30 DS and calf strain

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lisal11
lisal11 Posts: 59 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I just pulled a calf muscle this morning pretty badly. I'm on day 7 of 30 Day Shred.

I iced it for about 10 minutes this morning and took some Advil. It's bad enough that it's painful and I'm limping. I got through most of the workout but could not do the cardio portions at all. I also found out the hard way never to ice skin and then hop into a hot shower. Now I have a ice pack sized blister forming on the back of my calf from a burn. Learn something new everyday.

Anyway, what should I do for this injury? Ice it on/off all day? Try to keep off it (as much as I can with toddlers)? Stay on it and work it out by walking a lot? Should I work out tomorrow or take a break day?

My calves are normally tight, would getting a tiger bar (or similar) help to prevent future calf injury?

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  • lisal11
    lisal11 Posts: 59 Member
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    Bumping. No one?
  • maggies902
    maggies902 Posts: 2 Member
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    I did the exact same thing doing the 30-day Shred! My calf was very painful for a few days but Motrin, ice and elevation helped tremendously. I did very little lower body cardio for a couple of weeks because the injury kept flaring up and it felt really weak. I would say rest for a couple of days then start with some upper body work. Actually, The Butt Bible workouts (upper and lower) were great because I was able to work up a sweat but there is very little jumping or calf-related work. Not to mention they're free on YouTube.

    Then ease back into short walks and go from there. It's been a month and I'm finally OK to jog on the treadmill. Just be careful. It takes a while for it to heal and it's easy to re-injure your self so try not to overdo it. Let the pain be your guide.

    Here's to quick healing,
    Maggie
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,209 Member
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    It's best to see a doctor about it, but generally speaking, strained calves heal best with warmth and gentle stretching. They heal best with the foot kept in dorsiflexion (toe up), and with legs as straight as possible, to stretch the calves. Avoid anything that causes pain.
    Ice reduces circulation, which slows healing. The only time ice is warranted is to shrink excessive swelling that could cut off blood or nerve flow, or to slow internal bleeding.

    What is a tiger bar?
  • angiewf
    angiewf Posts: 175 Member
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    I tore my gastrocnemius muscle in calf while walking (don't know how as it's usually a rugby injury!) Anyway, the Urgent Care Centre nurse i saw advised the RICE treatment, ie, Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. She said it would feel better in 2 weeks but DIDN'T tell me it would take 6 weeks to heal properly, so I re-tore it by doing too much too soon.
  • lisal11
    lisal11 Posts: 59 Member
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    Thank you. The pain is definitely in the gastrocnemius muscle. I grabbed a larger ice pack from the store today and a Tiger Bar to massage the muscle. For that matter, I guess I should use it on my calves regularly. They've been tight this entire workout and it would probably help to prevent injury if I could loosen them up on a regular basis.

    I'm a little scared to try working out tomorrow but I don't want to derail my progress. I might still do 30 Day Shred but walk in place during the cardio sections. I'll check out Butt Bible on Youtube.

    Thanks!

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