Calf Muscle

Calf Muscle

Your calf muscle is actually a set of muscles known as triceps surae which translates to three-headed calf muscle. Your calf muscles connect to your heel bone and run all the way up to the knee. They make up a majority of the muscles found in the back on your lower leg.

Your calf muscles connect to your heel through the Achilles tendon, one of the largest and most powerful tendons in the body. It connects at three points and is made up of two major masses of muscle on the back of the leg. Two points connect to your femur bone above the knee while the third point connects down at the heel.

Your calf muscle is essential for balance, jumping, running and even walking. Injury to the calf muscle or Achilles tendon can easily take away your ability to walk normally. Calf injuries along with Achilles tendon injuries are common in athletes, especially those who use bursts of power like long jumpers and sprinters.

Calf Muscle Pain

Calf Muscle Pain

Pain in calf muscles can happen for a number of reasons. Common calf injuries include pulled calf muscles, torn calf muscles and Achilles tendon tears. These injuries occur when the calf muscle is pushed beyond its limits and tears or strains the muscle or tendon. Calf injuries can be severe and extremely debilitating.

Calf Muscle Cramps

A calf muscle cramp is probably the least serious of all calf muscle problems. Muscle cramps in calf muscles may be caused by a number of things including over-exertion, injury, dehydration and even low blood calcium or magnesium. Muscle cramps are involuntary contractions of the muscles which can be quite painful.

Calf muscle cramps can be categorized in a number of ways including:

• True Cramps – These are the most common type of calf muscle cramps that people experience. These cramps are caused by over-stimulated nerves that control your calf muscle.
• Over Exertion – Vigorous use of your calf muscle can cause cramps many hours after your activity.
• Resting Cramps – These types of cramps are most common in older people. These types of cramps may strike while you’re sleeping at night. They can be painful and recur frequently. It’s unknown at this time what specifically causes these cramps.
• Dehydration – Being dehydrated greatly increases your risk of getting calf muscle cramps. You are much more likely to experience this type of cramping during warmer summer months during the night. Sodium depletion associated with dehydration can also cause cramping in your calfs.

Pulled Calf Muscle

A pulled calf muscle normally happens when a person exerts force on their calf muscle quickly such as jumping or starting to run.

Pulled Calf Muscle Symptoms

A calf muscle pull can cause muscle spasms and contractions so severe they will curl your toes. The calf muscle tightness caused by these spasms can be quite painful. Pulled calf muscles can range anywhere from minor to sever and are graded on the following scale:

• Grade 1: The least severe of all calf muscle strains. This will cause small tears in the muscle that can make your calf muscle sore. Recovery can take 1-2 weeks.
• Grade 2: A more severe case of calf strain, a grade 2 pull causes more severe tearing to the calf muscle and can take 1-2 months to recover fully.
• Grade 3: A grade 3 calf muscle strain is the most extreme. The muscle will be torn completely rupturing the muscle fibers of the calf. Depending on severity, surgery may be required for a full recovery which can take 3 months or longer.

Pulled Calf Muscle Treatment

Pulled calf muscle therapy starts off with RICE (Rest Ice Compression Elevation). You should first get off your calf to allow it to heal. Apply compression using a bandage to avoid blood pooling. It’s important to keep your foot elevated during the first twenty four hours to reduce swelling. Anti-inflammatory medicine like Advil (Ibuprofen) can also help reduce swelling and pain caused by a calf muscle strain. Even in the most severe strains the muscle be reattach to the tendon although the muscle will be somewhat shorter which can increase the chances for re-injury.

Torn Calf Muscle

A calf muscle tear is one of the most serious of all calf muscle injuries. Unfortunately, it’s a fairly common calf muscle injury. Athletes tear their calf muscles through over-exertion and bursts of speed required to compete.

Torn Calf Muscle Symptoms

• Swelling: Swelling in the lower leg and ankle is extremely common after any calf muscle injury. This swelling can be reduced by using compression or by taking anti-inflammatory medicine like Ibuprofen.
• Bruising: A ruptured calf muscle will display large areas of bruising on the calf and ankle. Bruising is caused by the blood pooling up under the skin from the injury. Elevating your leg during the first 24 hours after injury can help reduce swelling as well as healing time.
• Pain / Discomfort: Odds are after a serious calf injury you won’t be able to walk. It’s important to stay off your feet during the first day after you’ve been injured. The pain and discomfort can last a few days or up to a few months depending on the severity of the injury.

Torn Calf Muscle Recovery

Torn calf muscle treatment includes physical therapy programs that may include the following:

• Range of Motion Exercises: When the initial pain has subsided you should begin to slowly work your calf muscle to begin increasing flexibility and circulation for proper healing. Gently pull your foot forward to stretch the calf muscle. Hold this position for about 10 seconds and repeat 10 times.
• Strengthening Exercises: Strength exercises are essential for rehabilitating a pulled calf muscle. You should start with the least amount of resistance possible in your exercise program and slowly work your way up as your calf muscle begins to become stronger.
• Achilles Tendon Exercises: Strengthening your Achilles tendon is an important step for preventing re-injury to your calf muscle. Consider an Achilles tendon strengthening program after your calf muscle has healed completely.

The amount of time it takes to fully recover from a torn calf muscle depends a lot on the severity of the injury as well as your age and overall health. The most serious calf muscle injuries can take months to fully recover from and might even require surgery to heal completely. It’s important to note that re-injury is common due to the calf muscle becoming shorter after the surgery.

Calf Muscle Strain

A strained calf muscle is the least severe of all calf muscle injuries. A strain is typically just a few minor tears in the muscle which will cause some discomfort. This type of injury only takes a few days to a week to recover from and has no serious long term side effects. A calf muscle strain can be treated in the same way a grade 1 calf muscle pull would be treated which is the RICE method.

Calf Muscle Exercises

Strengthening your calf muscle is the best way to ensure a full recovery from a serious calf muscle injury. Once the pain has completely subsided a strengthening program can help you to improve flexibility and avoid re-injury to your calf muscle. The following exercises are a great way to build calf muscle and power.

• Standing Calf Raise: This is a very simple exercise that can be performed in a number of different ways. As the name implies, you stand straight up and raise yourself off the ground using only your calf muscles. To increase resistance you can stand on the edge of a stepper or sidewalk.
• Seated Calf Raise: This exercises is a variation on the standard calf raise that can be done while sitting down. This is an easy way to start for those who may be a little out of shape. You can increase resistance by adding weight on your lap.
• Reverse Calf Raise: In this variation you will have your heels on the stepper, weight or sidewalk and perform the same motion, lowering the front of your feet down and then back up again, using your body weight as resistance.

Between sets you can practice standing on your toes. This makes your calf muscles contract fully which makes it a great workout. You can strengthen your calf muscles by increasing the amount of time you stand on your toes as your calf muscle becomes stronger.

Calf Muscle Stretches

Calf Muscle Stretches

Calf muscle stretches are excellent for rehabilitation from a calf muscle injury as well as a way to loosen up before a calf muscle workout. The following stretches you can do in the comfort of your own home to help provide strength and flexibility to your calf muscles.

• Stretched Knee: Start this stretch on a staircase with your right foot on the bottom step and your left foot on the next step up. Move one heel off the step slightly until you are able to dip your foot down. Hold this position for 30 seconds then repeat on the left side.
• Bent Knee: This is identical to the stretching exercise above but includes a slight bend in the knee as you dip your foot down. This provides a better stretch for your Achilles tendon. You can maximize the stretching power by rocking forward and backwards slowly.
• Chair Bend & Foot Flex: This one can be performed using any chair or desk and can be completed discretely. Stand in front of a chair (or a desk) with your feet spread slightly apart. Bend forward and place your hands on the desk or chair. If you aren’t able to make your knees completely straight you can widen your stance a little bit. Slowly and gently lift your heels while in this position and do 5 to 15 reps total.

You can perform these exercises daily to help improve calf muscle strength and flexibility.