17 Oct 07 Calf Muscle Torn

Calf Muscle Torn:
If you have a calf muscle torn, it is likely that you have an incredible amount of pain. The calf muscle is torn when the muscle itself pulls away from the Achilles’ tendon. As a result, the muscle fibers have torn. Most commonly, when an injury like this happens, the individual feels like something has just hit the back of their leg. Or, they may hear a pop sound. This is followed by sudden, intense calf muscle pain and muscle gainer. The pain is located at the back of the leg and it usually also includes a good amount of swelling and bruising throughout the calf muscle. Most individuals will have difficulty standing on their feet after this incident occurs.
Calf Muscle Pulled:
There are different degrees of injury to the calf muscle. Pulled muscles are similar but there is less tearing away occurring. This reducing the intensity of the injury, but it can still be quite painful. Individuals who have pulled this muscle will often experience a calf muscle cramp or several over the days following the incident as the muscle tries to heal itself. In addition to this when you have an injury to the calf muscle, sore is an understatement. Most people experience a good amount of soreness in the ankle, calf muscle and up the leg, especially if they continue to favor using it. The best treatment for these injuries is rest to allow the muscle to heal appropriately. There are few, if any, warning signs of the onset of this type of injury.
Calf Muscle Injury:
In any calf muscle injury, the depth of the injury is important to know. A grade 1 calf strain is a situation where the small micro tears have occurred in the muscle. This can take a full two weeks to recover from. A grade 2 injury results in a partial tearing away of the muscle fibers. This injury is much more painful and results in at least five, up to eight weeks of recovery. The worst type of calf muscle injury is a grade 3. This is the most severe strain that causes a rupture of the muscle fibers in the lower leg. It can take up to four months to heal totally and, in some cases, requires surgery for total function to restore.
Calf Muscle Strain:
Consider the level of calf muscle strain. The only way for this to be determined is by a doctor who will fully examine the calf muscle. Pain and sore muscles often result in the need for full relaxation and bandaging of the muscle. In addition to this, for most injuries to the calf muscle, exercise may be limited at first, and then is recommended to regain full use of the calf muscle. A tear may require surgery which will further limit the mobility of an individual in this situation. For those who have just an ache and a calf muscle sore feeling, this is unlikely to be a tear and may juts warrant some time to heal.