I'm experiencing the same thing right now and it sucks. I'm blaming it on the slippery running conditions around here and a previous injury. I've run once (3 miles to test it) in the past 23 days. Mine started out the same way as what you have described and I ran through it for a few days and then it got worse. I didn't bother going to a doctor about it since I had a slight muscle tear in the same leg in the same spot a few years back and it feels the same. Most doctors around where I live just tell me to stop running anyway and it will get better. I've been icing it a lot and I can still ride without any pain and swim (I did crank up my swimming to compensate though and have had to take it easy this week since now my shoulders are sore... F*$@ing calf). When I did this the first time it was in June and I raced the entire summer with it like that (I only ran when I was racing and didn't use my racing flats). My advice is lots of ice, some aspirins and stretching and you'll be running again in 3-4 weeks.

I know exactly the pain you are talking about. I had it last year and when I finally stopped trying to run for a good three weeks I was fine. It struck again this year and I have stopped running for at least two weeks. Swimming and riding are just fine.

I don't know what this is, but I don't think it is serious. You do need to stop running and ice it.

It seems like my calf is made of iron, but apparently not. I do wish I knew what it was.

For now cold pack and stretching is your first option. You should also stretch before you run and imediately after as a routine. When I see calf injuries in my office they are usually treated with ultra-sound, electro-therapy and massage. If it's a chronic re-occurring thing then I'd likely consider custom orthotics. Quite often the hardest thing with runners is trying to convince them to take some time off. Some good stretches for the gastrocnemius and soleus can be found here. http://www.exrx.net/...Wt.html#anchor164279

I'm no doctor, but I can really relate to your problem. I had pretty intense low calf pain and then fought with Achilles Tendonitis for 16 months. It didn't bother me biking or swimming. But I couldn't run two miles. I then met Julie Donnelly, the Author of "The Pain-Free Triathlete" and 15-year veteran of treating athletes. She showed me how to work out the spasms that were causing the problems, and a variation on stretching that works the Soleus. I was stretching the Gastroc, but I wasn't getting the full stretch of the Soleus. If I tried to tell you how well it worked, I'm sure you would call me a liar.

But... If this is your problem, you will know simply by trying the following. Either sit in a chair or on lie on your back. Take your "bad" leg and place it on top of your "good" knee, as if you were going to cross your legs. The kneecap is placed just below the back of the knee joint. Press into the muscle relatively hard and slowly slide the knee down your calf muscles (the actual movement will be more of pulling your bad leg up towards your chest.) You may not want to do this on bare skin. What you are looking for are small knots that are extremely painful when pressed on. Do not press down into your tendon, however. Stop about four inches above the back of the ankle. Work your knee around and find the spots. If your find them, there is your problem. And can be worked out.

In any case, I suggest you go to the Julstro website and post on their forum. www.julstro.com/18.html. Julie answers all of the posts herself.

Mike, if this calf pain is on the inside of your leg, sort of hard to pinpoint, and you are middle aged, you could have torn the plantaris tendon. Don't get this confused with the plantar facia on the bottom of your foot. Some people only have calf pain and swelling as a symptom. I've torn both of mine, and I could actually find the knot where they tore. I HEARD one of them pop. Interesting that you said you could ride OK...biking isn't limited by a plantaris tendon rupture...I kept on time trialing, although I could barely walk for about a week after the tear. I couldn't run for a couple of months. The good news is, they healed. The bad news is, it's taken me a year to get my speed back...and I'm not quite there yet.

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Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound)

Hard to pinpoint and on the inside is a pretty good description, KT. Middleaged?? Ouch, realizing that maybe I am hurts as much as the calf:) Where does 37 put me?

When I do the knee thing described above by Train Wreck, the spot is painfully easy to find however. Definitely on the inside, but it seems like the pain is higher on the leg than the spot where I feel it when running or walking. It's interesting that the knee locates the precise spot better than just rubbing on it with the thumb.

The doc I see is usually pretty good at fitting runners/bikers in to the schedule quickly, so I hope to have a diagnosis to share this week. In the meantime, it's on to the computrainer...

Strained calf muscle may be the number one injury for post age 30 runners. It usually takes at least 10 days and as much as three weeks of rest for a cramp to resolve itself. The cause is usually just fatigue. This is true even if you were not overdoing it. A good long-term stretching and strengthening program is a good idea. Make sure you get the right vitamins and minerals -- calcium, potassium, E, the lack of which have been correlated at least anecdotally with calf strains. And make sure that you are not doing something wrong in your stride to put extra stress on the calf (e.g., pelvic tilt). I think that aggressive massage is the best therapy to help get over the strain. Then you have to be careful to not have it repeat.

"Where does 37 put me? "

You're just a pup. I'm 52 and consider myself only just starting middle age. My wife always calls me her "great big kid", but I'm not sure if that should be taken as a compliment or not.

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Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound)

The reason for that is that the spasm that causes the pain is rarely in the same place as the injury. Try holding in on that spasm for 60 seconds at a time. Keep your tolerance level bearable, but don't put too much pressure on it. Stay away from putting pressure right on your injury. You need to relax that spasm. You also may have a spasm clear up in your Piriformis muscle and your gluteus minimus that causes pain in your calf muscles as well. If you read about Muscles and pain on the Julstro website (www.julstro.com/18.html), it starts to make some sense. I recommend you get "The Pain-Free Triathlete" ebook. Best investment I ever made in this sport. It's a lot less that a pair of shoes (and I always buy them on sale).

To find out if your Piriformis has a spasm in it, lie down on your back and put a tennis ball under your glutes, where your back pocket is. Carefully roll around on the ball. The gluteus minimus is just above your Piriformis. Role just below and just above the back of your hip bone as well. Again, if you find a really painful spot, keep pressure on it for about 60 seconds, or until it feels like it is subsiding.

Strain of the musculotendinous (MT) junction of the gastrocnemius muscle. Echoing KT's question re: middle aged, the Doc said "welcome to your 40's". He said he tore this muscle, with the pop described by KT, on a run the year he was 40 when jumping up onto a curb. Good to know I'm an early bloomer :(.

Anyway, no pop or severe pain for me, so he thinks just a strain, rather than a tear.

Rx: PT 1-2 times a week for 3-4 weeks. I wish insurance companies in the US would let us go straight to PT's. That's what I would have done 1.5 weeks ago instead of calling the ortho, and probably would have already had a couple of sessions in.

Thanks for the feedback

Mr Mike,

2 years ago I was ramping up for a marathon, everything was right on track, and after an 18m run

the next day my calf got that deep dull ache. Blew it off, rested a few days and from that point on

for 4 months I went from about 40m a week down to a painful 5m a week.........

I tried everything but surgery, nothing work. Then that June did a small sprint race, had 1st in AG

then 1m into the run, I was reduced to walking......painfully. The next week, another sprint on the

schedule, but the day before went to my chiropractor, told him my problem, he adjusted me and the next

day pulled off a sub 7min mile for the race and never had any pain again.

Was the chiropractor the answer ? do not know but he sure put me back in the game. Have it checked

out by one. My spine was wrenched so bad, pinched the nerve and shut me down.



Been racing strong every since.



Mark

Be sure to spend time stretching and strengthening beyond the gastroc, soleus, and calf. Pay attention to your hamstrings, back, as well as core supporting structure. Too many athletes "stretch" the exact area that has been strained/torn and you will only further aggravate the injury.

The release techniques articulated in another post are more effective that actually stretching the afflicted area. Stretch and work on range of motion for the musculature that put the strain on your gastroc and calf.

When I ride the trainer a lot I get calf trouble. It doesn't seem to happen during the summer riding outside. I just stretch and it gets better. Somehow I'm doing something on the trainer that shortens the calf and makes stretching more manditory

This sounds familiar. Doing a bike/run workout while trying to recover from knee injury, about 2 miles into the run I was reduced to walking/limping home because of bad calf pain similar to yours. I think my stride was affected by my sore knee and the calf went because of bad mechanics. Tried rest, stretching and ice. But what I think really worked for me was I changed my shoes to a new pair. I think the improved cushioning really helped in addition to the other stuff. For what it's worth, I'm 48.