Pain below the calf muscle. Treatment of sharp pain in the calf muscle when walking. Aching pain in the calves of the legs with damage to surrounding tissues

The appearance of pain in the calf muscle leads to the fact that a person feels discomfort and limits himself in movement. In any case, proper treatment is required, which is aimed at eliminating the cause of the pain.

As a rule, calf pain can appear for various reasons and is the most common symptom of many leg diseases. It should be noted that the human calf is formed by two muscles and tendons, thanks to which the joint is connected to the calcaneus. The versatility of the calf muscle undoubtedly increases the load on it, which leads to various disruptions in work.

The first cause of pain is chronic. This is due to the fact that blood stagnation occurs in the muscles and veins of the lower leg, as a result of which the walls of the vessels are stretched, causing pain in the calf muscle. The nature of the pain can be expressed quite strongly, gradually increasing with prolonged loads on the lower leg.

The second reason is acute venous insufficiency, which appears with vein thrombosis. The pain is bursting in nature, seals and the manifestation of a vascular pattern on the surface of the skin may occur.

The third reason is acute and chronic accompanied by blockage of the arteries. Often, the lack of treatment leads to impaired motor function and partial loss of sensitivity. In chronic, an inflammatory process develops with insufficient oxygen supply to the muscles. This leads to the fact that when walking there is pain in the calf muscle, the condition of the skin worsens, a feeling of cold in the limbs, etc. may appear.

Also, a spasm of the calf muscle may appear with osteochondrosis of the lumbar. The interconnection of nerve endings leads to the fact that when pressure is applied to the root, the nerve fibers send a signal to the human calf muscles. Of course, the pain intensifies with prolonged and excessive physical exertion, with a certain position of the body, with sudden movements.

In diabetes mellitus, pain in the calf muscle also occurs, since the disease is often accompanied by peripheral polyneuropathy. In this case, it is necessary to monitor the nature of the pain so as not to aggravate the situation with additional disorders that are characteristic of high blood sugar.

The next reason for the appearance of pain is an injury to the calf muscle, which can be obtained by mechanical action on a specific area of ​​the human body. The most common causes of pain are considered to be overstrain of muscle tissue, muscle strain. As a rule, these disorders occur during prolonged and irrational loads on the body (intensified training, sudden movements). In this case, it is recommended to stop training for a while, to ensure the rest of the lower leg. In case of ruptures, you should immediately seek help from a medical institution to take the necessary measures.

In the pathology of the knee joints (for example, osteoarthritis), pain appears when the body is in an upright position for a long time. Timely treatment leads to fairly high results: the pain completely disappears and does not bother if all the requirements are met.

Dermatomyositis and polymyositis are inflammatory processes that occur in muscle tissue. Pain appears on palpation, accompanied by swelling, the appearance of nodules, seals. Of course, you should find out the cause and prescribe the right treatment.

Pain in the calf muscles cannot be accidental and develop for no apparent reason. It is always a symptom of some kind of trouble. Potentially, this is a sign of vascular pathology, impaired innervation, muscular dystrophy, destruction of the ankle or knee joint. Physiological discomfort in the muscles of the legs can occur after inadequate physical activity, for example, after a long climb uphill without prior preparation. but the incriminating feature of such pains is that they pass without a trace after a short rest.

If the pain in the calf muscles is present for longer than 24 - 36 hours, then you need to urgently seek medical help. This may be the first sign of a vascular problem, such as thrombosis. But even more often, tunnel syndrome manifests itself in this way, in which the sciatic nerve, which is responsible for innervation, is injured in the back of the knee. shins. Soreness in this case has the character of burning, cutting, pulling sensations, which, when moving, are similar to electric current discharges. if the cause of the tunnel syndrome is not eliminated in a timely manner, then necrosis of the nerve fiber may begin. In this case, degeneration of the calf muscles will inevitably occur, trophic ulcers of the lower leg and other formidable complications may occur.

This article talks about the potential causes of pain in the calf muscles and methods of treatment that effectively help to defeat the most common diseases of the musculoskeletal system, nervous and vascular system.

If you have pain in the calf muscles and need medical attention, you can make an appointment with an orthopedist, neurologist or chiropractor in our clinic. You will be given a completely free initial consultation, during which the doctor will conduct a full examination, make a preliminary diagnosis and give individual recommendations for the subsequent examination and full treatment.

Causes of pain in the calf muscle in the leg

There are various causes of pain in the calf muscle, so it is quite difficult for a patient to self-diagnose. You need to know the distinctive and differential signs of a disease. Even an experienced doctor cannot always detect the causes of pain in the calf muscles of the legs without a special examination, so you should not risk your health. The best way out for those who have a similar symptom is to seek medical help in a timely manner.

First, let's analyze the most potentially dangerous pain in the calf muscle, which can lead to limb amputation and even death of the patient. They include the following diseases:

• varicose veins of the lower extremities, complicated by thrombophlebitis - a detached blood clot can lead to pulmonary embolism and death in case of untimely medical care;
• atherosclerosis of the arteries of the lower extremities - is the first sign of damage to the coronary circulatory system, six months after the onset of pain in the calf muscles, if left untreated, a person can die from acute extensive myocardial infarction against the background of total closure of the lumen of the artery with a cholesterol plaque;
• diabetic angiopathy and neuropathy - can occur even in those patients who are not yet aware that they are developing diabetes, so a blood test for sugar is a mandatory examination when complaining of such discomfort;
• obliterating endarteritis - a total lesion of the blood vessels of the lower extremities, often develops in smokers and almost always leads to amputation of the legs.

The following group of causes of pain in the leg in the calf muscle is no less dangerous, since it can lead to the loss of the ability to move independently:

• osteochondrosis of the lumbosacral spine with radicular syndrome and compression of the sciatic nerve - leads to muscle fiber dystrophy;
• the "horse tail" syndrome always leads to paralysis of the muscles of the lower extremities;
• deformity of the hip and knee joints;
• piriformis syndrome;
• myofascial pain syndrome;
• tunnel syndrome, in which the sciatic, tibial and peroneal nerves are damaged;
• cicatricial deformity of the tendon and ligamentous tissue in the area of ​​the hip and knee joint.

In addition, pain in the calf muscles of the legs may be associated with the action of adverse factors. This can be overweight, improperly selected shoes and clothes, clubfoot and flat feet, valgus or varus deformity of the legs and hips, smoking, drinking alcohol, etc. do not forget about the possibility of a violation of the water and electrolyte balance. For the normal functioning of the muscle fiber, it needs a sufficient amount of trace elements. The most important of them are potassium, magnesium and calcium. if they are not enough, then there are pains in the calf muscles.

Pain in the calf muscles at night and when walking

Appearing pain in the calf muscle when walking is almost always a characteristic sign of vascular insufficiency. it can be varicose veins or atherosclerosis of the arteries. It would seem that there is an urgent need to contact a vascular surgeon. But not everything is so simple and unambiguous. It should be understood that the performance and functioning of the vascular bed is completely dependent on innervation. the innervation is disturbed - vascular problems immediately arise.

Therefore, when pain occurs in the calf muscles, it is first necessary to examine the health of the spinal column. And for this you need to contact a vertebrologist or a neurologist.

You need to know the following aspects:

• with the destruction of the intervertebral disc in the lumbosacral spine, the radicular nerve is pinched, which is responsible for the innervation of the tissues of the lower extremities;
• against this background, there is a problem with the qualitative transmission of a nerve impulse from the autonomic nervous system, which regulates the tone of blood vessels;
• if the nerve impulse does not pass in a timely manner, then the venous wall does not contract and blood stagnation occurs;
• the vein is stretched and gradually loses the ability to contract;
• the system of venous valves without conducting a nerve impulse loses its ability to restrain the reverse outflow of venous blood - this is how varicose veins of the lower extremities are formed;
• in relation to the arteries, the mechanism works exactly the opposite;
• they are constantly in a narrowed state;
• plaques are formed in them due to a decrease in patency;
• gradually there is a violation of the trophism of soft tissues;
• the calf muscles do not receive sufficient nutrition during work - there are pains when walking.

If pain in the calf muscle persists at night, then this only confirms the theory that the main cause of its occurrence is the pathology of the spinal column. It is useless to treat vascular diseases. Until the correct innervation of the vascular muscular wall is restored, the disease will continue to develop.

Constant pain and cramps in the calf muscles

In most cases, constant pain in the calf muscles is associated with diseases of the musculoskeletal system. These can be degenerative destructive processes in the cartilage tissue of the joints and intervertebral discs. Also, a similar symptom can occur with myofascial pain syndrome, neuropathy of the lower extremities, etc.

Also, pain and cramps in the calf muscles can occur with iron deficiency anemia, hypovitaminosis, muscle fiber atrophy and magnesium deficiency. These pathologies can be excluded only with the help of special blood tests. At home, anemia can be detected by indirect signs, but they are not always reliable enough.

It is very important to understand that anemia, hypovitaminosis and micronutrient deficiencies (magnesium, potassium, calcium) are not always associated with alimentary intake deficiency. Those. with food everything can come in sufficient quantities. But in the body there may be a reduced absorption (for example, with diseases of the small and large intestines) or increased consumption (for example, with the development of cancer, tuberculosis, etc.). Therefore, it is extremely important to immediately seek medical help if any negative signs of health problems appear.

Pain in the calf muscles in combination with convulsions is an extremely negative clinical symptom. We recommend that you make an appointment with a neurologist or orthopedist as soon as possible to rule out serious diseases. You can get to these specialists for free and skip the queue right now if you make an appointment at our manual therapy clinic.

What to do with pain in the calf muscles?

The first thing to do with pain in the calf muscles is to stop any physical activity. You should put your legs in a horizontal plane without bending at the knees. if there is a sign of swelling or swelling of the venous bloodstream (its pattern is visible through the skin), then raise your legs to a level above the pelvis.

As soon as the pain subsides, you need to see a doctor. If it is evening or night time, and the pain is severe, call an ambulance.

When seeking medical help, diseases of the spine, large joints of the lower extremities, the bloodstream and the endocrine system should be excluded. Those. The doctor should give directions for the following examinations:

• Ultrasound of the pelvic cavity (performed to exclude tumors that compress the nerve fiber and large blood vessels);
• blood tests (general clinical, biochemical and sugar);
• radiographic images of the lumbosacral spine, hip and knee joints.

A number of diagnostic functional tests are also carried out, which allow to detect a violation of the innervation or blood supply of the lower extremities.

Based on the results of the examinations, a final diagnosis is made and effective treatment can begin.

Treatment of pain in the calf muscles

It is impossible to effectively treat calf pain without first making a diagnosis. This condition is not an independent disease. Pain in the calf muscles is a clinical symptom of the disease. And the doctor's task is to establish which disease manifests itself in the patient in this way.

Only after the final diagnosis is established, treatment begins. Manual therapy methods can be used to treat osteochondrosis, joint pathologies of the lower extremities, diabetic angiopathy, varicose veins of the lower extremities, neuropathy, myofascial pain syndrome and many other diseases.

If anemia and magnesium deficiency are detected, a correction of the balance of iron and other trace elements will be required. But first you need to reliably establish the cooling of oncological processes, bleeding (including hidden ones).

Manual therapy methods can improve the condition of blood vessels, restore impaired tissue innervation, restore the health of the spinal column and large joints of the lower extremities. Massage and osteopathy, reflexology, kinesiotherapy, therapeutic exercises, laser exposure and physiotherapy are used.

You can get an individual one. consultation of an experienced chiropractor in our clinic. Sign up for a free appointment and learn about all the possibilities and prospects for the treatment of the disease that causes pain in your calf muscles.

Due to the special structure of the muscles, as well as their location in the human body, processes such as movement are possible, which is a consequence of any physical act. One of the most important muscles in the body, thanks to which walking and running is possible, is the calf muscle. This is a biceps muscle formation, which is located on the back of the lower leg and is connected to the heel through the Achilles tendon. At the same time, painful sensations can often occur in a particular muscle, which can have a different etymology. Often the diagnosis is made on the basis of the nature of the pain, since sensations largely depend on the factor that causes them.

A symptom of what disease can be pain in the calves

As you know, there are many factors that determine the appearance of pain in the calf muscles. It is customary to characterize these sensations as symptomatic manifestations of various diseases. Oddly enough, but the symptom described can be both the result of an ordinary injury or overstrain, and the result of an infectious or even oncological illness.

Based on this, it is possible to distinguish a number of groups of diseases in which pain in the muscles of the lower extremities, in particular the calf muscle, will be a characteristic manifestation. First of all, it should be noted overvoltage, tissue damage by violating its integrity - these are ruptures and stretching of various nature. This should also include such a phenomenon as dehydration, which also leads to pain in the lower part of the legs.

The second group is a violation of blood circulation, which is the basis of pathological changes in blood vessels and arteries. Neurologists often describe such a phenomenon as damage to the peripheral nervous system, as well as pinching of the nerves of the spinal column. Problems with the spine can cause pain in the calves, such as osteochondrosis or spondylosis - the main ones.

In some cases, pain occurs due to the ingestion of pathogenic organisms. So, for example, some infectious or bacterial infections lead to very severe pain in the calves. Helminthiasis can also become a likely factor, when the eggs of worms are spread through the bloodstream and begin to actively develop in muscle tissue.

Possible causes of pain in the calf muscle

As for the reasons for the occurrence of the described phenomenon, there can be a huge number of them. In the paragraph above, the most common groups of diseases were described, in which the described process is a symptom. Now it is necessary to describe the causes of these ailments, as well as the mechanisms of pain. It is worth noting that in each individual situation, pain will be expressed differently, accompanied by additional manifestations, acting as a result of trauma, infection, pathological course of biological processes, etc. That is why detailed descriptions of the nature of pain are given below in accordance with the cause that causes this sensation.

Severe calf pain when walking or running

If pain occurs only during activity, such as running or walking, and there is no discomfort during rest, then most likely we are talking about damage to the calf muscle. The pain in this case is quite acute, has a great intensity and tends to increase if it is ignored. This is mainly due to overexertion while exercising in the gym, running, playing football or basketball, and even during long walks.

The physiology of muscle activity is microtearing of the tissue, resulting in the release of lactic acid, which allows the muscles to increase in size. If the load was too intense, then after class there is a krepatura, which may be normal, but also be evidence of an exaggeration of one's own potential.

Other types of muscle injury can also be described, such as a muscle tear or strain. The Achilles ligament can also suffer as a result of an injury, which also leads to sharp pains in the shin area.

Why does a muscle on one leg hurt

Oddly enough, but often only one, left or right muscle hurts, and this can be the result of any ailment. Of the most common factors that cause pain, it is customary to distinguish three main groups: trauma, impaired blood flow, and neurological pathologies and disorders. Pain in only one of the limbs can be attributed to each of the above groups.

So, for example, when jogging, you can unsuccessfully step on your foot, as a result of which the calf will be pulled. An example can also be given when a patient suffers from severe pain in one leg, since both calf muscles were not equally well kneaded and worked out before sports activities. If, before giving a large load to the muscle, a warm-up was not carried out, then the chance of injury increases by 70 percent.

As for the violation of blood circulation, this process mainly affects only one limb, as a result of which you can notice the veins that have taken on only one leg. The same can be said about nerve pinching, since when nerve fibers are damaged, a specific, rather local area suffers. Thus, we can say that pain in the muscles of the legs on both sides is a rather rare phenomenon that occurs only with serious complex ailments.

Often accompanied by convulsions

Spasmodic pain in the calf muscles is a phenomenon that is typical for people who spend a lot of time on their feet, without the ability to relieve tension from the limbs. These are most often sellers, operators of some machine tools, waiters, etc. Pain can occur after a cramp, having a pulling, dull character, which causes a lot of discomfort.

This happens because blood stagnates in the legs, as a result of which there is no proper nutrition of the muscles. The body, especially the muscles, experience oxygen starvation, since the transport of hemoglobin is impaired, respectively, oxygen does not reach the legs in the required amount. It is worth noting that due to impaired blood circulation, toxins accumulate in the limbs, which can also give pain accompanied by cramps.

Pain under the knee at the back and in the calf

Similar sensations can be found in different situations, from rupture of ligaments to impaired blood flow. In this regard, it is necessary to pay attention to auxiliary symptoms, as well as the nature of the pain. If the pain is characterized as severe and occurs in the area under the knee, radiating to the calf muscle, then this may indicate damage to the ligamentous apparatus. In this case, you need to visit a doctor as soon as possible for emergency medical care.

If the described nature of the pain syndrome is most clearly manifested in the morning, then in such a case there is a violation of venous circulation. Due to a lying position without a change in posture, blood stagnation occurs for a long time, as a result of which there is a feeling that goosebumps are running, the limb becomes numb and numb, pain appears, and the feet remain constantly cold.

Aching pain with varicose veins

Varicose veins are a hereditary disease that in the initial stages has no manifestations other than pronounced patterns on the legs. Soreness appears already when the disease began to progress as a result of ignoring external symptomatic manifestations. The pain in this case is pulling and constant, convulsions occur, fatigue is increased, heaviness in the limbs.

As a rule, the described problem is faced by people over 20 years old. First of all, the pressure in the veins increases, they expand, and their walls also become thinner. The veins become visually noticeable, appearing as tangled blue patterns. It is worth noting that nodules form on the veins, leading to blockage and the occurrence of blood clots.

Causes of sharp pain

There can be several reasons for the occurrence of sharp pain in the calf muscle. In the first case, sharp pain is the result of a tear or sprain of the ligaments, and in the second case, it is damage or pinching of the nerve. It is worth noting that the lower back is most often damaged, where the vertebral nerve is compressed in the lumbar or sacral region, after which there are sharp and rather intense painful sensations.

A variant of disruption of the peripheral nervous system is possible, for example, neuralgia. In this case, the pain is characterized as throbbing, cramping, and quite a lot of time can pass between spasms, and the pain itself can last up to several minutes.

Why do the legs hurt below the knees at rest and even at night

Constant pain can occur in a number of cases, for example, in a situation of pinched intervertebral hernia, in the thoracic or lumbar region. It can also be a matter of trauma, such as a bruise, followed by the formation of a subcutaneous hematoma. Ligament rupture also does not allow the owner to relax for more than a minute.

Quite often, a sedentary lifestyle, especially in the era of computers, leads to degenerative changes in the spinal column, muscular skeleton, etc. It should be noted that a disease such as osteochondrosis, characterized by limited mobility of the spine, can cause pain in the lower part of the legs, which has permanent character. At the same time, it tends to weaken slightly, but not completely pass.

Accompanied by leg edema

Basically, such a problem as the occurrence of edema of the limbs, accompanied by soreness, is the result of impaired blood flow. The veins expand, respectively, the nerve endings are compressed, which leads to the appearance of pain. It is worth noting that if a violation of blood circulation is a chronic process, then the specificity of the pain syndrome will be complicated by a number of factors.

In the chronic form of the described disease, toxins accumulate in the vessels of the extremities, as well as the occurrence of edema associated with malnutrition of the muscles of the lower extremities. There may at times be a burning sensation, numbness, weakness, as well as coldness in the calves and feet.

Nagging pain

Basically, pulling pains in the calf muscles are noted with a disease such as fasciitis. The pathological process is characterized by significant inflammation, the appearance of swelling and pain as a result of damage to the muscle membrane. As a result of the development of the disease, heaviness, pain, increased drowsiness and loss of flexibility in the joints are felt in the legs.

It is not possible to identify a specific disease, since the pathology has an external severity. The patient's skin becomes rougher and covered with a scale similar to the peel of an orange. Palpation of the area with modified skin reveals a solid body, which is the real focus of the disease.

What to do and how to treat severe calf pain

Regardless of what kind of pain is bothering in each individual case, it is necessary to urgently seek help from a specialist. In most situations, such as, for example, in the case of a pathology of blood circulation, it is necessary to carry out a diagnosis in a timely manner and begin therapeutic interventions. As you know, in the early stages the disease can be easily corrected, but if the symptoms are ignored for a long time, the changes will become irreversible and classical treatment methods will no longer be relevant.

If anti-inflammatory and anti-edematous strategies have not been implemented, then inflammation becomes chronic. In the same case, doctors argue that it is necessary to implement a surgical intervention, but this can only be determined as a result of a comprehensive diagnostic examination. It is worth remembering that neglected cases can be accompanied by the most undesirable consequences, both for the adequate functioning of the calf muscle and the whole organism.

Possible treatments

Treatment tactics can be determined only after a comprehensive examination that includes a number of studies, such as x-rays, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, etc. As described above, pain in the calf muscle is a symptom, and rather unclear, on the basis of which it is impossible draw conclusions about the presence of a disease. Therefore, when the described problem occurs, it is necessary to carry out therapy not for pain, but for a syndrome, the symptom of which is soreness.

Folk remedies will help relieve pain

It is worth remembering that traditional medicine recipes are not a panacea, on the contrary, it is a good auxiliary tool that helps to partially relieve pain, reduce swelling and inflammation. For these purposes, a decoction prepared from the following components is perfect: birch leaves, carrot seeds and immortelle - each remedy must be taken in half a tablespoon. To this mixture of herbs, you also need to add a tablespoon of succession, St. John's wort, bearberry grass and stalks of cherries.

In order to start cooking, you need to mix all the ingredients and pour them with boiling water at the rate of 2 tablespoons of the dry mixture per liter of water. The product is infused for about 12 hours, after which it can be used as compresses. To do this, you need to soak a natural cloth or gauze in the infusion, and then wrap it around the sore leg. The treatment procedure should be done three times a day.

Medications: ointments and tablets

This paragraph describes the most effective and popular medications that can be used in the situations described. However, it is important to note that each individual remedy has a number of indications and contraindications, for this reason, combining and using pharmacological agents without consulting a doctor is dangerous to health. At the same time, ointments with a pronounced analgesic, anti-inflammatory, warming, and blood-enhancing effect can be attributed.

This is such a common phenomenon or sensation - pain in the calf muscles that at least once in a lifetime everyone suffers from it.

Too many reasons exist for the occurrence of these painful sensations.

The slightest damage or irritation of the calf muscle - excessive exercise or a bad step - causes pain in the calves of the legs. At the same time, pain in the calf muscles can be very sudden and occur as a reaction to unusual physical activity - just while walking, including.

Quite often, doctors associate the first manifestations of pain with vascular disease. This can be caused by an increase in pressure in the vessels due to violations of the outflow of venous blood - stagnation occurs, due to which the nerve endings are irritated and then inflamed, causing pain. When the reason is this, the calves of the legs hurt in a special way - it seems that the legs are “heavier”, there is a feeling of a “dull” pain. And this symptom is characteristic of varicose veins.

The same sensations of "dull" pain, aching or even stabbing, as well as sharp cramps and "heaviness" of the legs can be considered as the result of sedentary work. After all, when a person stands or sits for a long time, normal blood circulation in the veins and arteries is disturbed. And stagnation of blood is accompanied by oxygen starvation, accumulation of harmful substances in the vessels and muscles - toxins.

Thrombophlebitis, a vascular disease that is quite common, unfortunately, accompanies throbbing pain in the calf muscles, and the pain sensations change over time: the pain becomes like a burning sensation. With thrombophlebitis, the calves of the legs constantly hurt.

Atherosclerosis is another cause of unpleasant and painful sensations. With this disease, the walls of the vessels thicken and there is a feeling of muscle "compression", from which the calves hurt. Pain in atherosclerosis is characteristic of the muscles of the lower leg. The pain gets worse when walking. Another symptom of atherosclerosis is that, regardless of the temperature of the air and the body, the feet seem cold.

Diseases of the spine is another group of diseases that provoke pain in the calves of the legs. In the event that there are violations in the spine itself - displacement of the discs, for example - radiating pains appear, that is, those that "give" to the legs. At the same time, the spine itself does not hurt. An example is sciatica - inflammation of the sciatic nerve.

Another factor in the appearance of pain in the calves can be diseases of the peripheral nerves. Pain in neuralgia is unstable, has the character of seizures, the duration of which is short - a few minutes or even seconds.

Myositis - inflammation of the skeletal and calf muscles - causes the most severe pain in the muscles of the legs. This disease is extremely serious and requires mandatory and long-term treatment under strict medical supervision. Most often, myositis occurs as a complication after a certain number of diseases, including influenza. Sometimes myositis can be caused by muscle overexertion, an unusually large load, or injury to the calf muscle.

With this disease, aching pain in the calves of the legs increases with the slightest movement, and in the muscles themselves, you can feel the strands or dense nodules. If the injury is open, then, as a result of its infection, purulent myositis may occur - with a characteristic increase in body temperature, increased pain, chills, redness of the skin over a tense and compacted muscle.

Another disease is osteomyelitis, an infectious disease of bone tissue. Osteomyelitis is accompanied by acute and prolonged pain caused by the bone itself.

A common cause of pain in the calves of the legs can be cramps - involuntary contractions of muscle groups or individual muscles. Cramps can be the result of prolonged tension, overwork of the calf muscle. To stop this unpleasant painful sensation, sometimes it is enough just to relax the muscles. That is, lie down or sit down, changing the position of the legs and grinding the contracted muscle harder, apply a cold compress or stand barefoot on the cold ground.

Fibromyalgia is pain that occurs in the back of the head, in the lower back (lumbago), and also in the neck, in the area of ​​the shoulder joints, chest and near the knee joint - in the thigh area. This pain is more familiar to women as it occurs more frequently in them. Fibromyalgia intensifies with mental and physical overload, with sleep disturbance, with a long stay in a damp or cold room. These pains can become systemic when rheumatic diseases occur.

Pain in the calf muscles can also be caused by neurogenic myopathy or idiopathic inflammatory myopathies.

If a person does not have neurological abnormalities, then painful muscle syndrome is caused by inflammatory or metabolic myopathies. Myopathies are of three types, according to the international classification:

Caused by drugs and toxins
idiopathic inflammatory,
caused by infections.

95% of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies are polymyositis, myositis, dermatomyositis, which occur as a result of systemic connective tissue diseases. As well as myositis with intracellular inclusions and paraneoplastic myositis. In all these cases, it is necessary to consult a rheumatologist in order to prevent or determine a systemic disease, the result of which was pain in the calves of the legs.

This type of myopathy, like medicinal, is most often associated with taking fibrates and statins.

The main thing to remember: if you experience pain in the muscles of the legs, you should consult a doctor. Necessarily. It can be a phlebologist or a neurologist, an infectious disease specialist, a traumatologist or an angiosurgeon. But consultation is obligatory if we are worried about our health.
Taken here.

Severe pain in the lower leg is a frequent companion of those who spend a lot of time on their feet at work or train in the gym. Little attention is paid to it, or even considered an indispensable sign of effective training.

Is such a frivolous attitude always justified, why do calves hurt very much after a workout, what to do and how to get rid of discomfort in the legs of women and men? All answers are in our article.

Top 6 causes of pain in the calf muscles and what to do?

If you feel pain in the calf muscles after a workout, there may be several reasons for this. We will discuss the 6 most common of them in our article.

1. Krepatura

This word we call muscle pain, caused by the accumulation of lactic acid in them. What is krepatura?

Any movement of a person is accompanied by the provision of oxygen to the muscles working at that time. But with an intense load, the muscles go into the so-called anaerobic mode - the tissues simply do not have time to be supplied with oxygen and begin to use energy from the body's own reserve. You can read more about krepatura.

Our main energy source is glucose, and its breakdown product is lactic acid. If the loads are not too active or heavy, it is washed out of the tissues with blood. But if the intensity is high, the output of lactate (as this residual product of anaerobic glycolysis is also called) is delayed.

Like any acid, lactic acid irritates the surrounding tissues and nerve fibers, causing first a burning sensation (on the last boosts, when we make every effort to finish the exercise), and then pain. She is occurs 5-6 hours after exercise and gets stronger the next day. But you shouldn't be afraid of her.

Lactate is toxic to our muscles, but from workout to workout, it attracts blood to them, which seeks to remove it. As a result, muscle tone increases, they grow in volume and fill with strength. And the pain after the cessation of physical activity gradually disappears.

Characteristic signs of krepatura:

• pain in those muscle groups that were given
• feeling of weakness and weakness;
• sometimes a slight increase in temperature.

Krepatura can cause enough pain in the calf muscle after a workout, you may not even be able to walk.

What to do to relieve pain:

1. Relaxation. Any tension should alternate with relaxation. Fatigue and pain in especially hard-working muscles is a natural signal and a protective reaction of the body against overwork.
2. Raising the legs above the level of the heart. Lie down and put your feet on the armrest of the sofa or bed for at least 10-15 minutes. The outflow of blood from the lower extremities will increase, and the improvement of arterial blood supply will help the speedy processing of lactate.
3. Take a warm shower or bath. This will relax you and increase your metabolic rate.
4. Drink plenty of water. Not coffee or sweet soda, but clean and transparent. Our body consists of 90% of water, not a single metabolic process takes place without it, including the removal of intoxication products. If you are actively involved in sports, your norm is 1.5-2 liters per day.
5. Massage. Manual or hardware - it does not matter. Self-massage: knead the calf muscle from the back-inner side from the heel to the popliteal hollow for 15-20 minutes. The pain should be pleasant, not unbearable.
6. Don't stop practicing. Maybe just adjust the intensity. Especially if you are a beginner or have not practiced for a long time. But continuing to train will speed up your metabolism, and in the future you will no longer suffer as much.