An Overview Of Calf Pain And Its Treatment

The calf muscle, which is located at the back of the leg and below the knee, is made up of three different types of muscles which include soleus, plantaris, and gastrocnemius. An to any of the muscles can cause calf pain, conditions that affect the blood vessels, nerves, and the tissues that cover your calf muscles. In most cases, the calf pains are short-lived and benign. However, a muscle-related diagnosis is important if there is a potentially serious issue such as a blood clot or claudication (when the arteries of the legs become blocked). This is why it becomes important to see the doctor if the calf muscle pain starts increasing. The doctor will be able to evaluate your pain and find out the reason behind it. There could be several reasons behind your calf muscle pain.

Here are some of the reasons for the pain and ways of healing the issues.

Calf muscle cramp

Calf muscle cramp or spasm, also known as ‘Charley horse’, refers to an uncontrolled contraction of one or more calf muscles. Muscle cramps in the calf are revealed as extremely painful and are associated with stiffness and a visible knot. Though this involuntary tightening of the muscles is mostly short-lived, the calf soreness can stay for days.

Calf muscle strain

Calf muscle strain, which is specially termed as medical gastrocnemius strain, is the common reason behind acute onset calf pain. Generally, this pain happens due to sports injuries, exercise activity, or while doing sprinting and jumping. The calf strain pain is usually described as a sudden, sharp, and tearing sensation. If it is serious, there can be swelling and bruising also.

Calf muscle contusion

The calf muscle contusion or bruise mainly happens after the calf receives a direct blow or a series of repetitive blows to the lower leg. There can be swelling, bruising, sharp and severe pain, a hematoma (collection of blood) which sometimes might form.

Soleus muscle strain

The soleus muscle is situated under the gastrocnemius muscle in the calf. Soleus muscle strain is generally a chronic injury that happens in long-distance runners. The pain is often described as deep soreness and tightness in the calf that can happen when bending the knees and dorsiflexing the ankle at the same time.

Plantaris muscle rupture

The plantaris muscle is a thin muscle that runs simultaneously to the gastrocnemius muscle, but only a fraction of a size. This muscle rupture often happens when there is sudden lunging forward, a snapping pain is felt in the back of the leg. Swelling and bruising in the back of the leg can also take place, along with cramping of the calf muscle.

The treatment of calf pain usually depends on the nature of the pain. You can try various therapies, which include massage, stretching, and drinking adequate water. You can also have pain killers like Tapentaldol Tablets that can give you some relief from the calf muscle pain. However, getting the pain diagnosed by the doctor will be better before starting any remedial therapy.