Your calf muscles play a major role in powering your bipedal motion. Jumping, standing on your toes and sprinting require the strength and endurance of your calves. Burning and tightness in your lower leg muscles can stem from a variety of causes. Muscle fatigue, overuse that leads to strains or tears and even sciatica can lead to burning and pain in your calf muscles. Talk to your doctor about your pain to better determine a treatment plan.
Lower Leg Anatomy
Your calves are composed of two main muscles, the gastrocnemius and soleus. The gastrocnemius is the larger of the two and connects onto the heel via the Achilles tendon. The soleus, though smaller, also uses the Achilles tendon to attach to the heel. Both muscles are used in movements that involve rising onto the ball of your foot or pointing your toes, including walking, running and jumping. The gastrocnemius is also needed for bending your knee.
Muscle Fatigue
Muscle fatigue can lead to burning, tightness and pain. During exercise, your muscles use energy rapidly, depleting stores. Lactic acid, a byproduct of anaerobic respiration -- or muscle movement without oxygen -- builds up in muscles, resulting in burning and sometimes intense muscle contraction. Experiencing a burning sensation indicates your muscles have reached their anaerobic threshold, or the point of exhaustion. Time reduces the lactic acid in your muscles, particularly if you perform a proper cool down. Decreasing your workout intensity, such as walking if you were running, for about five minutes accelerates lactic acid breakdown. Stretching your muscles can also lengthen them and reduce tightness or pain.
Overuse Injuries
When you lack the proper endurance or strength to perform a task but push yourself to complete it, you risk injuring muscles, tendons and ligaments through overuse. Burning and pain in your calf may indicate an injury, like a strain or tear. Overuse can occur both in intense workouts as well as endurance activities. Performing the same movements repeatedly -- without adequate rest -- can wear down and weaken tissues, leaving you vulnerable to injury. Because your calves are intricately involved in leg movement, excessive use is fairly easy. Schedule your workouts to adequately rest sore or tired muscles to help prevent injury.
Sciatic Pain
Though not as common as fatigue or overuse injuries, another cause of burning sensations in your calves is sciatic pain. Your sciatic nerve begins in the lower part of your spine and runs down the backs of your legs, ending in your toes. Compression of or injury to this nerve results in pain anywhere along its route. Burning, tingling, numbness and sharp, shooting pain are all associated with sciatica. You might feel this pain in your upper leg as well, or experience numbness and tingling of your foot or toes. Talk to your doctor about your pain to determine if it is caused by the sciatic nerve.
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