How long should I rest a pulled muscle?

I've pulled a muscle down the back of my calf. Right now, an hour later that is, I'm limping and in pain when I move it, but I wouldn't say I was in agony!

And I'm wondering - how long do I rest it?

You see, I have lost a lot of weight (just under 100lbs) the UNHEALTHY way, and now I'm trying to be healthier about the whole thing. My usual approach is to work through it, make it worse, and be out of action for weeks. But these past 3 weeks I've been doing really well, and I'm gutted I might have to interrupt my routine I'm super impatient with weightloss (and I'm working on my issues), so this is just a nightmare. Weightloss has been so slow, took over a week to lose 0.4lbs. I get the fluctuations and the need for patience, and I'm working on it.

But yes - I'm really upset about the pulled muscle, and I'm trying super hard to be healthy, so: how long would you rest a pulled muscle? (keeping in mind I'm not in agony or anything)

Depends on the degree. Is it a sprain or a strain? You should get it looked at and get that determined first. Everyone is different and recovery times vary.
I had a 2nd degree strain of my calf on Feb 4th, but as of today, I can hop on it. It's black and blue and ugly as hell, but with the exception of a little tightness, I'm not immobile.


A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
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I pulled a groin muscle over the summer & I was in agony for weeks! I could barely walk & I couldn't sleep due to the pain - I just couldn't find a comfortable position. I think I made it worse because I didn't go to the doctor, didn't really know what to do to make it better & I kept moving around, etc. I ended up getting some leftover painkillers from my aunt who had just broken her shoulder & that allowed me to sleep for a couple of hours at a time at least. I say see a doctor & get it checked out because you don't know how bad it truly is & you could make it much worse if you keep using it. Don't be hardheaded like me!

Also, it didn't hit me at first. I finished my workout & I was fine - I cleaned my entire apartment, then sat down on the couch. It's when I went to get up from the couch a half hour or so later that I knew something wasn't right. The next day I was definitely in pain, but by day two or three, the pain was unbelievable!

I pulled strained my knee a couple weeks ago and I am still resting it- I have found that I stay just with my set calorie range and still have had a weight loss. I am going to start back this week to just walking on the treadmill and do that for a week to make sure I have no problems.

My physio would tell you that you shouldn't work it while it HURTS. Discomfort, fine, but not actual pain.

I ignored some nagging pain in my ankle and totally destroyed it. Whoops. I'm trying to take it easier the next couple of weeks as i seem to have aggravated it!

I've pulled a muscle down the back of my calf. Right now, an hour later that is, I'm limping and in pain when I move it, but I wouldn't say I was in agony!

And I'm wondering - how long do I rest it?

You see, I have lost a lot of weight (just under 100lbs) the UNHEALTHY way, and now I'm trying to be healthier about the whole thing. My usual approach is to work through it, make it worse, and be out of action for weeks. But these past 3 weeks I've been doing really well, and I'm gutted I might have to interrupt my routine I'm super impatient with weightloss (and I'm working on my issues), so this is just a nightmare. Weightloss has been so slow, took over a week to lose 0.4lbs. I get the fluctuations and the need for patience, and I'm working on it.

But yes - I'm really upset about the pulled muscle, and I'm trying super hard to be healthy, so: how long would you rest a pulled muscle? (keeping in mind I'm not in agony or anything)

How many full rest days do you have per week?