- Fill a clean cotton sock with rice and leave about 3 inches clear at the top.
- Tie a knot in the sock, making sure that there is still some flexibility in the sock.
- Place in the microwave and heat on full power for 1-2 minutes.
- Wrap the rice-filled heating pad in a warm moist towel.
Full Answer
What is the best treatment for a pulled calf muscle?
Nov 17, 2021 · Progressing to plyometric based movements is vital for calf strain rehab, especially for the gastrocnemius, as this muscle has abundant type II muscle fibers, which are utilized for power-based movements such as jumping or sprinting!
How long should I rest a pulled calf muscle for?
Nov 07, 2019 · Ice: An ice pack or a cold compress applied to the area for 10 minutes at a time, every hour or so in the first few days, can help reduce inflammation and swelling, plus ease pain. Compression: A leg wrap can also help reduce swelling and increase your mobility while you heal.
What is the recovery time for a torn calf?
Feb 28, 2022 · Start now on our full calf strain rehabilitation program. Cold Therapy Use a cold therapy and compression wrap to minimise any bleeding within the muscle. Cold therapy can be applied for 10 to 15 minutes every hour initially, reducing frequency as symptoms allow. Do not apply ice directly to the skin as it can cause ice burns.
How to get rid of a strained calf muscle?
Jun 22, 2018 · The most effective home treatments for pulled, strained, or torn calf muscles are plenty of rest and avoiding straining the muscle more. Just after a calf muscle injury, the best treatment is to ice the back of your leg to prevent further swelling.
Should you stretch a pulled calf muscle?
As healing gets underway, it is important you begin a series of exercises to gently stretch the calf muscle. This will help your knee and ankle joints to get back into their normal position. This helps to reduce the risk of further injury.
How do you rehab a pulled calf muscle?
Calf wall stretch (knees bent)Stand facing a wall with your hands on the wall at about eye level. Put your affected leg about a step behind your other leg.Keeping both heels on the floor, bend both knees. ... Hold the stretch for at least 15 to 30 seconds.Repeat 2 to 4 times.
How long does it take a pulled calf muscle to heal?
In total, it usually takes up to three days for a pulled calf muscle to start feeling better. But a full recovery may take up to six weeks, according to Oxford University Hospitals. Severe swelling can make any pain and discomfort last a bit longer. Walking on recovering calf muscles can also increase recovery time.
Can you walk on a pulled calf muscle?
A calf muscle tear usually causes sudden, intense calf pain and may prevent you from walking or bearing weight on your leg. Calf muscle tears usually heal with conservative treatments, but sometimes require surgery.Aug 24, 2021
Should you massage a calf strain?
Getting a massage is also very beneficial right after the initial injury (just not at the site of the tear!) Massage can lengthen the entire posterior chain while increasing circulation around the strain through the whole leg. Rubbing the bottom of your foot over a tennis ball can also ease the pain felt in the calf.Jun 12, 2018
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
What is the fastest way to heal a calf muscle?
3:3810:55Calf Tear or Strain. NEVER Do This! Do This Instead to Heal FAST!YouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo mine is a low cap strain it's actually in the soleus. That's the lower muscle. I've got theMoreSo mine is a low cap strain it's actually in the soleus. That's the lower muscle. I've got the gastroc up here but you know it's nice if you can wrap a cold pack right around it get into recliner.
What does a grade 3 calf strain feel like?
Grade III: A third degree or severe injury results in a complete rupture of the muscle and is often concomitant with a hematoma. Pain, swelling, tenderness and bruising are usually present. Recovery is highly individualised and can take months before you are fully recovered for a full return to activity.
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 strain not healing?
0:525:44Why 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.
How long does it take to recover from a calf strain?
Calf strains have a good prognosis and people often make a full recovery! Generally speaking, strains can vary in recovery times from a couple of weeks up to several months if there is a more significant injury . The first step after this injury is to ensure you receive a proper diagnosis, as the calf muscle is actually ‘3 muscles in one’, and therefore, you must establish which one of these muscles has been insulted. From there, a physical therapist can help you optimize your recovery with appropriate exercise and activity modification. If you’re looking for a program to teach you how to rehab calf strains immediately, check out our calf rehab program!
What type of muscle fibers are used in calf strain rehab?
Progressing to plyometric based movements is vital for calf strain rehab, especially for the gastrocnemius, as this muscle has abundant type II muscle fibers, which are utilized for power-based movements such as jumping or sprinting! Read more about plyometric exercise progressions HERE!
What muscle is the calf muscle?
The ‘calf muscle’ is actually a complex of 3 muscles, which includes the gastrocnemius, soleus, and plantaris. These muscles each travel down the back of the lower leg and join the Achilles tendon, which then inserts onto our calcaneus (heel bone). The gastrocnemius muscle has two heads: a medial head and lateral head, ...
Where is the calf muscle located?
Our calf musculature which is situated on the back of our lower legs consists of three muscles, and can often be subject to injury if they are under too much load and/or not appropriately strengthened! Various calf strains are often seen in runners, tennis players, other athletic populations, and even weekend warriors.
What is the calf injury?
In the text titled Sports Injuries by Dreddie and David, the authors described that the calf injury was first described in the year 1883 as it was associated with the sport of tennis, thus receiving the name ‘ten nis leg’. This particular injury is in relation to the gastrocnemius muscle, with a common mechanism of injury of knee extension (straight knee position) and ankle dorsiflexion. The gastrocnemius is particularly more susceptible to strains due to it crossing 2 joints. In addition, in contrast to the soleus muscle that is more of an ‘endurance’ muscle, the gastrocnemius has an abundance of type II muscle fibers (fast-twitch), which are utilized specifically for speed and power-based activity. Muscle strains are more likely to occur in these types of muscles that are fast-twitch and cross multiple joints.
What is the difference between gastrocnemius and soleus?
What is unique about the gastrocnemius in contrast to the soleus is that it is a 2-joint muscle, as it crosses both the knee joint as well as the ankle joint. This is similar to the rectus femoris at our hip, which acts as a hip flexor and knee extender.
How to get rid of a swollen toe?
HOW: In a comfortable sitting position with your feet out in front of you, place a resistance band around the balls of your foot. Keep your foot in a neutral position, with the toes pointed straight up and your ankle at a 90 deg right angle. This is your starting position.
How to heal a strained calf muscle?
Reducing pain and symptoms may be achieved by off loading the strained calf musculature through rest, taping techniques, and appropriate soft tissue massage techniques. While somewhat lacking scientific evidence for soft tissue recovery modalities such as dry needling or western acupuncture can be popular amongst runners and may also be useful.
What is calf muscle strain?
Written by Brad Beer. ‘Calf muscle strains’ are a common running injury. They can be debilitating, painful, and require reduced or complete cessation from running. Short and longer lasting episodes of pain can stem from injury to the calf musculature.
Why does my calf hurt when I run?
The runner will typically report an acute onset of pain in the region of the calf brought on by activity, often times jumping or accelerating when running. For runners the injury more frequently arises during faster interval training, racing, or high-speed tempo runs.
Which muscle group is generating high peak forces across all speeds?
Furthermore when looking at peak muscle forces per muscle group across a variety of running speeds it is evident that the soleus muscle is generating high peak forces across all speeds, see image below:
Where does the majority of running force propulsion come from?
Greater than 50% of running force propulsion is generated from ‘below the knee’ plantar flexor musculature. Given the force developed by the calf it is understandable that the calf can be a potential site of muscular injury for a runner.
What muscle is the calf muscle?
Calf muscle anatomy. A calf muscle strain can occur to either of the two primary ‘calf muscles’; the soleus or the gastrocnemius (see anatomy images below): (i) soleus muscle. (ii) Gastrocnemius (medial and lateral heads) The muscles at the back of the leg are comprised of a superficial and a deep group of muscles.
Is high plantar flexor strength protective?
High plantar flexor function seems to be protective against achilles tendinopathy. Willy and Paquette in their review of masters runners state ‘runners with greater eccentric plantarflexor strength and greater propulsive forces during running have a reduced risk of developing achilles tendinopathy (9).
How to treat a pulled calf muscle?
In the meantime, you can use the following home treatments: Ice or cold compresses. Wrap these in a soft cloth and place on your calf for 10 minutes.
How long does it take for a pulled calf muscle to heal?
In total, it usually takes up to three days for a pulled calf muscle to start feeling better. But a full recovery may take up to six weeks, according to Oxford University Hospitals. Severe swelling can make any pain and discomfort last a bit longer. Walking on recovering calf muscles can also increase recovery time.
How to heal a calf muscle?
A mild calf muscle strain may resolve within in a few days. In the meantime, you can use the following home treatments: 1 Ice or cold compresses. Wrap these in a soft cloth and place on your calf for 10 minutes. You can repeat the process every hour or two for the first three days of your injury if you still have swelling. 2 Heat pads. Make sure the setting is on low and that you don’t fall asleep with a heating pad on your leg. Try not to use a heating pad right away as the heat may cause your calf to swell more. 3 Leg wraps. These can also help reduce swelling and increase mobility. 4 Prop your leg up above heart level. This will decrease swelling. 5 Rest for at least a full day. Only return to exercise and your normal activities after your calf is completely free from pain and swelling. 6 Take over-the-counter pain medications. Unless otherwise instructed by your doctor, you can take acetaminophen or ibuprofen for pain relief. Ibuprofen is also a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug that reduces swelling.
What is pulled calf?
Pulled calf muscle. A pulled calf muscle refers to strains within the two muscles in the lower back of your leg that make up your calf. They’re called the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles. When a strain occurs, muscle fibers are torn to some degree. A pulled calf muscle happens when your internal muscles are overstretched from exercise.
What to do if your calf is swollen?
Only return to exercise and your normal activities after your calf is completely free from pain and swelling. Take over-the-counter pain medications. Unless otherwise instructed by your doctor, you can take acetaminophen or ibuprofen for pain relief.
How to strengthen calf muscles?
Ask your doctor about the following exercises you can try at home during your calf muscle recovery: Chair stretches. Sitting in a stable chair, bend and straighten the knee of your affected leg for 10 repetitions at a time. Wall stretches.
How to stretch your toes?
Flex your foot and set your heel firmly into the floor. Gently press your toes towards you for 5 seconds in this position, repeating the stretch up to 10 times. Standing stretches. Grip the back of a sturdy chair and lift yourself on the balls of your feet for 5 seconds.
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 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 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 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.
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.
Where is the calf muscle located?
The Calf Muscle and Lower Leg. In human anatomy, the calf muscle is located on the back of the lower leg. It consists of two distinct muscles, the larger gastrocnemius muscle, which creates the visible bulge on the back of the leg, and the soleus muscle, a flatter muscle that lies beneath the gastrocnemius muscle.
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 ...
How to treat a torn calf?
A professional therapist may use Ultrasound to treat your torn calf. It transmits high-frequency sound waves into the tissue. This encourages blood flow, which facilitates healing of damaged muscle fibres. Ultrasound is particularly useful in the early stages of the injury.
How to tell if calf muscle is hurting?
Symptoms of a calf strain vary significantly depending on how bad your injury is. A mild strain may feel more like an ache during or after exercise. With a more severe strain, you will feel a sudden sharp pain at the back of the lower leg at the time of injury. Calf muscle strains are graded from 1 to 3, with grade 3 being the most severe.
Why do my calf muscles get tight?
Tight calf muscles – over time your muscles may tighten up and parts of the muscle may go into spasm, either from congenital reasons (genetics), or poor footwear. Wearing high heels. If you regularly wear high-heeled shoes this increases the risk of a number of injuries including calf strains.
What is a calf strain?
A Calf strain is simply a tear of one of the muscles which make up the calf muscle group at the back of the lower leg. The calf muscle group consists of the Gastrocnemius and Soleus muscles. The gastrocnemius is the big muscle at the back of the lower leg. The soleus is the smaller of the two and is located lower down and lies underneath ...
How to treat a swollen muscle?
Use a cold therapy and compression wrap to minimise any bleeding within the muscle. Cold therapy can be applied for 10 to 15 minutes every hour initially, reducing frequency as symptoms allow. Do not apply ice directly to the skin as it can cause ice burns. A simple reuseable gel pack with an elastic wrap is ideal.
Where is the soleus located?
The soleus is the smaller of the two and is located lower down and lies underneath the gastrocnemius. Both muscles contract to produce ‘plantar flexion’ at the ankle joint. This is the same movement as standing up onto your tip-toes.
Who designed the Calf Strain Rehabilitation Program?
Our Calf strain rehabilitation program has been designed by England & British Lions Rugby Sports Physiotherapist Phil Pask. It is based on what an elite athlete would do and adapted for people of all ages and abilities.
What does it feel like to pull a calf muscle?
Straining, pulling, or tearing a calf muscle can feel like something has hit the back of your leg with force. According to the journal Radiology Case Reports, people who strain or tear a calf muscle have the sensation of something snapping in their mid-calf.
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.
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.
What happens if you tear your calf?
You might even hear your calf muscle “pop” when it tears. This kind of bad calf muscle injury usually results in swelling, bruising, and a lot of pain.
Where is the calf muscle located?
Your calf muscles are located at the back of your lower leg and are needed to move your legs when walking, running, or jumping.
What is the soleus muscle?
The soleus is a much smaller calf muscle and is located under the gastrocnemius. Both of the muscles in the calves taper at the bottom and join to your Achilles tendon. 1. The function of your calf muscles is to provide mobility to your legs and enable you to freely walk, run, or jump.
How to treat calf pain?
Wrap the ice pack in a thin towel and hold on the calf area at the back of your leg. Depending on the extent of strain in the calf muscles, you may have to apply the ice pack daily for the first few days to help control pain, swelling, and inflammation.
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.
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.
How to tell between gastrocnemius and soleus strain?
With a more serious strain, it's important to distinguish which muscle is involved to the greater extent: the deeper soleus or the more superficial "heads" of the gastrocnemius. MRI or diagnostic ultrasound may be needed to best diagnose the location and degree of the injury. Grade II strains involve more extensive damage, up to 90% of the muscle fibers may be torn. These injuries present with more pain (described as sharp in nature), significant loss of muscle strength and range of motion. Swelling is more severe and bruising quickly develops because of the internal bleeding from the torn muscle fibers.
Why does my calf hurt?
Furthermore, some serious medical conditions can cause calf pain or refer pain to that region, such as a bone fracture, bone cancer, bone infection (osteomyelitis), venous insufficiency, sciatica from a lumbar disc herniation or complications related to diabetes. [2]
What doctor can help with calf pain?
As such, medical specialists such as an orthopedist (bone and joint specialist), neurologist (nerve specialist) or physiatrist (muscle and bone specialist) may be needed to rule out the most serious causes of your calf pain.
How long does it take for a calf strain to heal?
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.
Which muscle is the lower leg?
The two muscles that work in conjunction to form the lower leg (or calf) are the deeper soleus muscle and the more superficial (closer to the skin) gastrocnemius muscle.
How to prevent injury during calf rehabilitate?
After performing your exercises, take extra time to cool down and stretch. Focus on calf stretching as well as general lower extremity mobility stretches. Take this extra time during the cool down to provide extra care and support to the injured area and to work on any potential causative areas (spot train as needed). This is when you can really work to rehabilitate and do “prehab” to avoid future injury.
How long does it take to recover from a calf strain?
Depending on severity of injury, it can take 4-8 weeks to fully recover from a calf strain. If you’re not experiencing relief after a week or two of aggressively managing the symptoms, contact your local physical therapist for an assessment and help in managing the condition.
What is the Resilient Runner program?
What’s Inside the Resilient Runner Program: 1 Guidance on preventing and self-treating common running related injuries, including Hip Flexor Pain, Runner’s Knee, IT Band Syndrome, Piriformis Syndrome, and more! 2 Specific guidelines on when and how to return to running after experiencing an injury. 3 Rehabilitation guides with step-by-step photos demonstrating recommended exercises. 4 Step-by-step instructions on how to apply Kinesiological tape. 5 Downloadable podcasts, videos, and more!
What is calf injury?
Calf injuries are common and occur in both competitive and recreational athletes of all kinds (such as runners, soccer players, basketball players, gymnasts, and dancers) and are frequently seen in weekend warriors as well as active individuals.
How to get calf to move?
Start with mobilization of the areas above and below the injury site by using a tool such as Thera-Band Standard Roller Massager or a foam roller. Be gentle, and initially do not mobilize over the site of injury. As pain decreases and you are tolerating mobilization over adjacent sites to the injury, you can gentle start mobilizing the injured area.
Who is Ben Shatto?
Ben Shatto, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS is a physical therapist who specializes in managing orthopedic conditions and strength and conditioning. Ben has been running since 2005. He shares tips on treating running injures at www.thePhysicalTherapyAdvisor.com
What are the risks of a lower leg injury?
A history of other lower leg injuries (such as a hamstring pull or Achilles tendinitis) puts you at a greater risk. Increased (large) body mass. Poor general conditioning. Decreased calf muscle strength. Training errors including tapering up volume and intensity too quickly.
