Tight Calves; Need Help! December 5, 2006
Posted by askatricoach in Cramping, Injury, Running, Triathlon, coaching.trackback
Q: “Sometimes when I run, my calves and shins tighten up so much that I loose circulation in my feet. I’ve struggeld with this for a while and can’t seem to figure out how to keep it from happening. I’ve been building up my mileage slowly according to my coach’s instructions and the pace has been quite slow. I am only running 2-3 days per week with other days for biking and swimming. I stretch after my warm-up and after every workout. I hav been taking regular walk-breaks during my runs, but walking doesn’t help. The muscles only relax when I fully stop and lift my feet off the ground (one at a time, obviously). My trainer has watched me run and found no apparent issues. I also had my shoes fitted at a reputable shoe store where they watched me run on the treadmill. Usually, the problem gets better towards the end of the run, after many stops and I don’t have any pain after the run (i.e. it doesn’t feel like an injury). Any ideas?“
A: Coach Al (aka The Injury Guy): I listen to people all the time describe their aches and pains and then I formulate a series of questions to delve further into their ailments, eventually coming to a solid conclusion. This is not the case with your predicament. I got halfway through the first paragraph and immediately
called over a few of my colleagues to read along. By the end of the two
paragraphs we all unanimously agreed on two things. The first is that you describe picture perfect symptoms of intermittent claudication. Secondly, and of greatest importance is that you contact your primary care doctor very (very) soon and schedule a visit, stating that you feel you have intermittent claudication.
What is most likely occurring (as does with IC), is that your arteries in
your lower legs (calves) have a bit of atherosclerosis in them (plaque) and
your muscles are not getting enough oxygen during exercise and therefore
cramping. Your lack of pain and improvement with rest strongly support my
statements.
Look at it this way: Your muscles need more oxygen and blood when you exercise (esp. biking and running for the calves) than you use when just sitting or lightly walking. Because your supply cannot meet the local demand, you have resulting cramping. There is good literature on the identifying factors for this condition and linking it to Peripheral Artery disease (PAD). There is also something called the Ankle-Brachial Index Test that you should ask your doc to do. Link for ankle-Brachial Index Test (Blood Pressure):
http://www.webmd.com/hw/lab_tests/aa115638.asp
While this condition is NOT life threatening right now, you should manage it
under the care of a physician to prevent any future issues. I just want to be clear that I am providing you with the best information I can based on what you have provided. I still strongly urge you to seek medical care through your primary care doctor. If you feel I could be of any more assistance, please contact me at http://theinjuryguy.com
Best of luck to you.
The Injury Guy
Thisis the first real discussion of what I feel is wrong with my calves. I am now mking an appointment to see my primary care doctor to look into the intermittent claudication factor. I am 81, have had a long history of running, but this past 12 months have had three operations that kept me off my feet. Thanks for the info and I shall let you know the results.
HI! I’ve been having problems with a thight calf muscle… sometimes my foot feel tingly and in some minor pain…i can feel a popp when ever i exercise my legs… and i have a problem when walking, standingm i feel like there is something wrong with my right leg… it is also hard to wear high heel shoes because if that calf tightness i feel… its been like this for 4 years i have had xrays on my knees and lower back and everything seems fine… i have just recently started to wear orthodics and they have not made any difference wo i only wear them when im active… i still want to know what mightbe the problem?
Hi, I have tightness in my calves as well. I’m not a runner and I am not involved in any type of sport. There just always tight and sometimes have pain. I find that when I streech my leg to where I pop my ankle I have imediate relief in my calves, but it is only for a few seconds. Knowing this I constaly try to pop my ankles to release the tension bulidng in my calves. I am 21 right now and I am pretty sure that this has been happening for at least 3-4 years. Does this sound like any medical issue?
Ok so i have similar symptoms. But sometimes i can walk 45 mins on a treadmill and not have any pain. Some times i only walk 10 and have pain. I always go the same speed. I was thinking that it was diet and water related. When i feel my calves the are very tight feeling(almost swollen) I am 29 years old.
I think the best thing to do in this case is to stretch every day with different calve stretches you can find here http://www.medicalhealth101.com/ remember to drink lots of water and keep your body in good shape, yoga is always a great option.
not just your calves but your entire body.
stretch stretch and stretch
I’ve been dealing with similar symptoms on and off for more than a year. I went to the doctor last fall. Had an ultrasound on my right leg. It showed nothing.
Doc gave me some muscle relaxers and an anti-inflammatory and all was well.
Odd thing: It’s ONLY the right leg AND 90 percent of the time, it swells, gets very tight after I’ve been SITTING. Sometimes it’s painful, other times just tingly. What the heck is this?! I’m a very active and otherwise healthy F-43.
Help…I’m a fifty year old fit man who would has worked restaurants my entire life…so, constantly on my feet. Currently I am back to chef work (40 hours) and workout about 5 times a week. The tightness in my calves has now made walking very difficult and playing racquetball last weekend I thought I may have torn a tendon. My pain threshold is super high so I keep trucking along but I am getting very concern.
Thoughts?
My dad and I both have been having the exact same symptoms for YEARS and have never found a decent answer. I’m 29 and have this since grade school. I can’t walk for more than 5 minutes in anything but a particular pair of sneakers without debilitating pain in my calves and the outsides of my ankles (just above the ankle towards the knees). Thank you SO much for posting this! No doctor has ever been able to tell me what this is and how to fix it!