Calf Pain :(

ktuck0205

How can I ease this pain. I went jogging with my son the other day and since then my calves have been hurting when pressure is put on them especially walking up hill or down stairs. How can I prevent it from happening again?

bitten2better

You sound like me after going on a hike this past weekend that had almost 600 feet in elevation change! To start with, I would (and am) doing the following things -

**ice - will help decrease the pain
**stretch - it is important to stretch the calf both with the knees straight, and with a slight bend in the knee. When you have your knee straight, you are stretching the gastrocnemius muscle, or the big calf muscle. However, when you bend your knee, it eliminates the gastroc and stretches the soleus muscle which lies underneath the gastroc. This happens because the gastroc inserts above the knee, so in bending, you take that muscle out of the picture. You will often feel the soleus stretch lower towards the ankle.
**rehydrate properly - it's good to use water, but also consider some Gatorade/powerade. Often times the discomfort is coming from tightness which is a result of fatigue and an imbalance of electrolytes. Using Gatorade/powerade in moderation, and I say moderation because of the sugars, will help alleviate the discomfort.
**NSAIDS if necessary - Aleve, ibuprofen and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatories will help with the discomfort as well as with any associated swelling that may be present


Now, as far as prevention - stretching well will help a little, but in my experience, building strength/endurance is the best prevention.

Polarpaly05

Are you just sore or is it really pain?

Normal delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is what you feel the day (or the day after that) following a day of intense exercise. Your muscles are not accustomed to such stress, so they feel very taxed by the new workload. This is, as stated before, normal. Does it being normal make it suck any less? Not really, but if it makes you feel better, this is a sign that your muscles are becoming stronger.

What's not normal is pain caused by injury. Unlike delayed-onset sorness, injury can be felt almost immediately or within a few hours. And, unlike muscle soreness, it does not always go away within a few days. What's more, exercising while injured will almost invariably exacerbate the problem, whereas soreness can be dealt with with rest and light exercise.

edit: and what the guy above me said.

bitten2better

The guy above you is a girl ;-)