I pulled my calf two weeks ago at the end of a 5 mile run. It gets better and then I run and I am back to square one. How long should I not run for it to heal completely? I have tried up to 5 days, but I am now thinking it will take two weeks. Is that about right? I have already lost two weeks of run training. I want to make sure I give it enough time to heal this time around so I don’t end up ruining my whole season.
No words of wisdom from anyone who has had a calf strain? Am I the only one?
what is the location of the injury?
Calf strains are tricky tricky. They will feel like it is healed and then you go run and after a few miles, it will cramp up. I had one a few years ago about 3 weeks before a half marathon. I took about 3 days off completely resumed running and was able to get through a couple easy 4 milers. I figured I was fine for the half. 5 miles into the half it cramped. I limp walked the last 8 miles and finished in 3:20+!
Anyway, moral of the story. Rest more than you think. Ice as much as possible throughout the day and massage the hell out of it. Any runs kep very slow and short if any, I would say do this for 2 to 3 weeks. After that slowly ease back into it. if you have any bruising, see a doctor.
good question, my advice assumes a gastroc(the large calf muscle) strain.
I am pretty sure it is the soleus. It is the very lower part of the calf, where the muscle attaches to tendons.
Can you bike OK? I had a calf strain, and could bike just fine, but every time I ran it would strain again after a few miles. It didn’t get better until I took 5 weeks off of running. This wasn’t so bad, since I could bike and swim just fine. After the the 5 weeks away from running, mine was completely cured.
Stopped Clock
I’m sure Doc Roof while chime in here but like the previous poster said, calf injuries can be tricky. I had a bad one in 2005 that took months to get over. It was more on the inside like in the shin splints area. Tore it up real good. You will probably have to lay off for a good while. Get massage, ultrasound whatever to keep the healing moving. Stretch lightly after a week maybe. You might take a look at ASTYM. They are tricky because you think you are ok walking around and as soon as you try to run - bammo.
I can bike and swim fine. I got depressed last week when I realized that it was not healing and that my PR that I had been hoping for in my Olympic distance race next month was not going to happen. I may even DNF for the first time. But then I decided that maybe I won’t lose as much fitness as I think I will. I can do a swim bike focus which may be what I need since running is my what I am best at. Then I got out of my pity party and started training again.
Almost…I have fought this injury for years. What you are describing sounds exactly like what I battle. I get this cramp-feeling-pop in my lower calf and must limp home. Sound about right? For me, anything less than 3 weeks off of running and it “pops” within 15 minutes on my next run…like clockwork. Since I have battled it for years, I am hardly the one to offer advice, but looking back, I believe that I did too little to rehab it the first few times I hurt it. I should have done some strengthening and deep tissue massage from the beginning. Instead, I just took time off. I think I have so much scar tissue formed now that I can only try to keep the injured area as pliable as possible. I use the TP massage ball and their other torture tools nightly to keep the soleus fairly pliable. All that said…too many hard efforts during a 2 or 3 month period and I am sure to have a flare up. Then it is 3 weeks off and repeat. Good luck and rehab now to keep from fighting this thing for years.
Thanks for the reminder. I found some strengthening and stretching excercises but have not been doing them consistently . That is just a reminder of how important they are. I’ll start massaging it too.
i had one recently (just started running on it a few weeks ago) and did a search and found a few strings on this…check it out. some good info on it.
I had a similar injury, about 5 miles into an olympic run when it felt like someone chopped my calf with an ax. Had to limp in. I followed the advice below from runners world online and it worked great, ran a decent half marathon the following weekend. Feels weird to run with a heel insert in only one shoe so I put one in each, just gel heel inserts I bought in the grocery store. Good luck.
This is from runnersworld.com
"Definition:Pain in the calf, as well as swelling, tenderness and muscle
tightness, resulting from sudden overloading of the muscles during speedwork, hill running or running on uneven trails. Remedies:Treat with ice and anti-inflammatories (see “Three Basics”). Wrap your calf with a 4-inch Ace bandage. It should be tight enough to provide relief but not so tight that it cuts off circulation. Wear this all day long and during running for a couple of days.
Stretch your calf five to 10 times a day. Try adding 1/4-inch cork heel lifts to your shoes, and wear street shoes whose heel height reduces stress on the muscles; running shoes are often a good choice. Avoid walking barefoot.
People with recurring calf problems should look for shoes that are thicker in the rearfoot and have sturdy heel counters."
Aqua jog…and work your ass off while you do it. You’d be amazed what that’ll do.
I just had a problem that sounds similar to your about one month ago. I did not run at all for about 3 weeks, but I was completely fine to bike and swim though. Just last week I started running for about 2 minutes/walk 30 sec. over and over for about 30 minutes. And I just keep adding time on. Also I have access to ultrasound and that seemed to help alot.
After the injury and until you can run pain free I would recommend massage, ice, and Motrin only. Four times of self massage per day followed by ice and then some Motrin to keep the swelling down. For the massage part, find the knot and use your fingers, “The Stick”, or the “TP Massage Foot Roller”. Once you have the knot massaged out you should be able to run pain free. It usually takes 4-6 days of aggressive massage to clear things up. After you can run pain free, start regular stretching and keep the massage going.
Good Luck!
Jim
Well, you have read lots of anecdotes. Do what most have done. But … you are assuming a “calf pull” during a run as you have mentioned. An accurate diagnosis is often more important than a cookbook treatment plan (or non-professional internet advice). But …
With your description, assume a soleus injury. These usually heal a little faster than a gastroc injury since it has a better blood supply (gastroc only gets the sural midbody). Google soleus injury/rehab since the therapy/streches are somewhat different than a typical higher calf/gastroc muscle pull (that typically knots up real nice) since the soleus does NOT cross the knee joint like the gastrocnemius does. It is also a deeper, flat muscle that is harder to get to for massage, TP ball/roller work. Obviously, time off of running is key. Swimming is fine. Biking fine, but no gear mashing or standing in the hills.
Good luck
I went through this last fall. Depending on the severity it may take a few days to several weeks. Patience is key and you cannot run through the pain, you’ll make it worse.
Google tennis leg, there’s lots of good info. Also search letsrun.com for calf strain, I found a lot of helpful info.
Come back very slowly, it stinks but from what I’ve read/heard/experienced it’s the only way. When I would start ramping the miles up too soon I would restrain it and have to back off again. A few extra days/weeks off can be a good insurance policy.
I had a calf strain last summer. It took about 3 months before I could run again. I went to physical therapy for 2 months. Now I stretch religiously after a run and use “The Stick”. And I’m very, very careful.
If it’s been a few weeks and what you’re doing isn’t working, I suggest trying physical therapy.
Hey thanks everyone for your words of wisdom. So many great suggestions. I am really taking this injury seriously and strectching and doing toe raises. I wanted to get an aqua jogger but my pool at home is about 62 degees and I am a baby about the cold and heating it up would cost a fortune. But that is a great idea for when it warms up a bit. I suppose I could wear my wetsuit though… Well again thanks!