Calf Problem....HELP

Barefoot Cassie

Barefoot Cassie

Barefooters
Sep 10, 2010
138
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#1
I was not even running when it happened. I was just walking across the room, turned to turn out the light and there was this POP in my left calf...the pain was so bad I hit the floor. It felt like what I assume getting shot feels like. I could not even walk the rest of the day. I had to crawl up the stairs since it happened in the basement. I used RICE allong with some advil.

The next morning I could walk again but it still HURTS. Like there is a vice grip in my calf.

Any ideas what is going on?

From playing doctor google I think it may be a strain or a tear.
 
#2
Cassie - I struggled big time

Cassie - I struggled big time with my knot monster. I think it was a serious strain. I've had that "pop" happen a few times. What helped for me was deep tissue massage and rolling it out. It was quite painful. I cried a lot, but eventually it went away.

I sat on the floor with the rolling pin under my calf and then pushed my body up with my hands while i moved back and forth on the rolling pin. I did the same thing with one of the kid's nerf balls right in the area of the knot. That worked fabulously! It got in there really deep. I had to do this two or three times a day for a couple weeks before I started seeing any improvement.

I hope it feels better soon. :)
 
#3
Cassie, be brave! I had a

Cassie, be brave!

I had a "knot monster" bite me on my run 2 days ago, though not so badly as you experienced, as I was able to run home after the initial shock. I, too, am going with the kneading and ibuprofen therapy approach. I've hit this before, or something like it, and it's not yet become a chronic sort of thing. Just one of those soft tissue adjustment miseries.
 
#5
I pulled my calf muscle last

I pulled my calf muscle last Fall and your injury sounds similar except I didn't hear the popping. I couldn't run on it and if I did it hurt (A LOT). I did RICE I also tried rolling it but I think this actually made it worse. I rested it for 3 weeks, which was until I could run on it without any pain. Good luck hope it heals quickly.
 
#6
I don't think you should run

I don't think you should run on it until it is fully healed. I don't even know how you can think of running on it if it feels that bad.

I borrowed this from my last post to Zap, since I think it will help you too, and I am too lazy to retype all it. ;-)

You should take some serious anti-inflammatories. After I had those problems with my tendons in my wrists, arms, and feet, my doctor prescribed some really powerful anti-inflammatories called Voltaren. It also comes in a topical gel that you can rub onto the skin for instant relief, since the pills take a couple of days to take effect. I also took an all-natural anti-inflammatory at the same time called Inflamarest, you can get from your local Herb Shop. This combination really helped me get through the worst of it. Please consider seeing your doctor for a prescription and get to your local Herb Shop.
 
#7
I was referred to this

I was referred to this link...



http://www.footeducation.com/calf-muscle-tear-gastrocnemius-tear



sounds exactly like what I have going on....



It seems I should see a doc...what type of doc should I see?
 
#9
What's an LO?

What's an LO?
 
#11
That's what I guessed when my

That's what I guessed when my hubby couldn't figure it out either. Although first, I guessed Loved One. Ha!
 
#12
I said it on FB, but I will

I said it on FB, but I will repeat it - get the compression sleeves and wear them even when you are not running for awhile.
 
#13
Hi Cassie,A 'pop' is not a

Hi Cassie,

A 'pop' is not a good sign. That sounds like a definite calf tear. A friend of mine had exactly the same thing while playing netball.

The tear didn't happen when she was running around but during a break. She was walking back on the the court and heard a pop and thought someone had kicked her.

Calves take a long time to heal, they can appear fixed but as soon as you try to run they break down again. At a guess I would thing you would be looking at a minimum of about 6 weeks rest.

As you are probably in winter over your side of the world, a rest is probably a good thing to do.



Neil
 
#14
Neil_D wrote:Calves take a

Neil_D said:
Calves take a long time to heal, they can appear fixed but as soon as you try to run they break down again. At a guess I would thing you would be looking at a minimum of about 6 weeks rest.As you are probably in winter over your side of the world, a rest is probably a good thing to do.Neil
Click to expand...



Aint that the truth. Mine took a couple months to completely heal. Neil's right. It might not be sore and feel fine and then you might land on your foot wrong or a vicious looking dog decides to stalk you on the bike trail making all your muscles in your body tense up (like with me) and BAM! there's the knot monster again. So give it some good rest and massage and then ease back into running on it again.
 
#15
jschwab wrote:I said it on

jschwab said:
I said it on FB, but I will repeat it - get the compression sleeves and wear them even when you are not running for awhile.
Click to expand...



I plan on getting some on Monday (payday).
 
#16
It would do you good to find

It would do you good to find some sore spots in your legs and put pressure on the spot that hurts the worst. Use your thumb and press deeply into the area on the back of your leg about half way between your ankle and your knee (where the 2 lobes of the gastroc meets the soleus). There and elsewhere you will find myofascial trigger points that must be released.

See Chapter 2 of this book for a great explanation of trigger points:

http://books.google.com/books?id=mSRpe9RS0uwC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Trigger+Point+Therapy+for+Low+Back+and+Hip+Pain+-+A+Self-Treatment+Workbook+Sharon+Sauer&source=bl&ots=kcF-T9ZJnm&sig=HZn87xEcoYPzs_rPKdJkiW4Rp18&hl=en&ei=s4gWTbaPGcz1nAeiibCUDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CCYQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false

Here's another great source for info and good products to help releive your discomfort and begin the healing process. http://www.tptherapy.com/

The key to effective treatment is to hold the pressure level constant on the painful area, until it feels like it has diminished to a level of about 50%. This can take as short as 7 seconds or as long as 120 seconds.

Soak your legs in hot water - as hot as you can stand - as often as you can. This will also help to relax your muscles.
 
#17
Good, I hope they work. The

Good, I hope they work. The ones that saved me were the Zensah sleeves, but they are hot, especially if you wear them under clothes as therapy. I also have a pair of $$ CWX ones that are thin and wick. Both work great. Do you have a heating pad, too? Heat might be bad if it's an actual tear, but it's the best thing for a strain. I hope yours is as easy to solve as mine. After the compressions sleeves, I don't even have to stretch anymore. You know about the soleus stretch, right?
 
#18
Welcome, Jack!

Welcome, Jack!
 
#19
Had a doc appointment this

Had a doc appointment this morning. It is a level III/IV strain. No running for 6 - 8 weeks. At least it is in winter and at least it was not a tear.
 
#20
Cassie--Ugh, I'm so sorry you

Cassie--Ugh, I'm so sorry you have to take that much time off! I hope it heals without a problem. :(

BTW, I love that you are EBFing your LO. (See, I've been on baby message boards too!) And of course in this case I'm using the "extended" usage of EBF, not "exclusive." Now that I've spent more time explaining my abbreviations than it would have taken to type out the whole thing.... :) I BFed my first until she was about 2 1/2, including during pregnancy with #2 & 3 months of tandem BFing. I weaned #2 when he was 18 months old because by then I'd been BFing for almost 3 3/4 years straight, and it FELT like I'd been doing it since the beginning of time! I was ready to be done! But I'm so glad I was able to have that experience with both of them.
 
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