Causes and Management of Calf Pain

Calf pain is a common complaint experienced. The causes vary, it could be due to injury, excessive activity, or disruption of blood flow in the calf. Check out the following explanation about things that can cause calf pain and treatment. In the calf, there are gastrocnemius and soleus muscles that meet at the Achilles tendon, which is a large vein behind the ankle attached to the heel bone. Disorders of the calf can affect these two muscles, the Achilles tendon, or the surrounding blood vessels and nerves. Complaints of calf pain can be described as feeling tense, cramping, stiff, or sharp pain in the calf.

Some Causes of Calf Pain

The following are conditions that can cause calf pain:

1. Injury due to collision

Collision with a blunt object, fall, or kick in the calf area can cause pain and bruising. If the injury is mild, generally the pain and bruising will go away on its own.

2. Muscle cramps

Excessive activity or exercise and trying new sports can cause sudden contractions in the calf muscles, causing pain. Muscle cramps can last for a few seconds to several minutes, and can only be felt during sleep, or can also appear in the middle of the day. In addition to strenuous activity, there are also several other conditions that can trigger muscle cramps, namely:

• Dehydration
• Mineral deficiency (potassium, magnesium, and calcium)
• Kidney failure
• Hypothyroidism
• Too much consumption of alcoholic drinks
• Nerve disorders
• Diabetes
• Peripheral artery disease

3. Stretch or tear in the calf muscles

This condition is also called sprains or sprains, and can occur due to fatigue, activities that make muscles work too heavy, or do sports without heating. Examples of sports that can cause this problem are sports that involve a lot of leg movements, such as running, swimming, or cycling. Symptoms can be aching or sharp pain in the calf, stiff or weak when walking, difficulty tiptoeing, and bruising on the calf for 1-2 days.

4. Achilles tendinitis

Injuries, wrong movements, and excessive activity, such as running, going up and down stairs, or jumping, can cause inflammation of the Achilles tendon (Achilles tendinitis). In addition, Achilles tendinitis can be triggered by bone spur, which is new bone growth that interferes with the attachment of the Achilles tendon to the heel bone. Generally complaints that accompany this condition in the form of pain and swelling in the calf, legs feel heavy when exercising or doing activities, and limited leg movement, especially when bending the ankles. In addition to inflammation, the Achilles tendon can also be torn or even broken due to excessive activity or improper movement. When the Achilles tendon is broken, a loud tear will emerge. Tearing or breaking of the Achilles tendon needs to be treated with medication, physiotherapy and surgery.

5. Narrowing of the spinal cord and sciatic nerve

If inflammation of the joints (arthritis) in the spine, the spinal cord can narrow so that it interferes with nerve function. Spinal disc hernias or pinched nerves can also cause narrowing, resulting in symptoms of sciatica. Sciatica is a disorder of the sciatic nerve, the nerve that controls the leg muscles and the back of the knee. This disorder can be characterized by symptoms of pain or cramps that begin when sitting or standing, numbness, weakness, or tingling that runs from the back, pelvis, then to the calf.

6. Nerve disorders due to diabetes

Complications from diabetes mellitus can damage nerves in the calf and leg. Pain due to nerve disorders due to diabetes usually feels sharp or in the form of muscle cramps, muscle weakness, loss of balance and coordination of the body, numbness, and impaired sensation or sense of touch that makes sufferers less sensitive to pain or temperature changes.

7. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a blockage of blood in the deep veins. This condition can affect the veins of the arms and legs and calves. Some risk factors that can cause DVT are prolonged sitting, obesity, side effects of drugs, and smoking. DVT is characterized by prominent veins in the area of ​​the blockage, swollen and painful feet, changes in skin color in the legs and calves, as well as warm palpable calves.

8. Varicose veins

Varicose veins, or what we often call varicose veins, are caused by weakness of the valves in the veins that carry blood flow back from the legs to the heart. Calf pain due to varicose veins is characterized by the presence of veins that are blue to purple that are prominent and winding in the calf, especially after standing for a long time.

9. Compartment syndrome

Compartment syndrome is a serious condition caused by a large pressure in the muscle structure. Generally this syndrome occurs due to severe injury. Symptoms of compartment syndrome in the calf muscles include severe pain that does not improve after resting or taking pain medication, leg and leg numbness, calf swelling and difficulty moving.

Handling Calf Pain Independently

Generally complaints of calf pain that does not interfere with activity or are caused by minor injuries can improve by itself. However, there are several steps you can take at home to accelerate the recovery of calf pain:

1. RICE Principle (Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate)

Rest the painful calf for 24-48 hours, and prop the calf with a pillow until the calf position is higher than the chest when lying down. Give a cold compress by applying ice wrapped in a cloth or towel to the painful area for 20 minutes. During rest, do not sit still for too long. Try to move your heels and knees slowly for 10-20 seconds every hour, when you are not sleeping.

2. Use pain medication

To reduce pain, consume over the counter pain medication, such as paracetamol. In addition, the use of pain relievers containing NSAIDs or menthol can also help.

3. Stretch

After the calf pain has subsided, try to slowly stretch the calf muscles.

4. Massage

Muscles that are painful due to minor injuries may be gently massaged. Avoid massaging the muscles hard so the injury does not get worse. In addition, avoid massaging a painful calf if the injury suffered is likely to be quite severe, for example due to a broken bone. Medical treatment by a doctor is needed if calf pain is caused by severe injury or vascular disorders, nerve disorders, infections, and compartment syndrome. Immediately consult a doctor if calf pain does not improve in a few days, getting worse, or other complaints appear, such as leg can not be moved, numbness, or severe swelling.