Sore Calf muscle

[Catrin]

What is best for a sore calf, just to rest it or do do something else with it? I had an especially hard spinning class last night and as I didn't have my HRM I pushed myself quite hard - probably harder than I should have (this is one of the big reasons I use the HRM, it keeps me from pushing myself too hard). That was after doing some strength training where i focused on the lower body - for the most parts. Ok, perhaps I shouldn't do 100 pound dead-lifts right before spinning....but it hasn't been a problem...

I WANT TO GO RIDING... it is 72 degrees, winds are only about 15mph right now, and I have two bikes looking at me and I can just tell that both would like to go outside... and it is supposed to rain for the next three days!

I don't think there is any real damage, and it feels better than this morning, I suspect that there is just some tightness or a very light pull. My opposite knee is being a little cranky as well...and tomorrow is my regular personal training session. Both are just enough to let me know they are there...

I am going on vacation next week and I want to ride, ride, ride, ride, and do more riding when I go - so I can't get hurt this week :eek:

My thought is that I should rest things this evening, then do some light stretches/walking tomorrow before my training session. I am hoping that the rain won't come tomorrow evening so I can go at least ride for a quick 18 or so miles...

The sore muscle is in the upper part of my calf, close to the middle and near my knee. I am not limping, so that is good :D

[zoom-zoom]

No stretching if you suspect a pull...if it's pulled you don't want to pull it more. This goes for tendon/ligament issues, too.

Personally, I'm not a fan of stretching, at least not unless I've warmed-up well. Stretching a cold muscle is recipe for injury. I have had a lot fewer nagging running injuries since I stopped stretching. I will sometimes stretch each muscle for a few seconds AFTER a run, but never before. I don't stretch before bike rides, either. Just take the first few miles easy to let my muscles loosen-up on their own.

[Catrin]

No stretching if you suspect a pull...if it's pulled you don't want to pull it more. This goes for tendon/ligament issues, too.

Personally, I'm not a fan of stretching, at least not unless I've warmed-up well. Stretching a cold muscle is recipe for injury. I have had a lot fewer nagging running injuries since I stopped stretching. I will sometimes stretch each muscle for a few seconds AFTER a run, but never before. I don't stretch before bike rides, either. Just take the first few miles easy to let my muscles loosen-up on their own.

I will remember this as I've never been quite sure, and I've never been active before first joining my club last August. I just took a gentle walk over to the store and the muscle seems to be improving, though am still aware of it. Perhaps it is just tight....

I still want to go riding tonight though...sigh... There is little doubt that I should let that leg rest tonight, perhaps this will teach me to never forget my HRM again - or at least not to do 100 pound deadlifts and 130 pound leg-presses before spinning :o

[malaholic]

If the muscle is just sore, then a short, easy paced recovery ride would be fine. From what I've heard (and I think there was a thread on here about it recently), it's good to get a little blood flow back into the muscles; it will help flush out the lactic acid faster than if you just rest.

However, if the muscle is actually pulled then resting/icing might be a better idea. You say "it felt better this morning" from which I infer that it was painful last night after the class. If it was just regular soreness, then I'd expect it to hurt more today and tomorrow than it did last night. Sounds like you might have a minor pull; probably best to play it safe and give it a few days rest.

[Catrin]

If the muscle is just sore, then a short, easy paced recovery ride would be fine. From what I've heard (and I think there was a thread on here about it recently), it's good to get a little blood flow back into the muscles; it will help flush out the lactic acid faster than if you just rest.

However, if the muscle is actually pulled then resting/icing might be a better idea. You say "it felt better this morning" from which I infer that it was painful last night after the class. If it was just regular soreness, then I'd expect it to hurt more today and tomorrow than it did last night. Sounds like you might have a minor pull; probably best to play it safe and give it a few days rest.

It wasn't sore last night, I noticed it when I left the apartment to walk to my car this morning... it isn't sore except when I am actually walking, and then I have to be walking a few minutes for the soreness to present itself. It was better on my walk back from the store 30 minutes ago, I tried not to speed-walk (I am a fast walker). Hopefully it will be ready for my training session tomorrow nigh - as long as I can prevent the allure of my bike from enticing me out into that strong headwind then it should be ok.

I've just not felt anything quite like this before, which is why I mentioned it.

[azfiddle]

Catrin

Oh isn't it just the pits when the weather is nice and your bike is calling to you and something hurts and you can't ride? I am totally sympathetic here...

I've been mostly off my bike the last month after getting some knee pain, which seems to really be caused by a hip out of alignment... the PT gave her permission for me to take flat, easy rides (no hills!) again... but I am pining for the longer more challenging rides that I was enjoying before.

I'm sure it's excellent advice to stretch when you're warmed up- and probably a good idea to stretch after rides- I'm pretty sure that not ever stretching contributed to my problems ....

Feel better soon
Sharon

[zoom-zoom]

If the muscle is just sore, then a short, easy paced recovery ride would be fine. From what I've heard (and I think there was a thread on here about it recently), it's good to get a little blood flow back into the muscles; it will help flush out the lactic acid faster than if you just rest.

However, if the muscle is actually pulled then resting/icing might be a better idea. You say "it felt better this morning" from which I infer that it was painful last night after the class. If it was just regular soreness, then I'd expect it to hurt more today and tomorrow than it did last night. Sounds like you might have a minor pull; probably best to play it safe and give it a few days rest.

Yep, that's what I'm thinking. If it's just run-of-the-mill DOMS, then an easy workout the day after is actually better than doing nothing. But if it sounds like this might be more. RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) might be your best bet...and maybe even calling to your doc to make sure that it's not serious. I hope it's just a temporary tweak.

[Catrin]

Things are better this morning, though the tiniest bit of soreness remains. I bet it was a very light pull. Depending on how things feel during/after training this evening I will head out for a light ride afterwords.

Thanks to all for their tips!

[OakLeaf]

Do some self myofascial release, too. Do you have a foam roller or a Stick? If not, you can use a rolling pin.

Over the winter I strained my vastus intermedialis (none of the other quad muscles, and I have NO idea how) and I was a little hesitant to roll it out until I did some reading. As it turned out, it was just full of trigger points, and SMR fixed it almost immediately.

[Catrin]

I THOUGHT it was feeling better :( It is fine as long as I am not walking around :p

Oakleaf I do have a roller, though I've never really used it. I will try it when I get in tonight, and, perhaps, prior to my training session this afternoon just to see what it feels like. I am unsure at this point if it is just soreness from lactic acid or if I've actually pulled something. I will talk with my trainer about it, he will probably have an idea as to which it is.

Unless he advises against it I will try and get a GENTLE ride in tonight if it isn't raining - go some place where it is flat. If it doesn't hurt when I am actually riding then that will tell me something. I don't want this to interfere with my exploration of rail-trails in Ohio next week :eek:

[sundial]

An anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen will help decrease inflammation and swelling and will help with the pain as well.
For me personally, I found soaking in a tub or pool for 30 minutes after a muscle burning exercise decreases the pain and stiffness significantly. If you choose to ride your bike, listen to your body and go at a pace that is comfortable. If it's just too painful, stop and rest your leg.

[Catrin]

It is sore to the touch when I start feeling around, but I can't seem to find any knots. That doesn't mean there aren't any, I never seem to be good at actually finding them for some reason...

Thanks for the tips everyone, we will see how things go with my training session. My trainer will probably just turn this session into an upper-body workout I am sure.

[Catrin]

My training session tonight was 100% upper body (outside of a set of squats with lower weight than usual), and my calf was feeling back to normal afterwords. It felt so good that I did take my Trek to a local park and just spun easy (between 12-13mph) on flat roads only for 30 minutes. No twinges or anything.

Now that I have slowed down and rested a little since then, some tightness is returning, but I am no longer concerned that there is any real damage. I will go to spinning class tomorrow and not hit it as hard as normal, then try a real ride on Friday.

Thanks for all of the tips - and I will try rolling it again before going to work tomorrow morn. if I wake up with it still sore.

[Vega]

Next time this happens, take an NSAID like ibuprofen as this will relieve any swelling and inflammation. If it's still sore the next day, then either take it easy or take the day off. If the pain is more severe and doesn't go away for a couple days, then you might want to visit your doctor as it could be a tear or something that needs more special treatment.