Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatmentRecovery Time
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Recovery Time
How long acalf strainlasts depends on the severity and location of the injury. For a minor strain, healing may be as little as eight days. For severe strains, healing may take six months or more.
Verywell / Kelly Miller
Calf Strain Symptoms
If you strain your calf, you may notice a sudden, sharp pain in the back of your leg.
This injury usually occurs between the knee and ankle. When a muscle strain occurs, this part of the calf may become tender, taut, and swollen.
A calf strain can be quite painful. The amount of pain depends on the severity and location of the injury.
Calf strains are usually graded as follows:
When to See a Healthcare ProviderSee a doctorif you have symptoms of a severe calf strain, including:Difficulty walkingPain while sitting or at restPain at night
When to See a Healthcare Provider
See a doctorif you have symptoms of a severe calf strain, including:Difficulty walkingPain while sitting or at restPain at night
See a doctorif you have symptoms of a severe calf strain, including:
Causes of Calf Strains
The calf muscles span the distance from the knee to the ankle, with some of the muscles going across both joints. The Achilles tendon connects your calf muscles to the heel bone in the lower part of the leg.
The calf muscle is made of two major muscles:
A calf strain is a tearing injury, most commonly to the gastrocnemius or soleus muscle. Most often, the injury occurs in themedial gastrocnemius.This part of the muscle is on the inner side of the back of your leg.
This is often called a “muscle strain.” Muscle fibers can tear when a muscle is overstrained. The muscle remains intact with less severe strains.
Calf strains are most common in males between the ages of 30 and 50.
Diagnosis of Calf Strains
A calf muscle strain is usually a clear diagnosis. Still, there are othercauses of calf painthat may be considered, including:
Fortunately, this is rarely needed, even in patients with Grade III calf strain injuries. Most patients can be treated successfully without surgery.
See a doctor if you aren’t sure if you have a calf strain or if your symptoms don’t go away quickly because there are other conditions that can be confused with a calf strain.
Calf Strain or Tear and Other Causes of Calf Pain
How Calf Strains Are Treated
Treatment of a calf strain usually depends on the severity of the injury. Activity modification is necessary to allow for proper healing and avoid re-injury during the early phase of recovery. As a rule of thumb, if you have a calf strain, you can do activities that don’t make your injury worse.
Soft tissue mobilization to tolerance is the most important key to successful treatment and may include myofascial release, eccentric exercises, cupping, dry needling, and scraping.
1:31Click Play to Learn How to Treat and Prevent Right Calf Pain
1:31
Click Play to Learn How to Treat and Prevent Right Calf Pain
Common treatments used for calf strains include:
Recovery time depends on the severity of the injury.
The most common injury is a grade II calf strain. These take about six weeks to completely heal.
Calf strain injuries don’t usually require surgery. Unlike anAchilles tendon rupture, calf muscles don’t usually tear completely.
This means calf muscle strains should heal with noninvasive treatments rather than surgery. An Achilles tendon rupture, on the other hand, may not completely heal without surgical treatment.
Recovery Time for Calf Strain
There has been a wide range of reported times to recovery after a calf strain. The time it takes for a calf strain to heal depends on the severity and location of the injury as well as the type of activities you do:
Running on an injured leg can worsen the injury. Avoid running or engaging in other strenuous movements until you no longer feel pain. Your healthcare provider will let you know when you can start to run again after a calf strain.
Summary
A calf strain is an injury that affects the muscles on the back of the leg. The amount of pain depends on how severe the injury is.
Grade I strains only hurt a little. Grade II strains are more painful and will limit your activities. Grade III strains may impair your ability to walk.
Activity modification and early soft tissue mobilization is the key to recovery. Your physical therapist may also recommend ice, heat, and eccentric exercises. Other soft tissue techniques they may use include scraping, taping, myofascial release, dry needling, and cupping. Over-the-counter medication may help with pain and inflammation.
Recovery from a calf muscle strain depends on its severity. Most strains take anywhere from eight days to three months for complete recovery, while some grade III strains will take even longer.
7 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Bryan Dixon J.Gastrocnemius vs. soleus strain: how to differentiate and deal with calf muscle injuries.Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2009;2(2):74-77. doi:10.1007/s12178-009-9045-8Hsu D, Chang KV.Gastrocnemius strain. StatPearls.Leib AD, Roshan A, Foris LA, et al.Baker’s cyst. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing.Harvard Medical School.Leg cramps-the family health guide.National Health Service UK.DVT (deep vein thrombosis).Physiopedia.Calf strain.Saxena A, St Louis M, Fournier M.Vibration and pressure wave therapy for calf strains: a proposed treatment.Muscles Ligaments Tendons J. 2013;3(2):60-2. doi:10.11138/mltj/2013.3.2.060
7 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Bryan Dixon J.Gastrocnemius vs. soleus strain: how to differentiate and deal with calf muscle injuries.Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2009;2(2):74-77. doi:10.1007/s12178-009-9045-8Hsu D, Chang KV.Gastrocnemius strain. StatPearls.Leib AD, Roshan A, Foris LA, et al.Baker’s cyst. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing.Harvard Medical School.Leg cramps-the family health guide.National Health Service UK.DVT (deep vein thrombosis).Physiopedia.Calf strain.Saxena A, St Louis M, Fournier M.Vibration and pressure wave therapy for calf strains: a proposed treatment.Muscles Ligaments Tendons J. 2013;3(2):60-2. doi:10.11138/mltj/2013.3.2.060
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Bryan Dixon J.Gastrocnemius vs. soleus strain: how to differentiate and deal with calf muscle injuries.Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2009;2(2):74-77. doi:10.1007/s12178-009-9045-8Hsu D, Chang KV.Gastrocnemius strain. StatPearls.Leib AD, Roshan A, Foris LA, et al.Baker’s cyst. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing.Harvard Medical School.Leg cramps-the family health guide.National Health Service UK.DVT (deep vein thrombosis).Physiopedia.Calf strain.Saxena A, St Louis M, Fournier M.Vibration and pressure wave therapy for calf strains: a proposed treatment.Muscles Ligaments Tendons J. 2013;3(2):60-2. doi:10.11138/mltj/2013.3.2.060
Bryan Dixon J.Gastrocnemius vs. soleus strain: how to differentiate and deal with calf muscle injuries.Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2009;2(2):74-77. doi:10.1007/s12178-009-9045-8
Hsu D, Chang KV.Gastrocnemius strain. StatPearls.
Leib AD, Roshan A, Foris LA, et al.Baker’s cyst. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing.
Harvard Medical School.Leg cramps-the family health guide.
National Health Service UK.DVT (deep vein thrombosis).
Physiopedia.Calf strain.
Saxena A, St Louis M, Fournier M.Vibration and pressure wave therapy for calf strains: a proposed treatment.Muscles Ligaments Tendons J. 2013;3(2):60-2. doi:10.11138/mltj/2013.3.2.060
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