How long to heal a torn calf muscle?
Jul 20, 2016 · The best way to recover from a torn calf muscle is by protection, rest, ice, compression, and elevation (PRICE). If treated properly, it can take up to three weeks to heal Grade 1 calf pulls, four to six weeks to heal Grade 2 muscle strains, and three to four months to heal Grade 3 tears.
What can I do to fix a torn calf muscle?
Depending on how bad the torn calf muscle is, the recovery time could be between 3 weeks and 4 months. If you’re after the fastest way to heal a strained calf muscle, then physiotherapy may be …
What is the healing time for a pulled calf muscle?
Nov 07, 2019 · In more severe cases it could take a month to 6 weeks to fully heal an injured calf muscle, so just be sure to listen to your body before resuming sports activities. Torn Calf Muscle Recovery Time. Symptoms of a torn calf that don't improve after a few days or start to worsen could be a sign of a more severe tear or a gastrocnemius muscle rupture.
How soon to exercise after calf muscle tear?
What is the fastest way to heal a calf muscle? Lay down and rest your injured leg. Apply cold compresses or ice to the aching muscle for 10 to 20 minutes …
How long should you stay off a torn calf muscle?
In the less severe cases it usually takes up to three days for a pulled calf muscle to start feeling better. In the most severe cases that don't require surgery a full recovery may take up to six weeks. In the case that the injury requires surgery the recovery period may extend up to six months to a full year.
How do you rehab a torn calf muscle?
How are pulled calf muscles treated?Rest: Stop running or physical activity to avoid further damaging the calf.Ice: Apply an ice pack or cold compress for 20 minutes every two hours. ... Compression: Reduce swelling and fluid buildup by applying a compression bandage or wrap to the injured area.More items...•Jun 3, 2021
When should I start rehab after calf tear?
NO stretching or resistive exercise should be done during the first 3 weeks.Rehabilitation Program.Phase one - The first week after injury.Phase two – the second and third week after injury.• NO stretching.Phase three – the 4th, 5th and 6th week after injury.Phase four – 7 to 12 weeks after injury.More items...
Should you walk on a torn calf muscle?
Walking on recovering calf muscles can also increase recovery time. If you have to have surgery for a severe pull in your calf muscle, it may take several weeks or months before you fully recover.Jul 23, 2018
Can you exercise with a torn calf muscle?
People should wait until their calf muscle heals completely before resuming regular physical activities. Using a muscle before it heals can prolong the recovery process of the initial injury.Nov 15, 2018
Can you walk with a grade 3 calf strain?
A grade 3 calf strain is a severe injury involving a complete tear to half or all of the calf muscle. Crutches or even a moon boot may be required to enable walking due to severe pain and weakness. Immediate swelling and bruising will be present within 24 hours.Apr 13, 2019
Why is my calf tear not healing?
0:585:44Why is My Calf Strain not Healing? - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipWhy is my calf strain not healing. And by far the most common reason has been because they've justMoreWhy is my calf strain not healing. And by far the most common reason has been because they've just not strengthened it to a high enough level to be able to do their sports.
What does a grade 3 calf strain feel like?
Someone who experiences a grade three calf strain will experience immediate and excruciating pain. They will be unable to continue the activity, and may not be able to move their calf muscle at all.Feb 3, 2016
Can you walk with a Grade 2 calf strain?
Grade II calf strain: Moderate discomfort with walking. Limited ability to perform activities such as running and jumping. May have swelling and bruising.Dec 29, 2021
Is it OK to massage a torn calf muscle?
The No HARM Protocol should also be applied – no heat, no alcohol, no running or activity, and no massage. This will ensure decreased bleeding and swelling in the injured area.Aug 10, 2017
Should you wear a boot for a torn calf muscle?
You may have been given a boot, possibly with heel wedges. It is not needed to aid healing but it will improve your symptoms. You may walk on the foot as comfort allows. You will find it easier to walk with crutches in the early stages.
What is the difference between a calf strain and a tear?
Symptoms. A calf strain usually starts with sudden pain in the back of the lower leg. A pop, snap or tearing sensation may be felt. Occasionally, with a severe tear, it may feel like you have been shot in the back of the leg.Mar 15, 2018
How long does it take for a calf muscle to heal?
Depending on how bad the torn calf muscle is, the recovery time could be between 3 weeks and 4 months. If you’re after the fastest way to heal a strained calf muscle, then physiotherapy may be able to help.
What are the potential complications of a torn calf muscle?
What Are the Potential Torn Calf Muscle Complications? If the right treatment is not adhered to for a torn calf muscle, then it is possible that torn calf muscle complications could arise. These could also occur in serious cases of a torn calf muscle, negatively affecting the recovery time for torn calf muscle injuries, in some cases.
What is the muscle in the calf called?
It can come as a surprise to many, but there are actually three different muscles within the calf muscle, known as; the soleus, plantaris, and gastrocnemius . An injury to any of these can be very painful, and to prevent further damage, needs to be taken seriously. In our guide, we cover the key facts, treatment, complications, and recovery time for torn calf muscle injuries.
What are the complications of a calf muscle tear?
The common complications, include: Torn calf muscle blood clot. A prolonged feeling of tightness. Potential for the tear to get worse or rupture. A permanent sensitivity. Slower healing and recovery time.
Can you walk with a calf tear?
An inability to walk does not always occur during a calf muscle tear, in many minor and moderate cases, walking is still possible. However, it is often not advised if it feels painful to do so. Damaging the area further could prevent a healthy recovery and can prolong the recovery time for torn calf muscle injuries.
How long does it take to heal a calf injury?
The recovery time for a mild calf injury is a few days to a week. You may only have to take special care to treat the injury in the first day or two. So long as you don't reinjure the area by resuming vigorous physical activity too soon, your body will take care of the rest.
How to prevent calf muscle injury?
How to Prevent a Torn Calf Muscle 1 Warm up and stretch for at least 5 minutes before engaging in exercise or sport, and set aside time for a cool-down period of stretching to prevent cramping. 2 Use a chair stretch to loosen up your hamstrings. It's important to stretch your whole leg and body before working out, as every bit of the body is connected to the rest, and tension in one area could cause an injury in another. 3 Wall stretches allow you to focus on loosening up the back of the leg from heel to hip. 4 The floor or supine stretch helps condition your leg muscles for the prevention of injury. 5 A standing calf stretch is not only targeted for calf strength but can also be easily done just about anywhere throughout the day. 6 Supplement with amino acids to help support muscle recovery and repair with a full host of the building blocks of new protein synthesis.
What is pulled calf muscle?
Pulled calf muscle: Another name for a calf muscle strain, a pulled calf muscle is caused by "pulling" or overstretching the muscle beyond its natural limits. Calf muscle tear: Any strain involves some measure of tearing, but the more serious ones are partial or complete tears that may require surgery to fix.
What muscle is used to flex the ankle and knee?
The calf is attached via the Achilles tendon to the heel of the foot. The calf muscle allows us to flex the ankle and the knee, and to run, jump, and rise to our tippy toes. It's an integral part of daily movement.
What causes calf pain?
Here's a breakdown of the different soft tissue injuries that could be causing calf pain. Calf muscle strain: Straining the calf muscle involves a tearing of the calf muscle fibers. Muscle strains can exist along a spectrum from mild cases of light pain and soreness to severe cases of complete tear. Pulled calf muscle: Another name ...
What does it mean when your calf is pulled?
A milder pulled calf injury may come with symptoms like redness, bruising, mild swelling, and an inability to stand up on the ball of your foot. Depending on the severity of the injury, these types of sprains can usually be treated at home with RICE and other healing aids. RICE stands for:
How to prevent calf cramps?
Here are some stretches and strengthening exercises you can use to help minimize the risk of calf injury and hopefully prevent future sprains and injuries. Warm up and stretch for at least 5 minutes before engaging in exercise or sport, and set aside time for a cool-down period of stretching to prevent cramping.
How long does it take for a calf muscle to recover?
Calf strains are most common in men between the ages of 30 and 50 years.
How to treat a torn calf muscle?
Once you know that, you'll know how to treat the injury successfully. For minor calf strains, the best approach is rest, ice, compression, and elevation.
Why do calf stretches help?
Practice calf stretches. Mild muscle strains respond well to some light stretching because it relieves muscle tension and promotes blood flow. Following the inflammatory phase of a muscle strain injury, some scar tissue forms, which is not as flexible as muscle fiber.
What is the best treatment for calf muscle strain?
Make sure you get the doctor to clearly explain the diagnosis, especially the cause (if possible), and provide you with various treatment options for your condition. Rest and home care modalities (such as ice) are appropriate for mild-to-moderate calf muscle strains.
What is the best way to diagnose calf muscle pain?
X-rays, bone scans, MRI, CT scan and ultrasound are modalities that specialists may use to help diagnose your lower leg pain. Calf muscle injuries are relatively common among those who play tennis, basketball, football, soccer and volleyball, as well as those who run track and field.
How to know if calf strain is serious?
1. Identify the seriousness of the injury. Most calf strains are minor injuries and self-heal within a week -- the degree of pain, disability and bruising are good indicators of seriousness. Grade I muscle strains involve micro-tears of up to 10% of the muscle fibers.
How to relieve pain from calf muscle injury?
Wear a heel pad in your shoe for a few days to raise your heel and shorten the injured calf muscle, which will relieve some of the tension / pain. But don't forget about it; if left in place too long can cause a flexion contracture (shortening) of the achilles tendon and permanent stiffness of the ankle.
Overview
Your calf muscles (the gastrocnemius and soleus) are in your lower leg, behind your shin bone. They extend from behind your knee down to your heel. These muscles can tear if you perform sudden movements that severely overstretch them. Calf muscle tears can be partial or complete (rupture).
Symptoms and Causes
A ruptured calf muscle can happen if you suddenly overstretch your calf. Quick pivots, jumps or abrupt stops during sports can cause this injury. It’s also possible to develop tears over time if you overwork your calf muscles. People who return to exercise too quickly after a previous calf injury can also develop tears.
Diagnosis and Tests
Your healthcare provider will perform a physical exam and review your symptoms. They may palpate (press) on your calf muscles to check for areas of tenderness or swelling.
Management and Treatment
After confirming you have a torn calf muscle, your healthcare provider may recommend a home treatment known as RICE:
Prevention
Allowing your calf muscles to rest and recover between games, practices or workouts.
How long does it take for a calf muscle to heal?
Healing of a calf muscle usually takes about 6-8 weeks however everyone recovers frominjury at different rates. The rate of healing of your muscle will depend on how severeyour injury is as well as any other medical problems you may already have.
How to help calf muscle pain?
Ice can help reduce the pain around the calf muscle. Use a damp cloth and a bag offrozen peas (which you can re-use several times by re-freezing but do not eat them afterdoing this) or some crushed ice cubes in a damp towel. Put the ice pack on your injuredcalf muscle for 10-15 minutes every couple of hours for the first few days after the injury,then use the ice pack 3 times a day until the swelling goes down.
How to prevent calf stiffness?
For afew days reduce the amount of walking you do and gently exercise your calf regularlywithin pain limits to avoid stiffness. Avoid forceful and stressful activity such as runningand jumping at this stage of your recovery.
What is the purpose of the calf leaflet?
The purpose of this information leaflet is to provide you with advice and exercises to helpyou to self-manage your injury and improve strength, flexibility and function in the calfmuscle as well as your balance and overall function to help return your calf back tonormal.
Can compression bandages be worn on calf?
They can be purchased overthe counter from chemists and most supermarkets. Make sure you do not wear any formof compression device on your calf at night.
How long does it take for a calf muscle to heal?
A grade 1 calf muscle injury will take between one and 3 weeks to heal. Grade 2 calf muscle injury. A partial tear of the calf muscle results in a moderate, or grade 2 calf muscle injury. Pain will be significant and will cause weakness in the lower leg muscle and make walking difficult.
How to heal a pulled calf muscle?
As the pulled calf muscle heals, a warm heating pad, exercises, and stretching can all help to speed up the healing process. Advertisement.
How to stop calf muscle pain?
Avoid any activities that could strain the muscle further and cause pain. Ice. Apply an ice pack to the calf muscle for up to 20 minutes every hour to reduce inflammation and help get rid of the pain. Compression. Gently apply an elastic bandage around your calf muscle to help prevent swelling in the calf muscle tear.
What are the muscles in the back of the leg called?
These calf muscles are called the gastrocnemius and soleus. Dr. Carol DerSarkissian on WebMD says that the gastrocnemius is a diamond shape muscle that forms the bulge at the back of your leg.
Why does my calf hurt?
Calf muscle injuries can happen when straining tight leg muscles by accelerating fast or suddenly changing direction. Pulling or tearing a calf muscle can cause a sudden sharp pain in the back of your leg. Depending on the extent of injury to your calf muscle, you might have mild to intense pain.
Why do my calves pull?
Doctors from the National Health Service (NHS) say that calf strains are commonly caused by putting too much force on the calf muscles.
Where do pulled calves occur?
Most cases of pulled, torn, or strained calves occur in the gastrocnemius which joins the ankle and knee. A severe calf muscle tear is likened to cracking a whip and can leave a person in great pain having to limp when walking. 2.
How to fix a calf muscle tear?
Hold for three seconds. Pull your toes up toward you as far as possible and hold for three seconds. Repeat 10 times. Advertisement. 2. Calf Stretches. Stretches are an important component of calf muscle tear rehabilitation. Stretching exercises increase joint mobility beyond your active range of motion.
How to stretch calf muscles?
Move 2: Wall Calf Stretch. Stand facing a wall. Place your hands against the wall, at about shoulder height. Step your affected leg back about 2 feet. Keeping your back heel on the floor and knee straight, slowly lean in toward the wall until you feel a stretch in your calf.
How to raise your calf?
Once you're cleared by your doctor or physical therapist, begin calf raises, as demonstrated by ExRx.net, to restore strength in your gastrocnemius muscle. Stand with the balls of your feet on a step, with your heels hanging over the edge. Slowly rise up on your toes as high as possible.
How long after a torn gastrocnemius can you exercise?
Range of motion exercises for a torn gastrocnemius can begin one week after injury. Sit with your leg straight out in front of you. Leading with your big toe, draw the alphabet in the air.
Can a calf tear be surgery?
However, severe calf tears might require surgery. See a doctor if you suspect you have a calf tear. For the best results and to avoid further injury, perform calf tear rehab exercises under the direct supervision of a physical therapist.
Can a gastrocnemius tear heal?
Appropriate exercises for a torn gastrocnemius muscle — the larger of your two calf muscles — depend on the extent of your injury. According to a case study published in the December 2013 issue of the Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association, this injury often occurs in tennis players. Mild muscle tears typically heal with conservative ...