Calf pain: I've had tightness in my right calf... - Couch to 5K

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Calf pain

sfb350 profile image
sfb350Graduate
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I've had tightness in my right calf for a while now and I've made sure I stretch it regularly, as well as stretching after runs. On the cross-trainer on Saturday, it got more painful after using the machine in reverse mode. It felt ok after resting in the sauna and I don't remember it being unusually sore that evening. I got up early on Sunday to go for a run and found it hurt too much to walk. The pain is at the back of my calf, near the top. I tried gentle stretching exercises yesterday and wore a compression sock to sleep in but it is still just as painful today. If I stand and try to lift my toes, that hurts and if I try to completely straighten my leg, that hurts too. I'm hesitating to massage it because it is too sore even to sit with my legs crossed. I'll try ice on it when I get home from work. I'm limping a bit at the moment and feeling very frustrated !

Does this sound like "just" a pull or strain or something more severe ? I'm hoping not to need to see the physio as other half has recently been made redundant and money is very tight !

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sfb350
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mark909 profile image
mark909Graduate

Go and see a doctor.

The most important thing is to stop running until it feels better as by continuing to train you'll make the injury worse and take longer to heal.

Have you read through this thread?

couchto5k.healthunlocked.co...

sfb350 profile image
sfb350Graduate in reply to mark909

Yes, I've read that thread, thank you - lots of good advice there.

I've resigned myself to having to rest for a while - I learned my lesson when I tried to run through my hip injury. The annoying thing is, I've tried to do everything right and went on the cross-trainer as I thought it would be less likely to aggravate the injury.

I've been icing it this evening and it seems to help so I'm going to take my ice-pack too work tomorrow and keep it up. I'll do very gentle stretching as far as I can without causing pain. Our running club coach has said that running with a niggle is even more inadvisable in winter conditions when it is harder to keep the muscles warm so I'm going to wait until it is properly better although I suspect that will mean missing my 10k race at the weekend.

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