How To Treat a Torn Calf Muscle

As soon as I started seriously getting into my training for an upcoming half marathon, sure enough, I managed to injure my calf muscle. I’m bound and determined to run this half marathon, so I need to figure out how to heal my calf muscle. This prompted me into a research frenzy on what was wrong and what exactly I need to do in order to heal quickly.

My calf muscle has been sensitive for some time. At times I was experiencing leg cramps at night where I would have to quickly jump out of bed because of a seized up calf. I should have seen the warning signs. Possibly hydration was the issue or perhaps not enough salt or potassium in my diet. Who knows what exactly caused my legs cramps at night?

After my initial research and judging from my symptoms, I realized that I have a pulled or torn calf muscle. This type of injury initially needs R.I.C.E. (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) for the first 24 to 48 hours, depending on the severity of the pull. After which, it’s time to start some active recovery.

What to do for a Pulled Calf Muscle?

After my research frenzy throughout the internet and in some of the running forums that I follow, I discovered the following common remedies for a pulled calf muscle.

• Performing calf stretches after your run when your muscles are warmed up and loose;
• Wearing compression socks during your run; and
• Massage.

However, the #1 most popular remedy for tight or injured calf muscles is to use a foam roller on them. Using a foam roller basically mimics a deep tissue massage.

Foam rollers come in all different shapes and sizes and help to loosen up a tight calf muscle (among various other uses), which ultimately decreases your risk for injury and will increase your running performance.

I will be running out :-) to buy myself a foam roller and start using it immediately. The one that I liked is called The Grid Foam Roller and is 13 inches long by 5 inches in diameter. I not only think it’ll be great for my calf, but I also discovered other exercises that are good for rolling on muscle groups that have been tight and acting up from one time to another.

The exercise I learned that will specifically address the issue with my calf is to put my leg on top of the foam roller and cross the other leg over for added pressure, roll for 60 seconds to 2 minutes, up and back in gentle motions. I will roll my whole calf to just below the knee. And when I find the tight spot, I need to try to relax my muscle into the roller, breath and hold that position for a couple of minutes. And repeat.

The foam roller is something that I’ve heard lots about, but never had a reason to try. I’ve also seen it advertised at all the race expos, but, as I said, never had a use for it. I like the fact that it has more than one use and will write a review on it in the near future when I have used it for a while. In the meantime, my goal is to be injury free for this half marathon.

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