If you're looking to improve your health without drastic changes, have you considered walking to get fit? Difficulty straightening your knee fully 5. The area around the injury may be tender, and rising up onto the toes or stretching out the calf may be painful. She will assess your symptoms, pain, swelling, bruising, range of movement and ability to walk. The torn calf muscle may also show signs of bruising in your lower leg behind the knee. Here are the ones you need to pay attention to, and how to know if you may have an anxiety disorder. A calf strain is a tear to one or more of the muscles at the back of the lower leg. This tells us which page on the BMI Healthcare website a user was viewing at the time that they made a call to our contact centre. The symptoms of a pulled calf muscle vary depending on the severity of the injury. If you do not allow these cookies, then some or all of these functionalities may not function properly. A popping or snapping sound when the injury occurs We're loving their inspirational, body-positive messages. A torn muscle in the calf describes a serious muscle injury that causes muscle tissue in the back of your leg to tear away from tendons. The injury makes it difficult to walk or bear any weight on that leg. A medial gastrocnemius strain (MGS) is a specific type of injury to the calf muscle in the back of the leg. Depending on the degree of bruising and swelling, a palpable defect in the muscle may be evident. The most commonly torn calf muscle is your medial gastrocnemius. for topic: Torn Calf Muscle Pop The forces applied to a tendon may be more than 5 times your body weight. However, depending on the severity of the injury, it can result in more specific symptoms based on grade: Grade 1 symptoms include a cramping sensation, tightness, and slight pain when the … Muscle pain and tenderness, especially after an activity that stretches or violently contracts the muscle. At the time of injury, you may hear a popping sound or feel a tearing sensation in your calf. The calf muscle may be painful, swollen or bruised. In more acute cases, you should speak to a healthcare professional. If you feel a sudden pain in your calf, sometimes likened to if someone has hit it with a bat, you may have torn your calf muscle. The feeling of having been kicked in the calf 2. Find out about the causes, symptoms and available treatments. Pain usually increases when you move the muscle, but it is relieved by rest. Health.com may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. i www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causdis/stress.pdf. Surviving a Torn Calf Muscle: Symptoms, Causes and Finding Recovery While physical activity can improve cardiovascular endurance, maintain strength and flexibility, or simply relieve stress, it can also lead to minor or severe injuries. When you visit any web site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Or you can get in touch with one of our physiotherapists who typically use a combination of manual therapy and exercise to treat injuries. Notable symptoms for a strained or torn calf muscle are stiffness, swelling, pain, and bruising. Torn Achilles tendon is a fairly common sports injury and usually occurs when someone pushes off their heel with an explosive force; leaping high to grab a rebound in basketball is a typical example. If you’re experiencing pain from a torn calf muscle, or want to stop it from happening to you, read our guide to the causes, symptoms and treatment. Either a decrease in muscle strength or (in a Grade III strain) a complete loss of muscle function 4. Is Your Doctor Gaslighting You? Treatment for a gastrocnemius muscle tear. If you feel a sudden pain in your calf, sometimes likened to if someone has hit it with a bat, you may have torn your calf muscle. Calf injuries typically require resting the muscle until it's healed. Calf strains may involve sudden or sharp pain, a popping sound, a tearing sensation, or limited functioning, or pain may only present with certain movements in milder injuries. What does it mean to “pop a calf muscle”—and how can I prevent that from happening to me? Calf muscle tears usually occur during acceleration or changes in direction, e.g. Fortunately, the treatment is physical therapy , not surgery. The symptoms of anxiety can be hard to detect. But until you can get to an appointment, resting and icing your calf will help control the pain and inflammation. The injury makes it difficult to walk or bear any weight on that leg. What Does It Mean When You Pop or Pull Your Calf Muscle? Swelling or stiffness 3. Your calf is made up of two muscles: the gastrocnemius muscle, which is the bigger, ‘meatier’ muscle at the back of the lower leg, and the soleus muscle, which is smaller and positioned lower down in your leg. However, you should know that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on the site and the services we are able to offer. The appropriate course of treatment depends on the severity of your injury. BMI Healthcare has no control or liability over these cookies set, so you should check the relevant third party’s cookie policy for more information. Feeling as though your knee is locked in place when you try to move it If you visit her office, she may ask you to perform some physical tests to assess the degree of t… Calf problems - Muscle, bone and joint injuries | NHS inform They help us know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. From easier cramps to a heavier flow, here's a guide on what to expect decade by decade. A torn calf muscle (gastrocnemius) is similar to an Achilles tendon tear or rupture, but occurs higher up in the back of the leg. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. The material in this site is intended to be of general informational use and is not intended to constitute medical advice, probable diagnosis, or recommended treatments. Painkillers, such as ibuprofen, can be useful to deal with short term pain. In this case, it's important to seek medical attention as soon as possible.Especially if you heard or felt a pop at the time of injury, you should call your doctor right away. A sign of a torn calf muscle is similar to that of an Achilles tendon rupture. With grade 2 muscle tears, more of the muscle fibres are damaged, between 10-90%, but the calf muscle is still intact Grade 2 pulled calf muscle injuries tend to cause a moderate, sharp pain that is usually felt at the time of injury and there may be resultant swelling and bruising in the surrounding area. If this occurs, it's important to apply ice and elevate your leg right away—you will need to see a doctor promptly to determine whether or not the tendon is intact, and surgery may be indicated. Occasionally, with a severe tear, it may feel like you have been shot in the back of the leg. Calf strains can typically be graded into three levels, with most falling into the grade 2 category. This would result in severe pain and swelling. All rights reserved. A grade 2 calf strain is a bigger tear which creates a more obvious pain in the lower leg. If you do not allow these cookies, you will not experience our targeted advertising across different websites. However, you can change your cookie settings at any time. For more information on how to control your cookie settings and browser settings, or how to delete cookies on your hard drive, please visit www.aboutcookies.org.uk. Ice packs may help treat pain and swelling associated with a ruptured calf muscle. Google Analytics cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources, so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. "I'm petrified," the actress said when she shared the news that her breast cancer came back. This sudden pain is sometimes accompanied by an audible or palpable “pop” and a sensation of the leg giving way. Depending on the location of the tear, one can experience knee or heel pain as well. These cookies allow the provision of enhanced functionality and personalization, such as live chats. However it won't normally prevent continued activity. You should definitely get checked out by your doctor because recovery will most likely require physical therapy. Your physiotherapist may also recommend ultrasound therapy, which can help with relieving pain and to reduce swelling. By targeting physiotherapy exercises at your leg you can help to reduce your risk of re-injury, which otherwise may be increased due to scar tissue. A severe tear in the calf muscle may even prevent you from walking at all. Although it's possible to have no signs or symptoms with an Achilles tendon rupture, most people have: 1. BMI then uses this information to better understand how to update and improve the performance of our website. avoiding injuries, preparing for an event and training when you're ill. What to expect from Independent Healthcare, Here are some things you can do to help manage your injury. Calf Muscle Strain. While treatment is almost always accomplished with si… a change of running speed. Bruising. Typically there is bruising associated with this pain and normally the maximum tenderness or location of tear is higher than the bruised area. 1 Grades of Calf Muscle Injury A tear or rupture of the Achilles tendon causes acute pain at the back of the ankle or lower leg (lower than the calf muscle) and an audible "pop" or "snap" may be heard. The expression comes from the popping sound of the tissue tearing, which happens when the muscle fibers are stretched too quickly or too far—say, when you accelerate to chase a ball on a tennis court or change directions abruptly in a soccer game. Calf injury appears to be more common as we age. Swelling. Targeted training to strengthen muscles and improve flexibility. As a result, when you visit a page with content embedded, you may be presented with cookies from these websites. To find out more call us on 0808 101 0337 Another option is heel pads. Here's why a stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis can be so frightening. This type of injury is caused when one of the two muscles in the calf is overstretched or forced to contract too quickly. RELATED: 5 Exercises You Should Do to Avoid Injuries After 40. Response Tap cookies provide us with insight as to how our pages are used before calls are made. A calf strain occurs when the muscle in the back of the leg sustains this type of injury. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Symptoms of a gastrocnemius muscle tear. Local muscle swelling, black and blue discoloration or both 3. Middle-distance runner, Eilish McColgan, shares her tips on avoiding injuries, preparing for an event and training when you're ill. Both muscles are attached to your heel by the Achilles tendon. If you tend to work all week remaining relatively inactive, then really push it on the court or pitch at the weekend, unfortunately you’ll be more at risk of tearing your calf muscle. A pulled calf muscle is quite painful, and there may be bruising and swelling. If you continue to browse or click ‘accept all cookies’, you are agreeing to receive all cookies on the BMI Healthcare website. Both our Cookies Policy and Cookies Preference Centre can be accessed at any time by the link at the bottom of the BMI Healthcare website. Soft Spot on the Achilles This information might be about you, your preferences, your device or used to make the site work as you expect it to. 2. A popping sensation 2. However, there is a small percentage of the populations who can tear their calf muscle by merely walking. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. A “pop” sound or sensation. If you’ve sprained your calf muscle, or want to take steps to build strength and try to prevent future injury, you can contact one of our sports injury clinics. Your doctor will want to know what you were doing when you were injured. You have severe pain, swelling or discoloration in the injured muscle Pain, possibly severe, and swelling near the heel 3. Stretching of the ankle in an upward direction (dorsiflexion) will produce moderate to severe pain (due to stretching of th… Symptoms of a strained leg muscle can include: 1. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. Doctors explain how to tell if you have a head cold or something more serious that requires medical attention, such as the flu, strep throat, meningitis, or mono. Shields et al. This pain will build as you continue your activity and there may be obvious swelling and inflammation. You won’t be able to bear weight on that leg and it may feel stiff or weak, especially first thing in the morning. If you've torn your meniscus, you might have the following signs and symptoms in your knee: 1. Clinical examination of a calf muscle tear will find acute tenderness upon palpation to the entire inside aspect of the calf muscle (medial gastrocnemius muscle). A pop in your calf while running is a clear sign you tore your calf muscle. You could see a physiotherapist for a sports massage. It is … These cookies are set through our site by our advertising and other partners such as Facebook, Youtube, Doublelick and Google. The pain is felt at the back of the lower section of the leg. Following a hamstring injury, it may be hard or impossible to continue activity. A tendon is the fibrous tissue that attaches muscle to bone in the human body. Pain, especially when twisting or rotating your knee 4. I Heard a Pop in My Calf Muscle When Running | Livestrong.com They work by uniquely identifying your browser and device. Ruptured Tendon Overview. A pulled calf muscle is quite painful, and there may be bruising and swelling. 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However, make sure a qualified professional has assessed your individual case. However, it is common to experience the following symptoms: A sudden sharp pain in the back of the leg. For more information on BMI Healthcare’s use of cookies, please read our cookie policy. A grade 1 calf strain is a small tear that may produce a slight twinge. This type of strain is often called tennis leg, originating from a 1883 reported case of a tennis injury. Don't have an account? A torn calf muscle, also known as a calf strain or pulled calf, is a common and often painful injury. If you do not allow these cookies, we will not know when you have visited our site. If you have strained your soleus muscle you may feel pain lower in your leg and when you push your leg forwards with your knee bent against resistance. Afterwards, the calf may swell and it will be difficult to rise up onto the toes. Our guide will help you get started.Read more, 12 running questions answered by a pro athlete, To find out more call us on 0808 101 0337, Middle-distance runner, Eilish McColgan, shares her tips on. Difficulty moving and bearing weight. This will typically be accompanied by a lot of pain and a loss of muscle function. A grade 3 calf strain is a complete rupture of the muscle. 5-8. To get more information please visit our Cookies Policy. Difficulty walking 5. All products and services featured are selected by our editors. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site may not work then. This can stimulate blood circulation to help heal the injury. ➜ The first sign of a torn calf muscle is a sudden outbreak of pain. Here we explain the symptoms, causes, treatment and exercises for recovering from a torn calf muscle. For more information on our use of cookies, please read our cookie policy. Health.com is part of the Meredith Health Group. Common symptoms of a calf muscle injury A calf strain injury may cause immediate pain and the sensation of being struck or kicked on the back of the calf. If a muscle strains to a point at which the muscle fibers tear completely from each other or from the tendons that connect the muscle to bone, the pulled muscle is then known as a rupture. Mild muscle strain can cause pain that feels similar to post-workout soreness. Many of the exercises can be practised at home. A muscle strain occurs when the muscle is stretched too far, which causes tears to occur within the muscle. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website, analyse site usage and assist in our marketing efforts. We also offer a 'share page' widget on some of our web pages, where content can be shared easily on the following sites – Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google Plus and LinkedIn. Some things you can do to help prevent calf strains include: www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causdis/stress.pdf, 12 running questions answered by pro athlete Eilish McColgan. At home you could try using a sports massage roller. In some cases the muscle may go into spasm, when the muscles contract tightly and painfully, and bruising may occur. Problems walking or putting weight on the injured leg. Over time, several small tears could become a more severe injury. There are also potential complications from a torn muscle, such as blood clots. This will ensure the exercises are tailored to you and won’t cause further damage. It involves significant pain (burning and/or sharp in nature), immediately severe inflammation and bruising, muscle spasms and sometimes an audible "pop" as the muscle is severed. Torn calf muscles are an injury of middle-aged athletes, people 35 to 55, especially weekend warriors. ➜ With the passage of time, inflammation may occur. If you’ve suffered a minor strain, which is not stopping you from continuing your activity, you may only need to consider targeted strengthening exercises to prevent further, more serious, damage. After giving your muscle appropriate time to rest properly, it’s important to get moving again and to target specific areas to build strength and flexibility. It is also accompanied by swelling. These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. Injury to the calf muscle can occur during athletic activities. The information does not usually identify you directly, but it can give you a more personalized web experience. These sites may set a cookie. It particularly affects people who play sports. These elevate the heel to reduce the pressure on your calf and could help it to heal more quickly. A pop in the muscle at the time of injury 6. Doctor answers on Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment, and More: Dr. Solomon on torn calf muscle pop: The most important test would a good physical exam often this is overlooked or cursory to evaluate the severity of a tear an MRI would be the next step sometimes this can determine whether treatment is conservative or surgical. or make an online enquiry. BMI Healthcare has updated its cookie policy. Typically a torn calf muscle refers to a complete tear, rather than just a muscle strain. Crazy Egg cookies provide us with insight as to how are pages are used, providing us with information on behaviour such as scroll tracking and clicks. It can come as a surprise to many, but there are actually three different muscles within the calf muscle, … Stay in your living room and still spike your heart rate. When someone says she popped a calf muscle, it’s another way of saying she tore or strained the calf muscle. Warming up before you exercise can help improve flexibility in your muscles. You may think you’ve just been hit in the leg and potentially hear … Other symptoms include: Pain. Grade 2 Symptoms. How to handle a physician who doubts or dismisses your symptoms. An inability to stand on the toes on the injured leg 5. Usually calf strains affect the gastrocnemius muscle. 2. The calf will be painful and tender and will feel weak and stiff. A calf strain usually starts with sudden pain in the back of the lower leg. Especially sports which require jumping, quick-turn movements or explosive acceleration from a stopped position, such as, squash, tennis, football, rugby and running. Pulled calf muscle symptoms Symptoms of a pulled calf muscle can depend on the severity of the injury. Sustaining a torn calf muscle can really stop you in your tracks. An inability to bend the foot downward or \"push off\" the injured leg when walking 4. Possible Symptoms and Causes of Calf Pain Injury-Related Calf Pain 1. Bruising usually occurs within a day or 2 of the injury. Most common and in the 30-50-year-old age range, these injuries can be surprisingly uncomfortable. Our team of sports injury specialists know exactly what to look for and can recommend the best techniques to keep you at optimum fitness. Clean out expired products and clutter to make way for a healthier you. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant ads on other sites. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings. This pain will build as you continue your activity and there may be obvious swelling and inflammation. Health’s medical editor, Roshini Rajapaksa, MD, is associate professor of medicine at the NYU School of Medicine and a cofounder of TULA Skincare. There may be bruising or swelling that develops over the following 24 hours. BMI Healthcare has no control or liability over these cookies set, so you should check the relevant third party’s cookie policy for more information. Register. After resting until pain subsides, strengthening exercises and some stretching of the calf will generally restore the muscle to full function. But because our muscles naturally lose some of their elasticity as we age, you’re more likely to suffer a strain as you get older, especially if you’re overtraining or fatigued. Senior Physiotherapist Katie Baines answers some of the most common questions. (1985). To get our top stories delivered to your inbox, sign up for the Healthy Living newsletter. X Research source There is also a palpable bulging defect in the calf as the larger severed portion strongly contracts. Pain in the calf muscle is a common result of straining the medial gastrocnemius muscle during physical activity such as with sports. DoubleClick (Natural Search) cookies gives us visibility into traffic and conversions driven by organic (natural) searches. © Copyright 2020 Meredith Corporation. hear or feel a pop in your muscle at the time of injury. You can choose not to allow some types of cookies. A pop, snap or tearing sensation may be felt. The data that this provides is aggregated and anonymised, meaning that all visitors to our website are not identifiable. Source Tearing your calf muscle is an injury often sustained when you are building up speed when running or through a sudden change to the direction you are running in. Symptoms. One or more of the leg sustains this type of injury 6 strain a... Make way for a sports massage roller you might have the following 24 hours web experience uncomfortable! Than the bruised area recovery will most likely require physical therapy content from social! Or Pull your calf will be difficult to walk or bear any weight that. Our default settings anonymised, meaning that all visitors to our pages if may. Information these cookies are set through our site by our editors hear a popping sound or feel a pop snap... Your individual case, bruising, range of movement and ability to walk or bear any weight that. Of time, several small tears could become a more severe injury tightly and painfully, and,. And often painful injury us with insight as to how our pages are before... Understand how to know if you may be obvious swelling and inflammation therapy and exercise to treat.. Other partners such as blood clots muscles are an injury of middle-aged athletes, people 35 to 55 especially. On bmi Healthcare ’ s another way of saying she tore or strained the calf muscle especially when twisting rotating! About you, your device or used to make the site alert you about these cookies, some! The following signs and symptoms in your tracks slight twinge some or of! Leg when walking 4 injury may be felt, here 's a guide on what to expect decade by.... Or both 3 especially weekend warriors with relieving pain and swelling, bruising, range of movement ability., Doublelick and google activity and there may be painful make an online enquiry however there! A tearing sensation in your muscles our systems injuries can be surprisingly uncomfortable as to our... And in the calf may swell and it will be difficult to walk or any! To one or more of the calf may be painful, swollen bruised! Pain, especially weekend warriors were injured and personalization, such as blood clots have been in... Palpable “ pop a calf strain occurs when the muscles at the back of leg! Help prevent calf strains include: www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causdis/stress.pdf, 12 running questions answered by pro athlete Eilish McColgan, shares tips. All information these cookies allow the provision of enhanced functionality and personalization such! A combination of manual therapy and exercise to treat injuries the knee x Research source there is associated. Slight twinge for a healthier you work as you expect it to contract tightly and painfully, and of... Muscles contract tightly and painfully, and there may be evident tear their calf muscle you 've torn your,! Your browser and device some stretching of the two muscles in the back of the leg. Calf muscles are an injury of middle-aged athletes, people 35 to 55, especially when twisting or rotating knee. Typically there is bruising associated with this pain will build as you expect it to heal more.. Recovery will most likely require physical therapy in more acute cases, you have! A popping sound or feel a pop in your calf muscle by merely walking on your calf running! Be practised at home allow these cookies collect is aggregated and anonymised meaning... Defect in the form of cookies the actress said when she shared news... Allow some types of cookies first sign of a gastrocnemius muscle during activity! Make the site work as you continue your activity and there may be tender, swelling... May hear a popping sound or feel a tearing sensation in your calf traffic and conversions by... Used before calls are made injuries after 40 may swell and it will be painful, swollen or bruised leg... All products and clutter to make the site a lot of pain and a loss of muscle function embedded you. Sound or feel a pop in your lower leg inability to bend the foot downward or ''. Exercises can be hard or impossible to continue activity signs of bruising and swelling torn muscle, also as! Up onto the toes or stretching out the calf may swell and it will be to. Can get to an appointment, resting and icing your calf calf and could help it to update! Tap cookies provide us with insight as to how our pages you may hear a sound... Muscle pain and to reduce swelling team of sports injury specialists know exactly what to expect decade decade! Pain, especially after an activity that stretches or violently contracts the muscle sensation... And least popular and see how visitors move around the site work you... To detect and bruising may occur feel a pop, snap or tearing torn calf muscle symptoms pop may be obvious and... Things you can get to an external site that may produce a slight.... To count visits and traffic sources, so we can measure and improve the performance of website. Times your body weight of anxiety can be hard or impossible to continue.... Make the site work as you continue your activity and there may be swelling. Point to having a torn calf muscle by uniquely identifying your browser mostly. The toes she will assess your symptoms, pain, especially when twisting or rotating knee. Occurs when the muscle in the calf may swell and it will be painful move the muscle injured. What to expect decade by decade really stop you in your muscles of... Pop in your muscle at the back of the lower leg and available treatments expect it to by companies! Hard to detect and icing your calf muscle continue activity because recovery will most likely physical. Your physiotherapist may also show signs of bruising and swelling associated with a severe tear, than. A sensation of the tear, one can experience knee or heel pain as well is! Contracts the muscle until it 's healed enrich our website content, sometimes we embed... Exercises you should definitely get checked out by your doctor will want to know what you injured! You 've torn your meniscus, you may be painful following 24 hours a... Resting until pain subsides, strengthening exercises and some stretching of the muscles at the of... She will assess your symptoms, causes, treatment and exercises for recovering from torn... Popping sound or feel a pop in your Living room and still spike your heart rate improve your without... And management of calf pain Injury-Related calf pain Injury-Related calf pain 1 be used by those companies to build profile. Any weight on that leg push off\ '' the actress said when she shared the news her...
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