Recovery involves an extended period of rest followed by physical therapy to help strengthen the muscles and ensure stability. There are many reasons for mild to severe pain behind the knee. These muscles pull the legs togetherand move your hip in other ways. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. To prevent groin pulls, stretch regularly. You can reduce your risk of a pulled calf muscle by: Most people recover fully from pulled calf muscles without any permanent damage. A pulled muscle occurs when you tear or overstretch some of the muscle fibers. Accessed April 27, 2018. Talk to your healthcare provider right away if youre experiencing severe symptoms like intense pain. Strain. A pulled calf muscle happens when you overstretch the muscles in the back of your lower leg. Medical Reviewer: Strains can develop slowly over time or happen very suddenly. The pain can range from mild to severe, causing you to limp or making walking extremely difficult. Soreness. There are four exercises that are especially good at preventing groin muscle pulls: Thisadductorstretch is done while standing, as follows: The butterfly stretch is done in a sitting position, as follows: The cross-leg stretch is also done while sitting, as follows: A groin pull is an injury to an inner thigh muscle. But there are a few things you should avoid doing. Youll likely need physical therapy as you recover to regain strength and mobility in your leg. Talk to your healthcare provider before resuming any intense physical activities. Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. A sensation of being hit on the back of the lower leg. If your primary care provider cannot pinpoint the cause, ask for a referral to a sports medicine specialist or an orthopedist who specializes in diseases and disorders of the skeleton and muscles. If you have a physically demanding occupation, regular conditioning can help prevent injuries. Once youve pulled a muscle, you have an increased risk of hurting it again in the future. A pulled muscle is a type of soft tissue injury called a strain. Philadelphia, Pa.: Elsevier; 2018. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Calf muscle strains usually occur when someone suddenly moves or overstretches their calf after standing still. DETAILS. A surgeon makes an incision in your calf and reattaches the two ends of your muscle with stitches. In most cases, symptoms are either totally gone, or very much improved, within 8 to 10 weeks. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. Muscles strains are caused by tears in the fibers of your muscles. A pulled calf muscle occurs when you overstretch the muscles in the back of your lower leg. A regular physical examination will reveal the location of the issue. Cheng Y, Yang H, Sun Z, Ni L, Zhang H. Surgical Treatment of Gastrocnemius Muscle Ruptures. Traumatic causes: The Traumatic causes include sports injuries. https://www.nata.org/, American Physical Therapy Association Sprinters, football players, soccer players and tennis players are prone to pulled calf muscles. Using proper technique when playing sports. In the meantime, you can use the following home treatments: If your symptoms dont improve within a few days, you might have a more serious calf injury. Its similar to how certain fabrics have more give than others. Calf. Dont be afraid to reach out to your provider with questions. Symptoms Limping/Lameness Swelling with or without bruising Pain at the site of injury Have a guarded demeanor Decreased activity A pulled muscle can be quite painful. Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. To confirm a diagnosis, the doctor will examine you. Stretch your knees down toward the ground. Loosen the wrap if the pain increases, the area becomes numb or swelling is occurring below the wrapped area. Are there any activities I should avoid while Im recovering? Begin wrapping at the end farthest from your heart. You may need imaging exams to determine if there are any partial or complete tears in your calf muscles. The hip flexors are a group of muscles toward the front of the hip.They help you move, or flex, your leg and knee up towards your body. In: Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. Symptoms include: Limping, sudden lameness, or stiffness Whining or being more vocal Refusing to eat Trouble standing up or sitting down Swelling around the affected muscle These include: The treatment of a pulled groin muscle is typically conservative and includes rest, ice application, and gentle stretching when appropriate. Symptoms of a muscle strain include: Pain. Its common to have a pulled neck muscle, pulled back muscle, or pulled calf muscle. Sprains, strains and other soft-tissue injuries. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission Heres our process. Sarah Lewis is a pharmacist and a medical writer with over 25 years of experience in various areas of pharmacy practice. When to seek help Urgent advice: She completed Pharmacy Practice Residency training at the University of Pittsburgh/VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System. Participating in contact sports such as soccer, football, hockey, boxing and wrestling can increase your risk of muscle strains. Use of this website and any information contained herein is governed by the Healthgrades User Agreement. Severe groin strains can take up to 12 weeks or longer if surgery is involved. Swelling that wont go away or is getting worse. Because the leg has many different muscles, it is vulnerable to several different types of muscle strains. Leg feels weak when you try to lift or do squats. Hamstring muscles on the back of the thigh. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. A groin pullcan be quite painful, interfering with your ability to walk, navigate stairs, or even drive a car. Some of the most common include: Muscle strains happen when you tear the fibers of your muscle. Third Party materials included herein protected under copyright law. If you have to have surgery for a severe pull in your calf muscle, it may take several weeks or months before you fully recover. grade 2 - a partial muscle tear. Have you ever injured this part of your body before? They may even have you do mild stretches while they look at your calf muscle to see if its pulled. Policy. A muscle strain is an injury to one of your muscles that causes it to tear. Safran MR, et al. Difficulty tensing your calf muscles or standing on toes. the affected area feeling warm to the touch. Muscle strains and tears are generally graded from less severe (Grade 1) to more severe (Grade 3). Redness. Accessed April 27, 2018. Look for stiffness or decreased range of movement. This usually occurs as a result of fatigue, overuse, or improper use of a muscle. Biceps. Sprains, strains and other soft-tissue injuries. Strains are what happens when some of the thousands of fibers in your muscles are pulled beyond their limit and tear. Third Degree. Athletic hip injuries. Symptoms that always occur with repetitive strain injury of the quadriceps: thigh pain from overuse Symptoms that never occur with repetitive strain injury of the quadriceps: upper leg injury, severe upper leg pain Urgency: Self-treatment Repetitive strain injury of the hamstring A pulled calf muscle is diagnosed with a symptom check. You can even have a pulled muscle in the chest. Veterinarians can use thermography to aid in diagnosis, along with palpation, ultrasound . After surgery, you may wear a cast in plantarflexion for three weeks, and then a gentle dorsiflexion stretch cast for another three weeks. If this happened to you, you would completely lose muscle function. Your doctor may suggest that you immobilize the area with a brace or splint. A muscle strain is an injury to a muscle or a tendon the fibrous tissue that connects muscles to bones. Most muscle strains heal in a few weeks with at-home treatments. This can happen if you overwork the muscle or twist it too hard. Symptoms of a pulled calf muscle can depend on the severity of the injury. You should expect to make a full recovery from a muscle strain. Your provider will tell you which medications to take based on your specific symptoms. A pulled calf muscle refers to strains within the two muscles in the lower back of your leg that make up your calf. Philadelphia, Pa.: Elsevier; 2018. https://www.clinicalkey.com. https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/sprains-and-strains/advanced. Some groin pulls can be severe and cause a muscle to completely rupture. Mayo Clinic is a not-for-profit organization. Your muscles are the same way. Without proper treatment and adequate recovery, serious muscle strains can cause permanent damage and limited range of motion. Sarah holds a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy degree from West Virginia University and a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy. But your muscle needs to heal, and giving it that time is the best way to make sure youll be able to get back to what you love as soon as its safe. Self-management advice Thigh problems Thigh problems can cause a range of symptoms including: pain swelling bruising In many cases, new pain or a flare-up of long-standing thigh problems should begin to settle within 6 weeks without the need to see a healthcare professional. Shin splints & stress fractures occur due to repetitive sports, like running. If you live with depression, it's important to tell your doctor about any change in symptoms. However, if the diagnosis is in doubt, X-rays or a magnetic resonance imaging scan may be necessary. William C. Lloyd III, MD, FACS. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Check out the list of soleus muscle pain causes below to see what we mean . Follow an exercise program aimed at stretching and strengthening your leg muscles. This can result in a pulled muscle in the back. Acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) can be helpful for pain relief during this time period. Strains may be mild, moderate, or severe, depending on the extent of the injury. 1998-2023 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). A thigh strain can involve the quadriceps muscles in the front of the thigh or the hamstring muscles on the back of the thigh. Oluseun Olufade, MD, is a board-certified orthopedist. Groin pulls are often experienced by athletes who play ice hockey and soccer because they have to rapidly change directions, often with their legs in a splayed position. doi:10.5812/traumamon.12666, Serner A, Weir A, Tol JL, et al. 2017 Mar;12(1):120-123. Accessed 5/29/2021. Other conditions can be confused with a groin pull, and they may need different treatments. To help prevent muscle strains in your legs, you can: If you have a Grade I or Grade II strain, your doctor will probably recommend that you follow the RICE rule: In addition, you can take a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin and other brand names) or naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn and others), to ease pain and relieve swelling. How exactly were you moving when the injury occurred? Hear from real doctors who treat orthopedic conditions and perform surgery. Muscular Calf Injuries in Runners. People often report the sensation of pain as the feeling of being "stabbed." Compress the muscle with an elastic bandage. There may also be a popping sound or snapping sensation. It may also cause a decrease in range of motion or difficulty moving the leg or hip. Feel the stretch along your inner thigh. https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/sprains-and-strains/advanced. 2016 Sept/Oct;15(5):320-324.

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