Calf Muscle Tightness

There are two major muscle groups present in the lower part of the leg or the calf. One is the gastrocnemius and the other one is the soleus. When one experiences calf muscle tightness, it must be due to strain in any one of these muscles. The tight feeling in the calf area then increases gradually with passage of time. The tightness is often accompanied by pain, tenderness and swelling. In some cases, the condition worsens with activities, like running. While in others, running may temporarily loosen up the muscles a bit but it becomes tight all over again in the later part of the day.

Calf Muscle Tightness Causes

When minor tears develop in the leg muscles, it triggers muscle spasms. The involuntary contraction of the muscles badly disrupts blood supply to the lower part of the leg. As a result, the leg muscles do not get sufficient amount of nutrients and become weak. In such a condition, the muscles tighten up further in order to protect themselves.

Athletes suffer from this condition mainly due to lack of flexibility in their calf muscles. It mostly happens when they do not stretch their muscles with proper warm up exercises before any strenuous physical activity. If they resume sports activities without taking proper rehabilitation after an injury, then they can get this problem.

Those who have a bio-mechanical problem in their running style are going to suffer from muscle cramps in legs again and again. Compartment syndrome is another factor that often affect sports persons where the leg muscles become so big that they start putting extra pressure to the surrounding structures. This condition makes the calf muscles extremely taut.

Those who are not associated with any kind of sports can also experience pain and tightness in the calf muscles after running, jogging or exercising. Wearing high-heeled shoes or moving on ice or snow can also lead to abnormal contraction of the leg muscles.

Calf Muscle Tightness Cure

Calf muscle tightness is one such health problem that you cannot afford to neglect. Its proper treatment should start on time or else, it can lead to ankle injuries, shin splints and various feet problems. If ignored for a long time, it can affect the knees, feet, hip and even lower back region. Sports persons should consult a sports injury specialist to identify the actual cause behind leg muscle spasms.

Doctors mostly recommend deep tissue massage to relieve this kind of leg muscle cramps. The massage have a soothing effect deep into the muscle tissues which in turn eases off the tightness. Depending on the severity of the tautness, three or more number of massage sessions would be required for proper muscle relaxation. In case this problem arises quite frequently, doctors may conduct some special tests to check if it is caused due to compartment syndrome. This condition has to be corrected with the help of surgery and is followed by a rehabilitation program.

On the other hand, nonathletes can treat calf muscle pain at home. They should give a good amount of rest to their feet, in order to get rid of the problem of taut calf muscles. It should be accompanied by application of ice to the painful site several times in a day. Resting and ice treatment should relieve the pain within 48 hours. If it does not, then doctor should be consulted for further diagnosis.

For both athletes as well as nonathletes, a stretching exercise program is a must after the painful symptoms of tight calf muscles are gone. This is done to improve the strength and flexibility of the calf muscles. It should be continued for six weeks before you resume your regular sports activities. While doing these exercises, if any pain is felt in the calf, then you must stop exercising. The pain indicates that the injury has not healed up completely and you have to wait for some more time.

You can prevent any major injury to the calf muscles by avoiding their overuse during any activities. Moreover, those who are involved with strenuous physical activities must do some calf muscle exercises daily. This will strengthen the leg muscles and protect them from any kind of damage.