Achilles or calf muscle strains occur in the back of the leg or back of the ankle. Learn about the causes, symptoms and treatments for Achilles or calf muscle strains in this health video.
Consult a doctor
Avoid over use
Apply ice
Take anti-inflammatory medication
Warm up before exercise
Thomas Clanton, M.D. is an orthopedic surgeon at the Roger Clemens Institute at Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, Texas. He is also on faculty with UT-Houston Medical School.
DR. THOMAS CLANTON: We are going to talk now about an Achilles strain or a calf muscle strain. This occurs in the back of the leg or the back of the ankle where the calf muscle becomes the tendon, which is the Achilles tendon, before it attaches onto the back of the heel bone. Strains are injuries to a muscle tendon area as opposed to a sprain that is an injury to a ligament. So strains occur to tendons and muscles; sprains occur on ligaments. And in this instance, what happens is there is usually an overstretched or sometimes even a tear in the muscle fibers or the tendon fibers and that is what produces the injury and the subsequent pain and inflammation. This can be remedied through prevention by stretching and warming up well before exercise, making sure that you don't overuse or overstretch a muscle or tendon before it is warmed up well and is ready to function to the best of its ability. Also, making certain that you don't do things that overuse a muscle tendon beyond the point of fatigue that can also result in an injury if you are working with a fatigued muscle and overstrain it. So the treatment, once it does occur, you have to rest the muscle-tendon junction. That can sometimes be done simply by reducing activities. Other times, it requires immobilization, so that may involve using a walking boot or sometimes even a cast in an instance of a bad muscle tear; although, we try to avoid immobilization in athletes because that generally results in muscle atrophy. Very seldom does this ever require treatment by surgery. The only instance would be a complete rupture of the Achilles tendon where sometimes it's necessary to repair that surgically. So hopefully your strains and sprains will not keep you from participating in sports, and you can treat them and get back on the running trail or the cycling path.
