How to Tell If You Have a Pulled or Torn Calf Muscle

The calf muscles go by the names of the gastrocnemius muscle and the soleus muscle. Both are large muscles that attach near the knee. The soleus attaches below the knee, while the gastrocnemius attaches above the knee. Both of these muscles traverse the back of the leg and join into the heel via the Achilles tendon. When you pull these muscles or tear them, a condition that physicians call a muscle strain, you will know it from the accompanying symptoms.

Instructions

• 1

  Realize what type of activities can lead to torn calf muscles. Athletes that play sports where sudden bursts of speeds combine with rapid starts and stops are susceptible to this type of injury. Basketball, tennis, football and soccer are sports where a torn or pulled calf muscle may occur.

• 2

  Suspect a minor calf strain when you feel just a twinge of pain during physical activity. In many instances, you will have the ability to continue with your endeavor, with just a slight discomfort in the back portion of your lower leg. Doctors classify this as a Grade 1 muscle strain, a scenario where less than 10 percent of the muscle tears. Afterward, you will notice tightness and an aching pain coming from the leg that may last as long as five days.

• 3

  Assume that you suffered a more serious muscle strain, categorized as a Grade 2 strain, when you experience sharp pain in the back of your lower leg. Watch for pain that exists when you take a step while walking, and look for any swelling or bruising in the area. The Grade 2 strain means that you have torn up to 90 percent of the fibers that make up the muscle. Even at rest, when you stretch your leg, you will feel this pain, which can endure for as long as a week after the initial injury.

• 4

  Identify the most serious of calf muscle strains as a Grade 3 strain when the pain is so severe that you cannot walk. This injury will immediately debilitate you since you will have a tear of more than 90 percent in the calf muscle. You will not have the capability to contract the muscle, and the bruising and swelling will be rapid and quite noticeable. The feeling will be as if someone stuck a knife in the back of the lower leg, and you will need support just to get off the field or court where the injury took place. You will not have the ability to drive if the injury affects your right leg; the movements involved with the gas pedal and brake will be too painful.