Quick one for anyone in the know. I was out on the bike last week and i stopped at some lights and as i put my foot down i got what felt like bad cramp in my upper calf (or an elastic band snapping in my leg). It was agony but as i had another 15 miles to get home i carried on. Its now 4 days later and is still very tender to the touch. Ive tried stretching and kneading (like bread dough 🙂 but its still wont go. Any tips to get shut of it
Possibly a torn calf muscle of you felt a 'snap'.
Do you have varicose veins? The pain from them can feel like cramp
It does sound like a torn muscle or even tendon. Go and see a doc.
[url= http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Sprains/Pages/Treatment.aspx ]Muscle strain. [/url] don't rest it completely, keep it moving. The muscle fibres have been torn, they need to heal. The swelling (if there is any) should go down after three days but unfortunately it can take several weeks after that to fully repair. Stretching and sports massage after the swelling has gone down will help the fibres align properly.
These probably won't apply to you if the injury happened last week but here's a couple of tips for future reference:
1) Try not to massage the affected area for the first 72 hours, this may do more harm than good. However keeping it moving is a good thing!
2) Look out for the symptoms of [url= http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/compartment-syndrome/Pages/Introduction.aspx ]Acute Compartment Syndrome.[/url] This is very serious and needs immediate medical attention (A & E).
If it's very sore and not subsiding go and see a doc. Dad had something similar, went to see a physio etc and didn't ease. Turned out to be a clot. This may be wildly inaccurate in your case.
Thanks all will try rice first and see how i get on
Upper calf pain can be an indicator of dvt.
As somebody who was in hospital with DVT, I know a bit about it. Rarely comes on suddenly, usually has a pronounced swelling and reddened area where the pain is and is much warmer to the touch than surrounding areas. Unlikely but worth checking
Thanks all will try rice first and see how i get on
Current thinking seems to be moving towards P.O.L.I.C.E for post injury care, where the 'P' stands for 'Protection' (ie try and prevent further injury) and the 'O.L.' stands for 'Optimal Loading', as in keeping yourself and the injured area mobile and active but without over loading it to the point of further aggravating the injury. Finding out where that line between optimal and damaging can be the tricky bit, but a bit of common sense should see you through, ie a gentle stroll or very slow and gentle ride could be very beneficial however running a marathon or sprinting up a hill are going to be very damaging
Cheers all. Had compression bandage on yesterday but didnt rest too much as school hols. Feels much better today. Still tender but way better.