Sore Calf Muscles- Causes and Treatment

What happens when you stretch yourself to the maximum limit? You get tired, fatigued, and all you want to do is rest and sleep straight for 12 hours. Similarly, when we overwork our muscles too hard, they feel resentful towards us and we end up with pain and suffering. The same is true in case of calf muscles, which are medically known as the triceps surae.

When they are overworked, they tend to get tired, and ultimately we suffer. A sore calf muscle is a very common phenomenon, and is usually experienced by all those who workout regularly. However, this is not the only reason. There are several reasons for this, and the treatment methods are also in plenty.

As mentioned earlier, this condition is experienced when people are running or working out. Besides these, there are a few other causes, which are enlisted below:

While playing sports, such as tennis, you might have a calf strain or a calf overstretch, which might result in this condition. It can also happen if you suddenly change your direction while running.

This happens if the arteries get narrowed, which slows down the blood flow. When it becomes severe, it results in sore calves.

This is the formation of a blood clot in a deep vein. It reduces the flow of blood to the foot. If this happens, it is possible that the clot may break and travel through the bloodstream to the heart or lungs. This may result in a heart attack. In this condition, the swelling in the calves is visible, and the pain intensifies.

This can cause pain in the calves if the cyst bursts, resulting in the fluid tracking down the leg into the calves.

If the nerves in the lower part of the leg get compressed, it can cause severe pain in the calves. This compression may occur due to some nerve pull at the spine or neck. Nerve problems should be immediately diagnosed.

Inflammation of the Achilles tendons is known to cause pain in the calves. This can take a few weeks to recover completely.

If you are standing on your feet for a long time or you have performed any activity, which causes an imbalance in the triceps surae, you will experience extreme soreness.

These are spasms caused due to overwork, dehydration, fatigue, etc., which result in pain in the calves. It is commonly known in the US as Charley Horse.

This is a very common cause, especially in females (more often, young girls). Severe pain in the calves may take place due to irregular menstrual cycles and other hormonal problems.

This occurs when pressure in the muscles build to dangerous levels. This pressure reduces blood flow to the other nerve cells. This causes tremendous pain in the calves.

There are certain symptoms, which will be able to indicate to you that you are about to be out of commission for a couple of days and will suffer from pain. These symptoms occur in the calves, and include:

• Tenderness
• Swelling
• Pain
• Tightness
• A feeling of loss of strength
• Cramps

Whenever you start feeling these symptoms, you should immediately stop your exercises or running or whatever it is you are doing which is exerting your calves in order to avoid suffering from severe pain.

Most of the people who run regularly, experience such pain while running. When you run, the triceps surae are worked more than the other internal bones. Hence, they become sore. In some cases, you will find that this happens immediately after you come home from your run.

In other cases, you will find that this happens the next day or within the next 48 hours. This condition is known as delayed onset muscle soreness - DOMS. This is not something that you need to worry yourself over. This is a common occurrence, which does not affect your health in any way.

All you need to do is give yourself some time to rest, and you should be fine within a day. However, what you do need to ensure is that you should not overwork your calves the next time if you want to avoid this inconvenience.

All pregnant women experience this condition. Experts believe that the reason could be the increase in their weight, which creates additional pressure on the legs, leading to painful calves and leg cramps. Another school of thought also states that the womb creates pressure on the blood vessels that carry the blood from the heart to the legs and vice versa.

This causes fluctuations in the blood circulation leading to this condition. Whatever the reason, it is very irritating and painful for the woman; hence, she should take care to ensure that she finds immediate relief from the pain.

There are certain things that she should follow and these are listed below.

• It is advised that the woman should take a small walk, unless asked not to by the doctor.
• It is recommended that the woman should not stand for long periods of time.
• The woman should also not cross her legs and sit for a long time.

• If there is a lot of soreness, then dipping the legs in a bucket full of warm water should help.
• Dehydration may also cause this condition. To avoid it, it is advisable that the woman should drink plenty of water throughout the day.

• Taking adequate rest and avoiding over straining the calves is the first treatment that is advised.
• Drinking plenty of water is next in the list. Sometimes, you must have noticed that you experience sore calf muscles for no reason. This could be because you are not drinking enough water. This makes drinking enough water an effective remedy.

• If rest doesn't work or if there is severity in the problem, then, apply some ice or heat or alternate between heat and ice therapy. This should help you feel relieved.
• In severe cases, if all other treatments fail, then medications may become necessary. However, do not take any over-the-counter pain killers. It is better to consult a doctor.

• There are plenty of stretching exercises that you can perform at home. These exercises will definitely help you.
• We all know that compressions work when we suffer from sprains. If the problem persists the next day too, then you could try using the crepe bandage on the area, and keeping it elevated. Elevation will increase the blood circulation.

If this problem lasts for a day or two or is experienced immediately after exercising, then there may not be a reason to worry. A few exercises and rest should help you. However, if it persists for a considerable time, then it is better to get the diagnosis done by the doctor. This will help you identify any problems that you may have, at an early stage and immediate medications will prevent increasing the problem from becoming grave. Take care.

Disclaimer: This story is for informative purposes only, and should not be used as a replacement for expert medical advice.