Calf Injury -- not sure how serious. advice?

cathaea

Hi there,

I am 240 lbs, 5'8", 30 y/o F. Been trying to lose some weight for years now but I never stick to it. I especially struggle with incorporating gym/exercise time into my life because it's not something that comes naturally to me and I have never been athletic.

Anyway, I have been exercising lightly the past 2-3 weeks. Mostly just trying to build a routine rather than go full out. I was helping a friend move on Monday and her new apt is on a 4 story walk-up, no elevators. My calves have been bothering me since the move, which I assume was just muscle ache due to being out of shape. Didn't go the gym Tues/Weds to let the soreness die down.

My calves were still bothering me today but I wanted to maintain my routine, so I went to the gym. While doing run/walk intervals on the treadmill, I felt something like.. snap.. (for lack of a better description) in my right calf. My right calf is now extremely sore and it's painful to walk. It throbs at rest.

Beyond just resting it, etc., etc. -- when is it okay to go back to the gym? I assume this isn't that serious, but not being very athletic and never having experienced this before, I have no idea what the best course of action is. I googled calf strains and I can't tell if this is what I have. It seems crazy to me that I could have injured myself just jogging on the treadmill.

Thanks in advance for your help!

6502programmer

First, we're random people on the internet (and likely a few dogs thrown in). Don't take anything we say seriously, let alone as medical advice.

That being said, you sound like you know the basics. RICE and NSAIDs are your friend. If it doesn't clear up, then it's time to go see the old sawbones. I can tell you no more about your potential injury than my cats can, but I can tell you that if you listen to your body and don't push beyond its capabilities (ie, heavy lower body lifting <> zumba <> walking for fifteen minutes), and let it heal, you'll probably be fine. If your body is telling you to rest, then REST.

cathaea

Haha, yes, I know better than to trust the internet for medical advice but I also hoped some athletes around here might have some tips. I'm unsure what the difference is between muscle aches due to out of shapeness and muscle aches due to injury. Thanks.

cheshirecatastrophe

cathaea wrote: »

My calves were still bothering me today but I wanted to maintain my routine, so I went to the gym. While doing run/walk intervals on the treadmill, I felt something like.. snap.. (for lack of a better description) in my right calf. My right calf is now extremely sore and it's painful to walk. It throbs at rest.

Feeling something snap is *classic* Grade 2 calf strain, and the other symptoms you describe fit as well. Yes, you absolutely can get one from jogging on the treadmill. Basically, your calf was already fatigued and stressed from the strain of helping your friend move. And then the slow/fast interval stuff? Yup, that's a recipe for a calf strain.

You could see a doctor if you really want, but basically what you get to do is rest it. You can try icing it for a few days. Some people find compression sleeves help dull the pain.

My grade 2 calf strain took 6-8 weeks to heal as the Internet suggests. After a few days I was able to use the stationary bike on low resistance, but that was about it. I'm fairly certain even that was too much stress for it, and probably delayed the healing process. I think I was able to start using the elliptical about 5 weeks out, but certainly no running.

At some point in the healing process, I started to do (unweighted) calf drops and calf raises, but I don't remember when, sorry. That might be a good question to ask your doctor--rehab/PT exercises. But not until you can do them without pain!