in the meantime, stay off the injured leg, continue to R.I.C.E. -it really does help!
Greetings Fellow Calfsters! I am a very active 43 year old male and college-level football referee. Exactly three weeks ago I competed in a 10K race. I regularly run about 25-28 miles a week (6 miles on Tues, 9 on Thurs and nice long slow distance runs of 12 miles on the weekends) so running a little 'ol 10K is nothing- or so I thought! I just learned the hard way not to get too cocky!
Having knocked out a 13.1 mile half marathon 2 1/2 months ago in 1:45, I figured I'd just pick up my pace for the 10K (and keep in mind I am a 6'5" 210 lb former tight end so I thought my .5 mara was a decent time for a bigger dude.)
When I discovered at the 5 mile mark that I could finish in about 44 minutes, I started getting excited and picked up the pace just a bit more. With only 150 yards left and the finish line in sight, I made an asinine decision that just caused me three weeks of pain and frustration. You guessed it: I broke into a full sprint to "finish strong."
I was about 12 paces into the sprint when a sniper bullet struck the meat of my right calf- at least it FELT like a sniper's bullet! It was like a cramp from he11 to the third power that would not subside. I knew I had just done something serious to my calf. I almost toppled to the ground but just barely managed to limp to the finish. I got to my car, immediately applied ice and wrapped my calf. Got home, ate FIVE ibuprofen and elevated the leg.
I limped badly for the first week, not so badly the second and did all the gentle stretching that I could (with the belt of my bathrobe- pulling toward me and then pushing down as on a car gas pedal- GENTLY.) It has gotten a lot better. I finally saw my regular doc yesterday and he did a full range of motion exam and told me he thinks I'm almost over the whole thing. He actually advised me to go out today and try to actually RUN lightly (Hooray!!) to test it. If there was a tear that he didn't detect, it would surely be found out by a test run in which case he would schedule an MRI this Monday.
I am so elated to report that earlier today after several fast walks up and down the football field, I broke into a light jog. I did 4X100 yard VERY slow jogs without any pain! I seriously almost started crying I was so stoked. I'm still, however, going to be EXTREMELY conservative and treat myself like I'm a first-time runner and VERY gradually (over the next several months) build myself back up to my previous running form. With the football season approaching, I can't afford to overdo it and have to start over again at square one.
Anyway- to all suffering calf problems- HANG IN THERE- IT WILL BE OK IN THE END- BE PATIENT. If you're a runner, look at the positive: your joints/knees/feet are LOVING the downtime and rest. Best of luck to you all during your road to recovery. We're all behind you. Once again: PATIENCE!!!!
Hi. Tore my right calf muscle while fighting/handcuffing a inmate with the NC Dept of Corrections. I have a huge "dent" right under my knee. It happened in March and being a Goverment employee I had to retain a lawyer to get a MRI and treatment. I spoke with the Doc in Asheville last week and he told me that he could not fix it. He said that if he attempted to repair it that he would cause more damage than good and that it would tear away again. He said they just did not catch it in time. I am still in lots of pain with a limp. The leg is deformed with a very easy to notice dent that gets lots of comments. Any advice or similar ruptures would be appreciated.
Hi all, I am a 41 year old female and I have been doing gym classes 6 days a week for a couple of years. I have a grade 2 gastroc tear that I sustained in a step aerobic class 2 days ago. I am kicking myself because my calf was sore for a few days beforehand but I ignored it and continued doing pump and step classes until I felt a popping sensation in my left calf during a class. I immediately couldn't put weight on the leg and had to be helped from the group fitness room. I got home and did the R.I.C.E thing, then went to see a physiotherapist the next day. She did a diagnostic ultrasound and I could see the tear in my muscle. She said with a grade 2 tear I won't be able to go back to step classes for 6 weeks. She treated me with ultrasound, massage and taped the area where the muscle is torn. I'm to remove the taping after 48 hours and start some gentle stretching. The physio said I could maybe start doing pump classes in a week as long I don't do any calf raises, and some light cycling on a stationary bike. I'm seeing her again in a few days for some followup treatment.
I could hardly walk the first day, the next day was a bit better, and today is better again. I still can't walk at full pace, but I don't have as much pain. I am very annoyed with myself as it probably could have been prevented with the warning signs I was getting, and I am very upset at having to stop all high intensity activity for so many weeks. Just when I was feeling really fit and making great progress with my exercise. Having said that I think my knees will be thankful for the rest!!
Good luck to everyone else with their recovery and with avoiding a recurrence of this wretched injury!
Well what a wonderful blog this has turned out to be, I am 49 (male), 50 in October. On Sun 6th July 2008 I was playing squash with my wife (I think you call it racquet ball) When I heard an almighty pop in my right calf and down I went, I honestly thought she had hit me with the squash ball? I think you now know the rest with all the comments above, I am in pain as you will appreciate. The reason I need to share a comment with you all, after reading all the comments above is that age is not the cause of the injury, what am I talking about I hear you say!
Well it's really simple and I know you will agree with me. We all should stretch exercise our muscles before we put our bodies through what we all believe can cope with what we throw at it, Alan mentioned it earlier in this blog. I have suffered all my life from the age of 5 with tight calf and thigh muscles, as my years have rolled by, on numerous occassions I would have muscle cramps, even when lying asleep in bed, how painfull and funny is that, have you been there! I was once at a formal dinner party when all of a sudden I was under the dinner table in absolute agony with calf muscle cramp. I have been told many times that it's a result of lack of salt and lack of fluids I am still not definately sure of the cause. I know proffessional atheletes have pulled up with torn muscles and they have gone through a complete warm up routine it must have a lot to do with the size of the muscle and how far it can be stretched without tearing.
R.I.C.E is the most sensible way of dealing with the injury and if you obey and do not try to do things you know will aggrevate the injury, then you will have to let time take it's course and the healing process will be accellerated. This is where the age bit comes in, the older you are the longer it may take, be patient.
WOW! This is a great blog! hearing all of your comments, I think my guess is correct. A torn calf muscle. My story is very different, but the injury sounds the same. I don't have insurance and really want to try and avoid a trip to the ER or docs.
Ok, last night , just before dark, I decided to take my young horse for a ride in the field behind my house. She is difficult to ride anyway and i will not even let my kids ride her. But I had a wild hair because I am going thru a seperation and found out the soon to be EX made it to the lawyer first. I just know I won't be able to afford these horses when all is said in done....SO I better get what riding in I can before I will be forced to sell them........OK enough of my whining....to the injury.
I am 44 and very fit and strong and female. One of my reins broke while I was giving my mare her head while asking for this sweet lope she does. I believe she stepped on a rein and over the front of her I went. I thought her front hooves hit the back of my legs while she jumped over me to avoid stepping on me. After reading the "gun shot-baseball bat" descriptions.....I am wondering if the tear is the pain I felt. I don't have an indentation, minimal swelling...but walking and trying to flex that right leg calf is VERY uncomfortable. I didn't even think to ice it last night, but did this morning.It feels better when elevated, but here's the kicker...my other leg got hurt on the inner knee so trying to walk is hurting both injuries.
Thanks for sharing all the stories. I will use the RICE suggestions and just see how it goes....I still have to feed and water horses. I hobbled out there this morning and got it done, but pushing a wheel barrel is dang near impossible! I have to grin and bare it though. I am their only care taker. OOOOOOOOOOO, I am so mad. I can't afford any injuries...I will tell you all this though... I limped over to my horse who waited for me to get up and took her by the remaining rein ...made it to the house on a hard limp....changed out her bridle and rode her for another half hour!!!! MAYBE just MAYBE it is just a bad bruised muscle???? Although, I do have a large threshold for pain, after reading everyone's comments.....I better take it easy as best I can. Don't see how I can do that when the only way I can make any $$ is by doing yard work and house work for several clients...jeesh, when it rains it pours, heh?
Bummed out in NC, Lynn
I am physically active playing Racquet ball and running 5km. I also felt a pooting soung in my right calf after twisting ackwardly to hit a ball. The pain was intense and dull. I iced it immediately, bandages and rest. The pain is not as bad after day 2and I can walk with a noticeable limp. Climbing up and down stairs is not a problem, however, i need some advice about rehabing my leg.
I just finished my first triathlon and am training towards my second, so it's not that I'm out of shape. I was playing a game with the kids in the swimming pool today. You say a color and those who picked that color start swimming, and you jump in and swim after them. I jumped in and my foot hit the bottom of the pool and I felt something pull. I'm pretty sure I didn't tear my calf, but I sure did hurt it. I can put weight on my leg, but trying to walk is killing me. Now I know to ice it and not do anything for a few days and hopefully it will heal.
Wow...this is just too funny...I had no idea how many people have suffered from this, but it truly helps to read other's experiences. I, too, Googled "torn calf muscle". I am a 39 year old teacher, and have vamped up my exercise routine to a daily step or spin class this summer... All was going well until this morning. There was a substitute step instructor, I was late and missed the stretch/warm-up (won't EVER do THAT again), but started into the routine. I was not there 5 minutes before I stepped back off of the bench and felt the same POP everyone else has experienced. The pain was unbelieveable...stabbing, blinding, crippling! I was SO embarrassed to stop in the middle of the class and stand in the back, just holding the bottom of my leg and trying to figure out ow to get to my car and to the doctor. Finally, one of the women in the class came to me to see if I was OK. She told me she would put up my bench, so I managed, somehow, to hobble out of there, with tears in my eyes from the pain. I could, and still can, walk in a weird little jaunt of staying on my tip toes and leaning slightly to the left (it's my left leg)...so, I did my weird little walk to the car, went home, and soacked in the tub for a few minutes. Then, I headed to the Urgent Care, where they checked to make sure it was nothing more serious. The doctor was about to get a boot for my leg, but, being a silly girl, I told him there was no way I was going to wear that huge thing....he looked at me like I was nuts, but it was true. So, I took the pain prescriptions and headed home. The 800mg of Ibuprofin seem to help a bit, but I am a little scared of the stronger pain meds he gave me. I am a single mom of a very active 10 year old boy, and strong meds just knock me out...so I think I will suffer just a bit.
I read that someone thought spin class might be OK....I hope to try the class Saturday, if I am feeling some relief, but if not, I am just going to rest and let my leg heal. The whole thing is just so inconvenient...and painful!
Thanks SO MUCH for putting up this post! It is so reassuring to read that others have experienced this and are recovering!
Just an update from 41-year-old female stepper - it is now one week since I tore my calf and I am walking quite well, although I have to use a shorter stride and I still have bit of a limp, but no real pain to speak of. I did a pump class yesterday and all went well, I just took it easy and it was only when doing lunges that my calf felt a bit unstable. I just have to take it easy and go slowly.
I saw the physio again yesterday and she said definitely no step for at least six weeks. She said there is a great danger of re-tearing the injured calf or tearing the other one because you are favouring the leg that was injured. She suggested that I take up body balance classes or pilates to improve my strength and balance, as this was a key factor in preventing the injury from recurring. As well as gently stretching out my calf, she has got me to practice standing on one leg with the other bent and raised in front for as long as I can, and even trying it with my eyes closed. This is to try and get my strength and balance back, which is one thing that can suffer after a calf injury apparently. Sounds weird, but I definitely can't do it on my injured leg and it is much easier on the uninjured leg, so maybe there is something to it!
She also said after the initial 72 hour period, when only ice should be applied to the injury, it is OK to apply heat packs if that gives relief from the stiffness in the muscle as it is healing.
It's only today that I've noticed a big bruise appearing on my calf where it was torn. I thought that would've come out earlier. Anyway, I'm to see the physio again in a week and in the meantime keep up the stretching and strengthening. It's a bit better every day, which is heartening, but I'm missing my step classes and it's another 5 long weeks before I can do that again.
Take it easy everyone, look after those injured legs!!
I am a 41 year old male. And I guess the first step is admitting I too have a calf muscle problem.
My wife's parents are passing through town tonight and then staying for a few nights on their way back home next week. So I washed the dishes and then I was weeding around the front yard and garden. Just as I finished up making it look all pretty, I backed up and disturbed a bee or wasp. I swung my clippers at him and he did not like this. Too set the scene let me say I have an unhealthy fear of stinging insects. This is the one thing I can truly blame on my parents, my dad is terrified of bees and passed the fear on to me. I turned to run like a little girl and felt/heard a tearing in my upper left calf. Inlaws are here I'll come back later.
I'm back. I slammed into the front door, flung the door open, fell face first to the floor, and no bee sting. Just severe pain in the calf. Crawled to the living room asked for an ice pack and put my leg up on a couch cushion and searched the web until I found this great page. I kept weight off the left leg, added a wrap as per the RICE treatment recomended here.
I hopped around the first day and used my mother in law's crutches she had brought in case her knee acted up on her trip. The next day my wife noticed I was putting weight on my foot when I was using the crutches. We found a pair of crutches at the Savers thrift store for 99 cents. Found that if I walked on my left heel carefully I didn't need crutches. I rested this second day and didn't go to work. Found I could push the clutch without hurting my leg so I can drive, yea!
Today I went to work and hobbled around. If I put the wrong pressure on my foot my calf gets a jolt somewhere between pain and cramping. I think I must of only had a severe pull or a minor tear. But I loved reading everybody's stories. It made me laugh when things looked bleak. Don't worry I'm going to take it easy, especially when I can start to walk normal. I don't want my weak muscle to get really hurt in a secondary trauma because I relax to much. Plus I'm going to loosen up both legs at least weekly if not daily. You all take care of your sore legs. -Chris
Yes, I did find this site Googling for "torn calf muscle". I don't know if the muscle is torn or not. 2 nights ago at 4am I awoke screaming with the worst Charlie Horse I've ever had. I had not been taking any vigorous exercise or anything the previews day. I did the usual, jumped out of bed and face down on the floor applied pressure to the toes bending them forward to relieve the tension on the cramp. But the knot stayed, and I've been limping very badly for 2 days now. My chiropractor gave me electrode treatment plus manually loosening the knot. But I'm still in agony. It's painful even to touch the back of the calf lightly. My dilemma is - should I exercise it or rest it? Is the calf muscle torn? Can a tear take place just from a bad Charlie Horse?
Anon -
I'd be very surprised if a bad charlie horse could cause a torn calf muscle. I have had bad calf muscle cramping (usually when I have been surfing in cold water for a long period of time), which I am unable to stretch out until I again reach shore after paddling in.
They can be extremely painful, and the discomfort has lasted for several days in those situations. However, I don't *think* you have a torn muscle.
Another Googler finding this page!
My injury two days ago was actually the second time around for me with a torn calf. This time it was tennis, and about 8 years ago when it happened before, I was playing squash. To be honest, I don't even remember if it was the same calf or not, but I think it was the right leg last time (pushing off the back foot for a right-handed forehand), whereas this time it's the left calf, (springing into a hard first serve).
The best thing that can be said for doing this twice is that at least I knew what "hit" me, so to speak. Oh...and this time around was MUCH more public and dramatic. My team was playing a USTA playoff match, and late in the day, ours was the only match still being played. My partner and I had struggled back from a 2-5 deficit in the third set, and I was serving at 40-15 with the set score now 4-5 when the big POP and drop happened. My wife and about 20 teammates and friends were watching and they later told me they'd all heard the leg go bang. I thought that maybe the "sound" wasn't really audible outside my own pained brain, but I was wrong. When my wife and our coach came out for a 3 minute "medical time out" I learned that the outcome of the overall contest was coming down to our match, so I decided to literally limp through. I could barely move, but was able to get off a second serve, we won the point, the game, and somehow went on to win the match! My partner covered just about everything while I limped to the net each point to volley any shots that came directly at me. The other team, having already blown a big lead and now only facing one able-bodied player, tightened up even more and started largely self-destructing with unforced errors.
I felt awful for the other team (having choked many times myself!), but we were so thrilled that it helped numb my calf pain. After a quick celebratory beer and a bag of ice on the leg, it was off for more R-I-C-E therapy at home.
My USTA tennis team now advances to the next round in two weeks, but I'll be strictly in the cheering section, I'm afraid. Fortunately there are several guys who can step in and I won't be missed that much, except in the "high drama" department.
BTW, I'm a 52 year old, with a couple of occasionally painful knees, intermittent sciatica and about 30 extra pounds I'd like to shed. Despite those "old jock" woes, I'm generally in pretty good shape from tennis, skiing, lifting, the occasional olympic distance triathlon and a recent marathon. Frankly, I'm blessed that more stuff isn't broken, torn or ruptured. This too, will heal in time, and until then it's nice to have read this blog and the numerous comments with shared stories. Let's all get well soon!
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