An injured calf muscle is usually a tear occurring when part of the gastrocnemius or soleus (muscles of the lower leg) is pulled from the Achilles tendon. It is often associated with a feeling of being hit in the lower leg, hearing a pop, sudden pain, swelling, or bruising of the calf area.
Physician grade calf strains as:
Grade 1: Micro tears in the muscle(s) caused by over stretching. Full recovery in 1 to 3 weeks.
Grade 2: Severe partial tearing of the muscle(s) caused by over stretching or over acceleration. Full recovery increased to 4-8 weeks.
Grade 3: Complete tearing of the muscle(s). Orthopedic examination should be performed and the injury evaluated for surgery. Recovery may be several months.
Treatment
As will all strains and sprains, R.I.C.E. is the preferred modality recommended by physician, athletic trainers, and physical therapists.
REST: Stop all activity which brings any measure of pain to the area. Each time you feel pain there is increase to the injury occurring.
ICE: Ice the injured area for 20 minutes at a time, 3 to 4 times a day for the first few days. Icing helps reduce swelling by constricting the blood supply leaking into the torn soft tissue. Icing also numbs the injured area reducing pain.
COMPRESSION: Wrap the injured area to further control the swelling and inflammation caused by the leaking of the torn soft tissue.
ELEVATION: Keep the injured area at about waist high for the first few days to keep blood serum and fluid from pooling in the ankle and foot. Elevation also alleviates the throbbing.
A Cold One Universal Ice Compression Wrap can be used on the muscles of the thigh and calf. The re-freezable wrap will stop muscle pain and swelling.Anti-inflammatory medications can be used for the first 2 days, but be aware of the potential of stomach irritation. Icing is a much better way to control the pain.
Eventually most soft tissue injuries will be healed by the body; however, the sooner the treatment is initiated after the injury, the shorter the period to return to participation will become. It is essential to stop and control the swelling and inflammation for a quick and controlled pain recovery.
If your calf injury does not appear to be getting better after a few days or pain is increasing, definitely seek medical advice.
Once pain and inflammation are controlled, gentle range of motion exercises should be initiated, stopping any range prior to pain. Daily the range of motion should increase slightly, until full range of motion is restored.
Once full range of motion has been restored, initiate gentle increasing strengthening exercises to restore strength to the injured muscles to prevent reoccurring injury.
At any point there is pain or swelling, repeat R.I.C.E.
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