The calf muscle is made up of two muscles, known as gastrocnemius and soleus. The gastrocnemius is t...

1. Pulled Calf Muscle Treatment
The calf muscle is made up of two muscles, known as gastrocnemius and soleus. The gastrocnemius
is the bigger muscle located at the back of the leg behind the sheen bone. While the soleus muscle is
a smaller muscle and it is located near the gastrocnemius. These muscles help in pointing and
flexing of the foot. At the same time, the gastrocnemius is also required to bend the knee, as it is
located closer to the knee joint. When the soleus muscle is injured, the muscle pain radiates in the
lower part of the leg closer to the ankle joint. For the right pulled calf muscle treatment, it is
important to know the symptoms of the condition.
Symptoms
There are different kinds of injuries, that are caused to the calf muscle. The relatively minor kind of
calf injury is when there is a twinge of pain in the affected muscle. Generally on that day the person
may be able to carry out normal activities. Often there may be a feeling of tightness and dull ache
about 2 to 3 days after the injury. When the injury is of moderate severity, there will be sharp pain
radiating in the calf muscle. The person often experiences pain while walking and mild to moderate
swelling of the calf muscle and bruising may be seen. Often these symptoms are also accompanied
by tightness in the calf muscle and feeling of dull ache approximately for 7 to 10 days. If the injury is
severe, there will be shooting pain in the calf. The pain starts off immediately after the injury.
Contracting the muscle will become extremely difficult as well as painful. There may be bruising and
you will see swelling of the calf muscle immediately. If the muscle ruptures, the muscles may gather
up closer to the knee. After having understood the symptoms, how to treat an injured calf muscle is
the question, that arises. We will see the treatment now.
Treatment
Like I have previously mentioned, the treatment for an injured calf muscle depends on the severity
of the calf injury. Whatever be the severity, the first thing you will want to do is Rest the leg. This
however does not mean you have to be confined to bed. You can continue to do activities, that do not
aggravate the condition. Resting the strained muscle is important, as resting helps to heal the
muscle. If you do not rest the muscle, you will realize, it is taking longer than required to heal.
As soon as possible apply Ice for relief from calf muscle strain. Continue to rub ice on the area every
2 to 3 hours for the first two days. Ice helps in reducing inflammation, and at the same time, also
stimulates additional blood flow to the area to quicken the healing process.

2. The next part of the treatment is to make
use of Compression. Swelling does not
aggravate when the area is compressed. It
is recommended, that you start wrapping
the toes and continue to wrap till the
injured area. If you wrap in the opposite
direction, you will note that it will cause
swelling around the foot area. At the same
time, make sure, you do not wrap the
compression very tightly. Tightly wrapping
the bandages may cause hindrance in the
supply of blood to the affected area and
affect the healing process.
Keeping the injured foot on an Elevation
will prove to be beneficial for treating calf
pain. If possible you may want to lie down
and keep the leg on a pillow. This will also
help in reducing inflammation and
swelling.
Using Heat on the affected part can also
prove to be beneficial. You will have to use
gentle heating methods for the same.
When you want to use ice therapy and
heat therapy together, then heat the muscle first gently before you use ice therapy. Keep alternating
for a few minutes, but always end with ice therapy.
When the leg is gradually recovering from the injury, you
may start Stretching it. Do not stretch excessively. Too
much of stretching can also prove to be harmful for the
condition you are in. In severe cases, you may need to
seek help from the chiropractors for the right calf muscle
exercises for your condition.
The duration of the treatment for this condition will vary according to the severity of the condition. If
it is a mild injury, then the recovery time is about 8 to 10 days. For moderate kind of an injury, it will
take about 3 to 5 weeks to heal, whereas for a severe kind of an injury, it may take as long as 10 to
12 weeks. If after the basic home treatment, there is no change in the condition, then it is best to
seek medical opinion.