It has been just over one year since my last calf muscle injury. The blog post I made on the subject is the #1 post for my humble blog, as it pops up as a search result thanks to Google. As regular readers (I have at least 2) may know, I surf quite a bit - working 5 minutes away from the beach lets me use my lunch hour to get some water time in.While I love surfing, it doesn't do much to stretch out or strengthen my lower body (however, it is very good for the upper body). So, I decided to look around for an adult soccer league to join that would be good exercise for my legs. Luckily, I found a men's over-35 team in Carlsbad that needed a few players, so I signed up.
About 2 weeks ago, I suited up in shin guards and cleats, and went down to a local field to try and get my feet on the ball a bit. I have coached youth soccer for the last 4 years, and look forward to actually playing again.
You can probably guess what happened next... After a workout on Tuesday, my right lower calf muscle felt a little tweaked, but not too bad - just a bit uncomfortable. On Thursday, I laced up and went to jog across the field and back to warm up a bit before stretching, and on the return leg the tweak cranked up a lot, and I had to stop and limp back.
It didn't feel like my previous two incidents, so I think that I did not tear the muscle - maybe just strained it or something like that. I limped for about 24 hours, and then started looking at how to stretch out the calf muscles to try and prevent this in the future.
I have stretched in the past, but I have never focused on the calf muscles. Instead, I'd work the quads, hammys, and groin. I realized that I had been neglecting my calves - pretty stupid of me (especially after two injuries).
Maybe neglecting is the wrong word... I have never been shown how to stretch out the calf, in all the sports I have played and gym classes taken through school and even in college. So, with the theory of "knowing your enemy" in mind, I first did some reading up on the calf muscle, which is actually a pair of muscles: the gastrocnemius and soleus. The article even mentions torn calf muscles, the 'pop' that so many of us feel, and the conditions that triggered it in my cases: sudden acceleration and changes in direction.
Next, I did a search on stretches focusing on the pair of calf muscles, and found these: gastrocnemius stretch and soleus stretch. Since I found these videos, I've been doing both stretches for 90 seconds on each leg, and I do believe that my lower legs are feeling better. I'm not back to 100% yet, but I can make my way around the pitch if I take care to avoid sudden acceleration and changes in direction. I hope to be back up to 95% before the first game of our season, which starts on September 5th.
If you have hurt your calf, please be careful to not stretch it out prematurely. A bad tear can take a long time to heal, so when you start trying to stretch, let common sense be your guide. Stretch slowly and gently, avoiding bouncing. Any pain should be a sign that you are doing too much too fast.
To keep the rest of your lower body in shape, I found that biking was fairly low impact for my most recent injury, so long as I didn't stand up and pedal (pushing on the front portion of the foot as you do to begin a sprint).
If you know of any other good stretches, or want to talk about your calf injury, please feel free to comment below!
25 comments:
Thanks for all the information. Last night I felt as I was playing indoor soccer that a unhappy fan threw a golf ball from close proximity into my leg. So much I stopped in the middle of playing and looked towards the stands. Come to find out when I put pressure on my right leg I was in horrible pain. The doctor appt is tomorrow, but from the information you have provided it appears my worst fear is true. Thanks for all the helpful information on the injury and the links to the video's for stretching. Wish me luck at the Doc hopefully it is just a minimal strain (after 17 years of playing and 3 years of coaching, I was very excited to start my 2 year old in soccer in NOvember and this my crush my excitment!)
You know, I didn't realize how common this injury was until like everybody else, I started googling "torn calf muscle" and of course was led here. Reading everybody else's stories was really informative. My injury began with a morning 3.5 mile walk and straight on to a game of volleyball (no stretches!), took a quick step back and heard "Pop". I knew my bone didn't snap but couldn't figure out what happened until I tried to take a step. I hobbled to the house with the aid of my husband and daughter and once the nausea passed we went straight to the ER. Same diagnosis as everybody else here...torn calf muscle. Five days later, I'm trying to google how long I have to put up with a hobble walk using my heel only - I got around horribly on crutches. I was more dangerous with crutches! I will try the stretches your site suggests when I get to a point I can handle them. Thanks again for the information.
Anon and Sherri -
Good luck with your rehabilitation - take it easy and don't go too fast. That is probably the best advice I can give you, and it isn't easy.
As for me, I continue to have issues... My right calf muscle felt a bit tweaked during the first 15 minutes of playing our first game, so I came out and took it easy, only playing another 10 minutes near the end of the game.
2 weeks ago, I also managed to tear my left hamstring when me left foot's cleat stuck in the grass and my leg over extended. I now have some pretty good bruising on the inside upper-to-mid portion of my left thigh.
I am taking it fairly easy this week, and am unsure if I will play on the game on Friday. If I skip it, I can get 3 weeks of rest (due to a bye the following week), but our team is short-handed for this week's game. Ug.
No guesses as to how I came across this article. Yesterday, I refereed a game of soccer and today, I can hardly walk. For the past 3 years, I have been suffering acute lower back pain, shoulder, hip and hamstring pain. I am now convinced that the root cause are my calves.
When I was 30, I "popped" both my calves in the space of about 2 months. With the first one, I distinctly remember looking at the linesman to see if he had thrown a rock at me because that was exactly what it felt like. Like with all my years of soccer injuries, I rested up for a bit and returned to playing. By 33, I had given up football due to the constant hamstring and groin pulls I was having. I continued with 5 aside and at 36, I kept on having major hamstring and groin strains. My QL muscle gave way in my lower back and I had pain in my shoulder and all along the route of the sciatic nerve. The whole of one side of my body was out of alignment. I have stopped sport altogether now. I have tried so hard to get to the bottom of the problem and every care professional I went to couldn't help me. I did hours and hours of exercise, pilates (which I thoroughly recommend) and stretches which all made me feel better but never solved the problem. Perhaps I didn't point them in the right direction but to me, my calf strains were just one of many general sport related injuries and it never occured to me that the injuries to my calves would come back to haunt me in the way it has so many years later.
After my run out yesterday, I felt like I was walking round with a couple of bricks attached to my legs but all my other symptoms had eased. It is early days but I will now start to work on my calves and try out your stretches, massage and strength work and see what happens. Thanks for the tips.
Phil
Phil,
I sincerely hope you are able to figure out what is going on, and that your condition improves ASAP.
I took a soccer ball to the left jaw about 2 weeks ago, and can now barely chew. I think the jaw dislocated / hyper-extended, and now the TMJ area is out of whack for the next 4-6 weeks.
At least I can still play ball!
does anyone have pain behind the knee with a torn calf muscle?
what types of phycial therapy exercises help?
No pain behind the knee for me - the pain is usually either deep in the upper calf muscle or lower down, near the achilles tendon.
As far as PT is concerned, once it has healed, gentle stretches (like those I mention in the above post) will help.
Mine's been about 2 months now since the original "tear".....I was going to get an MRI this past week, but my doctor said he couldn't really do anything if indeed it was a tear...so I didn't want to spend the few hundred dollars for it. I don't know what to do...I have good days and really bad days. Often my right calf just feels really really tight. I was still exercising on it before.....but I decided 4 days ago I should go light. But I need to do some sort of exercise.....not sure what to do. Wish my doctor would just tell me, but maybe he doesn't know much about it. He said I could go see an orthopedist if i wanted....should I?? Will an orthopedist know how to take care of this?
T.
Hi,
I have found all the posts about torn calf muscles really helpful. I tore my right gastrocnemius about 2 1/2 weeks ago getting out of the way of car (the car just drove off...). I turned 90 degrees right on my right leg but my foot didn't. I didn't feel anything initially until I tried to walk. I hopped to my GP the next day who confirmed what I had done - she just said let it heal. Over the next week the whole of my lower leg swelled up, I had some bruising around the ankle due to pooling of blood and a real dull ache in the middle of the muscle. The swelling would go down at night but return when I got out of bed - it felt like the muscle was going to explode! I was on paracetamol and iboprophen for a few days. After about 10 days the swelling started to go down and I went to a physiotherapist who used ultrasound and gave me stretching exercises - another session today. Now, the muscle is still tight but I am walking 90% normally and without pain. Each day there is an improvement. I continue to do the exercises. My feeling is that my leg will completely recover, but take some time. I am 45 and I don't want to do this again! I am not a sporting type but I do like walking and cycling.
This site is such a tonic, so informative, it's a relief to hear how common this type of injury is and what tips there are to aid the recovery process. I tore my calf muscle 5 days ago whilst doing some very dodgy moves on a nightclub dancefloor. I'm 39 and really should have known better!! My symptoms were pretty classic, felt like somebody had thrown a cricket ball with some force at my lower leg, i, like a lot of others, immediately turned round to shout at the culprit and found nobody there. This was followed by searing pain in my calf and left me unable to put any weight on that foot. Next morning my calf had almost doubled in size and felt pretty hot to touch. I could walk but only if i stood on tiptoes on that leg. Five days later it seems the reverse has happened, i can now put my foot flat to the floor but raising on tiptoes is a killer, my limp is conspicuous and the bruising above my ankle quite spectacular! I'm off to the docs tomorrow as i'm definitely not fit to work yet (i'm airline cabin crew) and will need a certificate. Just wondered if anyone can say how long it took before they could walk properly again? I'm no athlete but my job is fairly physical and i just want some idea when i'll be able to start earning again!!
Thanks for the info. I'm 46 and "popped" my calf muscle playing Badminton. Was well warmed up after playing a couple of games, just felt like something hit me in the back of the calf. No swelling or brusing thankfully, but 3 weeks later and I am still on crutches and unable to drive. The hospital put me in a removable cast and each day I am improving, but it is very slow, I can now put a little weight on my toes, but unable to support any weight with my foot flat.
Mostly I'm pain free unless I try to use it.
Hi - I thought I would give an update to my post of Nov 10. It is now 7 weeks on and the residual swelling that I was getting at the end of the day a week or so ago has almost completely gone (I was walking around Annecy in France end Nov and I got lower leg swelling down to but not including the ankle by the end of the day - but it went down during the night). The symptoms I have left now are 1) very slight pulling in one spot when walking after sitting - but this is gradually fading, 2) tenderness in touching parts of the calf muscle - but not too much, and 3) a really odd feeling on squatting - a sort of numbness - but even that is going. I've had a few physio sessions and he reckons that it will be 3 months before all the symptoms are completely gone - based on the current progress. Now it is about 95% right. It is an exponentially rising curve a bit like charging a capacitor from a battery via a resistor! I have not tried running yet but I will be getting my bike out over Christmas. It has brought this home to me - I am not as young and supple as I was!! It is also amasing just how the body repairs itself - if you give it the right conditions and be patient.
Hi I was on a cruise and took my first golf lesson. My pain did not start right away it started a day later. A week later went to the doc and he said it was a strain calf. Two days later the pooling of blood started from right below the knee all the way down through my whole foot both sides of my leg.He said I tore my calf muscle. Its been a month can anyone tell me how long it takes for the swelling to go away? it has not gone down at all. Im just wondering if this swelling is permanant.
so its been 9 months after i tore my calf muscle coming down a flight of stairs and fell down 2 steps HARD. up until yesterday almost pain free. i had pain slightly above the calf muscle that caused a lot of pain for months. last week i was thinking, i was basically pain free and then..... yesterday, i started to feel pain again slightly above the calf muscle for no reason.
About a month ago, i strained my calf in a krav maga class - that's israeli martial arts and i was kicking. Same kick i have done hundreds of times before, so not sure if i didn't warm up enough or did something wrong. Felt a pop sensation and could not put any weight on that leg at all. I was basically disabled for weeks afterwards! In the first week, I would get terrible spasms and the muscles would just seem to lock up. No swelling but some small bruises showed up 6 days later! I stayed on two crutches for 24 days, single crutches for another 5 days, and am now finally off crutches altogether. So by any standard, it was a pretty severe strain. Doc told me recovery would take 4 to 6 weeks - but I did not realize just getting to walking would take 4 weeks! So may be he underestimated the severity because it did not look that bad (when I saw him, bruises had no appeared yet and there was no swelling). Usually spasms and inability to walk means grade 3 strain, but it looked more like a grade 2 strain, but either way it was pretty serious.
I am a 37 yr old female, in pretty good shape - used to be a runner but was doing krav maga and yoga 3-4 times a week for last few months. Now in week 5 after injury, I can walk around, albeit slowly, but can't take very big steps when walking. I can walk up the stairs easily but have to practice the motion of going down the stairs very slowly. I started practicing standing on the injured leg a few days ago - to build up strength and improve balance. I can stand on my other leg for a long time and do all kinds of yoga poses, but right now - just 2 seconds on the injured leg and I start losing balance. I just started doing seated toe raises - can't do standing toe raises yet. My injured calf muscle looks a lot smaller than my other calf - I have had very muscular calves for many years.
I am hoping within another 2 weeks I will be close to normal in terms of day to day activities, but I suspect it will be longer before I can resume sports. Clearly, my injured calf lost a lot of its strength. I started doing gentle stretches the second week of the injury, which was very helpful - range of motion seems to be fine. Although I suspect my case is more serious than most, my advice for anyone who has a calf strain would be as follows:
1. Use bath salts. I've heard epsom salts do wonders. I used Ahava's honey bath salts on my calf almost every night for the first month and it significantly relaxed the muscles and helped it heal. For example, one week after the injury, I tried walking three steps with both crutches and I had two painful spasms. After I used the bath salts that night, next morning I could walk almost a hundred steps without any spasms - it was like a miracle. If I had known that, I would have used those salts the second night and not waited a week - and probably would have shaved a week off my recovery at the beginning.
2. Get a neoporene calf compression support asap. Once i got that and started wearing it, I could do a lot more. For example, without my calf support, I could walk around but slowly and carefully. With the calf compression on, I can actually dance around (small but relatively quick steps). It supports the calf muscle during activities - and the sooner you can get your calf to do activities safely, the sooner the muscles will get stronger, get used to normal movements and rehabilitate. I got the calf support at end of week 3 - if I had gotten it earlier, probably could have prevented some of the muscle loss.
3. Take your time and give the muscles a lot of rest at the beginning, but start getting active (that means moving around and doing daily things, not running and jumping) as soon as possible. You should not return to sports until your injured calf can do all the things your other calf can - not just when it feels better. Work with a physiotherapist if you can. I also found a lot of online info helpful.
Anyway, hope this helps anyone else going through a recovery!
I can't believe I'm actually writing in this blog. I'm on day 2 of a calf strain. Yesterday, 7pm. playing short center field at a softball game, ball was hit.. not even towards ME, but I react and try to cover someone and all of a sudden I was very confused, I thought the center fielder threw the ball at my calf! I turn around asking what was going on, but she looked agt me like I was nuts! Finally, I said, I think something is wrong. Everyone thought it was just a charlie horse or cramp. My calf immediately swelled and I could not move my foot at all.. let alone walk. I have it now wrapped, raised and on ice. All these stories are actually scaring me knowing the length of recovery time I have to endure. I have an appt. on Monday w/a doctor the walk-in referred me to. Not sure if this makes a difference, but I am a 39 yr old female, who runs about 2.5 miles 3x a week. Anyway... I'm just happy this blog is here. Thank you.
I think my injury happened just like I have read many today. I am early 40's, didn't stretch out as well as should have for a slow-pitch softball game, and when I suddenly went to run from the batter's box, I heard a pop and felt pain in my left calf...then basically had to hop off the field on my right foot. Interestingly, this website was my first hit- even the professional batters get injured! http://www.thedisabledlist.com/how-to-treat-torn-calf-muscle-albert-pujols
I couldn't walk for almost 20 hrs. I did R.I.C.E. because my DH made me! When the blood pooled in my ankle... I started searching online. I will see my doctor in a few days. See if they set me up with some physical therapy. I want to get fit... and learn to stretch out well...
Hi -- I wrote back on July 11th... about the strained calf. I'm going on almost a full 2 weeks now and I still can't really walk without a BAD LIMP. My foot is pointed outward. I'm supposed to be going on vacation next Friday and getting nervous I won't be able to go. (Hershey, PA)How will I ever walk around the park? I'm thinking my injury was a high 2.. b/c my calf and ankles have severe bruising. Wish I can post a pic! :)
any thoughts.. please let me know. thank you!
Well here it is I have cramped and pulled the calf many times, but nothing like this.
Background I am a 39 yr old, active male. I ran 5K races last summer, but fractured my right navicular early into training this spring. I curl all winter. Last Tuesday I pulled my right calf and it was stiff, I finished the game, and stretched and worked out the stiffness, Friday morning I had a short run(foot rehab) and 20 mins of leg and hip stretches. Friday night I stretched and ran 50 yards of 'Kick Butt' running to warm up. made one lateral movement a felt like I was hit by a ball. I immediately tightened and the next play I fielded the ball and the pain was tremendous. I finished the game and applied RICE. 5 days later and the yellow blue tint of my lower leg is ugly.
Update to earlier posting:
Hi, I posted on July 7th about my calf strain from a krav maga martial arts class. Just wanted to give everyone an update.
So july 26th today - now week 7 since my injury. My calf has improved a lot. Now i can walk easily without crutches, and walk pretty fast too. Took my dog for a 40 min brisk walk this morning. A week ago, i started walking on the treadmill almost daily - my physiotherapist always gets me on a treadmill just to check if my gait is proper, and I finally got myself access to a gym. Anyway, i started the week at walking 1.3 miles per hour - the speed of a normal person of my height should be 2.3 miles per hr, so i was very slow! After a week of doing this every day, i am now doing 3.3 miles per hour - much faster than the avg speed and my initial speed just days ago. So the daily workouts to activate the calf muscle in a controlled, steady setting really has helped a lot - i would recommend anyone else to do that. If you have a gym, take advantage of it - i did not initially, so I could not do this in the first few weeks. But if you do it, do it safely and don't overdo it!. I usually do a stationary bike for about 8 mins to warm up the muscles, and then get on the treadmill for 20 mins. The biking is the warm up routine my physiotherapist makes me do, so i figure that's the right approach. Of course I would like to run 8 to 10 min miles, but hey - you have to crawl before you walk, and walk before you run!
I can't do complete toe raises yet but I am about half way there. My calf is still stiff sometimes in the morning - but less so if I sleep with it on a pillow (i.e keep it elevated). As of today, any time i get on a treadmill or do a lot of walking, I still wear some kind of calf compression (the neoprene support or something lighter). I am hoping in another week or so, i won't feel like i need to wear a compression item any more, and that the muscles will be strong enough to support these activities on their own. My balance has improved as well - I can now stand on the injured leg for may be 10 seconds or more a a time. I can also walk down the stairs normally. But I still can't run down the stairs, jump up and down, go jogging, do jumping jacks etc. - so its not ready for resuming sports activities. But the good news is, slowly and surely, life is returning to normal.
So all of you out there nursing a calf strain, just hang in there - it takes time and patience, but it will get better! In the mean time, get some kind of calf support (its amazing what a simple neoprene calf support can do), and keep moving even if slowly just so your muscles stay active and don't atrophy - otherwise, without use, they tend to disappear pretty fast!
after a year, i can finally say i am calf pain free. although, once in a while - it still feels a little weak. i had no idea until reading this blog, how often and how bad calf muscle injuries can be. the doctor said these injuries take time. i should have gone for THERAPY but did not.
I to blow out my calf and even have a dent in it this will be two weeks today it seems to be getting better i can walk but the black and blue is still there i was playing basket ball know im rideing the bike my ? IS HAS ANYONE ELSE HAD THE DENT IN THE CALF AND WILL IT GO AWAY WITH TIME thank every one foe the blog i have got good info
During my indoor game last night my calf muscle felt as if it had "balled" up. Immediately had to hobble off the field.
Is this just a pulled muscle or something more serious.
No noticeable bruising or "bulged" muscle.
Thx
First of all, thank you ever so much for this blog! I live very close to you, in Vista. For several years now I have had an off and on problem with a knot occurring in my right calf muscle, they usually take weeks to work out. I'm a hiker and rockclimber. I also have chondromalcia patella in both knees and I am still working my way back to backpacking slowly but surely since I screwed up my left knee royally three years ago. I've always hiked through the pain of anything, hiking means that much to me. Anyway while hiking down to Blacks Beach from Torrey Pines Tuesday, (almost three weeks ago), and coming to Flat Rock, I jumped up the cliffs, then I did nothing more than a simple leap from one rock to another. When my right foot hit the rock I heard a sharp crack and the pain was immediate! I yelled out right away, bent over and grabbed my calf. Somehow I managed to climb the rest of the way around the small cliff screaming obscenities the entire way. Once I hit the sand, I opened my 1st Aid Kit, consumed 4 aleve with a shot from my flask, rubbed my calf liberally with a stick of Icy Hot and wrapped it. Then being the diehard idiot that I am, I hiked the rest of the way to Blacks, my need for a nude day being great. Laying my calf gently in the hot sand felt wonderful. So did soaking it in the cold sea. I did both all day long. I went to urgent care the next day where with an ultra sound they confirmed my fears. It was indeed torn, the gastrocnemius muscle. Then they told me not to hike or rockclimb for 4 to 6 weeks. I told them as a ASM I intended to camp the coming weekend, they shook their heads and advised me to stay off of my feet. Well, I didn't hike or rockclimb anyway. But as grubmaster I was on my feet cooking or cleaning a lot. By Saturday afternoon my leg was swollen and lightly blue, my foot and ankle was even more swollen and purple. I tried to stay off of my feet even more. But by the time I came home I found that I had almost cut off circulation with the swelling and had to go back to urgent care as my foot was cold and I could not find the pulse in it. This time I let them prescribe me vicodin and crutches. For almost two weeks I stayed at home, quietly dying a small death for the inactivity. Finally I couldn't stand it anymore and went back to Blacks, this time I used the cliff trail to avoid the two mile hike. I went very very slowly as it still hurt some despite all the aleve, (I don't like using narcotics and gave those up in less than a week). But I was only slightly sore afterwards. My calf musle feels very very tight and still makes me walk funny. This thing cannot possibly heal soon enough as far as I'm concerned. Not hiking is killing me.
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