Ouch! Sharp calf pain after jumping jacks

Guinivere

Just seeking a little advice from those who have experienced something like this themselves.

I'm on day five of 30 day shred, was following Gillian's jumping jacks instructions about 2/3 of the way through the routine as usual then PING! something hurt in my right calf. I stopped immediately and did the rest of the routine on abs and arms only.

I guess I must have torn something - but now I don't know what to do about it?

I'm so motivated to work out right now I am gutted! I'm due to see my chiropractor for a routine check up tomorrow morning - should I just let him treat it?

ElizabethFuller

Oh no! Sharp sudden pains are rarely good news, did you ice and rest it afterwards and does it still hurt? If it does then you should get your doctor to take a look. I pulled one of the ligments that goes from my calf to my knee last year (proximal medial) I was just rowing on a machine, nothing too strenuous, and it was four weeks untill it was pain-free. Good luck, hope it gets better soon.

ChrisLindsay9

If the pain noticeably subsides in a day or two, then I'm wondering if it was just a cramp? Those can be pretty painful and can occur pretty quickly. One of the main causes of cramping in the calves is dehydration. So make sure you're well hydrated before and during a workout.

If the pain doesn't subside, you may want to see a doctor. I'm not sure a chiropractor would be ideal here.

Hoping a speedy recovery to you!

Barbonica

It is hard to take a break when you are on a roll, but if you are injured, you have to recover or you might be taking a much longer break as the injury worsens. If you have to take a break with a calf injury, start thinking about other things you can do that will let you keep your focus. Upper body workouts, maybe you can still take long walks without hurting your calf further, maybe some yoga or pilates.

I had a slight twinge behind my left knee when doing some lifting, I knew it wasn't right at the time. The discomfort was relatively minor, but enough to cause a slight limp. I kept working through it (including playing tennis), and ultimately ended up with a Baker's Cyst, had 3 months physical therapy, and took about a year to fully recover. My therapist told me that had I taken care of it properly at the beginning, I probably would have had 4-6 weeks of recovery time instead.

Good luck, and take care!

Cherimoose

I guess I must have torn something - but now I don't know what to do about it?

Yes, you probably tore some of the fibers of one of the muscles back there (usually the inner gastroc muscle). For a proper diagnosis see a sports doctor, orthopedist, or a general physician - not a chiropractor.
In the mean time, avoid all painful activities. Try to do regular, gentle stretching of the calf, but only if it doesn't hurt.
Also reduce your calorie intake accordingly.

Mokey41

No help on the pain but were you wearing shoes? I know so many people who have injured themselves at home doing workout DVD's in their living rooms in barefeet. Jumping is hard on your legs and feet and if you aren't used to that without shoe support it can get nasty.

Guinivere

Thanks for the replies folks. I wasn't wearing shoes, no. Will stick my trainers on from now on.

Chiro gave same advice to walk and gently stretch. Will concentrate on abs, back and arms for a few weeks and might try to get some swimming in...

My doctor is a quack who always just tries to give me pain pills so if no improvement in a couple of weeks I'll seek out a physiotherapist.

I normally eat my exercise cals back so. Will modify my intake accordingly.

Thanks again :-)

spamantha57

Something else that could be a possibilty, or for others that might have a similar issue: Your alignment could be off. Yes I know jumping jacks are a basic exercise, but it's something I wasn't aware of when I started exercising again. My right calf would start to cramp or burn doing jumping jacks too, but I also noticed some weird pain in my right knee when I would do other exercises, like a lot of squats for example. Maybe see a trainer in your area & ask them to just check & see if your posture & position of your legs during basic exercise movements is okay.

Guinivere

Thanks Sam, I will :-)

crobl

Thanks for the replies folks. I wasn't wearing shoes, no. Will stick my trainers on from now on.

Chiro gave same advice to walk and gently stretch. Will concentrate on abs, back and arms for a few weeks and might try to get some swimming in...

My doctor is a quack who always just tries to give me pain pills so if no improvement in a couple of weeks I'll seek out a physiotherapist.

I normally eat my exercise cals back so. Will modify my intake accordingly.

Thanks again :-)

Here a bit of medical advice for you (I'm a Certified Athletic Trainer at a College)

Based upon the information your presented, it sounds like you may have a quadriceps strain. These can be mild, moderate or severe. A mild strain involves an overstretching of the muscle tissue. With a moderate strain, you have the over stretching and separation of muscle fibers. In a severe strain, you have tearing of a significant portion of muscle fibers. At times you can actually see the muscle fibers ball up and an indention where the strain occurred.

Typical protocol for a muscle strain involves the following -

Rest - avoid activities that increase pain

Ice - decreases swelling and serves as a pain relief via the gate control theory

Elevation - decreases swelling

Support/Protection - with calf strains in my athletes, we generally use neoprene calf sleeves or Kinesiotape. An ACE wrap can also help. These things provide support to the muscle.

Flexibility - often time with a muscle strain, you experience associated tightness. The muscle can contract around the strain. This is the body's way of protecting itself. It's important to do gentle stretching - enough to feel a good stretch, but not enough to cause pain. With the calf, it is important to stretch with your knee straight and your knee bent. When you have your knee straight, you are primarily stretching the gastrocnemius muscle as it inserts above the knee. When you bend your knee, you primarily stretch the soleus muscle, which lies underneath the gastroc and inserts below the knee. We also encourage our athletes to stretch with their toes pointed in, in neutral, and turned out. This can isolate different parts of the muscle in the stretch.

Strengthening - with a muscle strain, you must strengthen the muscle back up! If you don't do this, as a general rule, the muscle is weaker than it was prior to injury, thus increasing your risk of re-injury. Some basic calf strengthening exercises are as follows -
*calf raises - these can be started in a seated position, then progressed into standing and with weights. We also do these with the 3 toe positions (toes in, neutral, toes out)
*toe raises - strengthens the front of your leg/stretches the calf. Helps with a balance between the front and back of your legs.
*step-ups - literally stepping up and down off a stair. Alternate which leg you lead with going up/down. Force production/absorption is different depending on whether your are pushing off or leading with the injured leg.
*toe walks/heel walks - walking a short distance on your toes and then on your heels. Combines basic strength exercises with balance. Can be done forwards, backwards, and laterally.
*squats - yes, these work your calves too
*single leg balance - it's important to incorporate proprioception into strengthening exercises. This increases your body's awareness of where it is in space, thus making landing from a jump easier and safer.


Again, these are some suggestions based upon the information you provided. Should you be suffering from a different injury, this is obviously not valid information. If you continue to have problems, I would suggest seeking out an orthopedic doctor. There is always the potential for the problem to be originating outside of your calf. For example - back issues!

Good luck!

Gailald

Guinivere I was interested to read your post since on Day 5 of the 30 Day Shred I experienced exactly the same problem on the last set of jumping jacks. I have rested it for 3 days but it is still a little painful so tomorrow I am going to try swimming to see if I can ease the muscle. I think when I start back at the 30 Day Shred (eventually) I shall try a different cardio exercise instead of jump jacks because I really don't want to experience that again.

Please could you let me know how long it took for you to go back to the 30 day shred, if you ever managed to.

Many thanks

lorrainevatcheson

Hi, I'm wondering what became of your injury? I have it right now, and I'm not sure what to do about it....

ironman1431

Sounds to me like a calf strain, likely to your gastroc.

The majority of lower extremity exercises that I see at our physio clinic are from doing too much too soon. Your body will adapt to the stresses (i.e exercises) put through it, provided the stresses do not exceed your body's capability to adapt to it. Sound's like Jillian's program exceeded your calf's capability to adapt to it, but not to worry:

Minor/no swelling, able to walk on it with no limp: Likely a first degree strain-they usually self resolve within 7 days or so

Some swelling, tender to the touch, mild to moderate difficulty walking, weak and painful but still able to move your foot down (point your toes/plantarflex) Likely a second degree strain. These take longer to recover, and depending on its severity, can be 3-5 weeks or greater.

Can't weight bear, major bruising/swelling, difficulty moving your foot: 3rd dgr/complete muscle tear. Unlikely however, unless you ruptured your plantaris muscle ( a small stringy like calf muscle).

Rehab in brief:

Day 1-3 RICE

Beyond this, slowly begin re-introducing physical activity, stretching, progressive strengthening etc. letting pain be your guide. (pain greater than 6/10 during activity, pain for longer than 60 mins post activity, pain greater than 6/10 the next day usually indicates tissue overload=tissue damage=pain/inflammation=prolonging your recovery and worsening your injury.

When in doubt, go see a professional, physio or similar.