Calf Strain After by Bodyweight Calf Raises

So to make a long story short. I have been hearing about squeezing your calves for 4 seconds and come down for 4 seconds rinse repeat.

Since gyms are funky now. I just workout at home I like it a lot!

So I heard people preaching that simple calf raises body weight on a stepper is enough.

So I did that but I also did one foot at a time. I would squeeze the ever loving day lights out them barely any rest. I could start with 15 reps then after 3 sets or 4 calves can barely get 8 that’s when I stopped.

When I went to see the pump (the glory of God’s creation) I flexed to see the cuts and lines and then pop

I quickly stopped doing anything the pain didn’t hurt at first. But when I got home I noticed the soles of my feet are swollen and when I walk I can’t walk with that injured foot straight. No discoloration nothing like that.

Never had this before I have been extremely sore barely able to walk but never strain on calves above all.

Two questions out this story.

  1. Advice please?

  2. What happens after it heals if ever? Does the body now realize calves need to be bigger adter this trauma? Or will they just atrophy and I have to start over, or?

Experiences whatever is welcome. Thank you all safe wishes.

Edit: forgot to mention I’m 6’3 270 pounds right now.

Bruising? Sore to touch? Are you able to actively plantarflex? Is your Achilles tendon intact?

Send us a photo of your calf-foot-ankle area

Brusing no thank God

Sore when touch? No again

plantarflex I assume that is when I can flex the calves up and down. I can but I don’t feel anything.

Yes Achilles tendon is there.

But the bottom of my foot is swollen.

It’s very hard right now to take a picture but I do take pics I have before.

But I answered 9/10.

It’s still very acute, so any kind of attempted diagnosis will be pretty difficult right now. For 48-72 hours, wear tight socks or compression socks if you’ve got them, give the calf as much rest as possible (maybe just some gentle active ROM like unloaded ankle circles and pointing your toes up and down whilst lying down) and keep it elevated above your heart wherever possible (e.g. sleep on your back with your foot on a pillow)

Do you have access to a physiotherapist?

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Thank you again for the response brother.

I have been and I have been putting pressure on my big toe when walking just a little and I back off but no pain there.

I just want knew the calves when truly injured not sore injured but injured could swell up the feet it looks like my foot is a semi look of a ballon but not diabetic fat but some swelling.

I did the up and down tits on my foot but the pain would come in the lower part where the Achilles is. My guess is the whole calf muscle is injured. I can move it up and down slowly but I can.

I can’t sleep on my back bro I’ll snore and wake up in the night. I can only sleep on my side.

Since you have experience with this. Could you tell me what happens once the calf fully heals? I know it heals but what else? Does that area now get more special attention from the body because it was once injured? Or?

And I do my dad’s friend goes to him.

Stay off the injured leg for at least 2 days mate

It is rare for muscular injuries to swell significantly, but not impossible. Keep in mind that it is not certain that you have a calf strain or tear. This is why I think it’s really important you see someone, because any further advice for this other than rest, compression, elevation, referral and gentle pain-free ROM would have to assume you’ve sustained a calf tear or strain.

That depends on how you manage it. Assuming you’ve sustained a calf injury then yes, you could return to full size, strength and function after appropriate rehabilitation

I see bother my question could the achillies get bigge

If it did, it would only be swelling

Sorry bro that’s not what I mean.

I mean can that achillies get bigger as in muscle mass.

I heard people say "you’re working you’re Achilles not your calves. That’s what I mean.

The Achilles is a tendon. It has no muscle mass. You can increase tendon CSA but it has nowhere near the hypertrophy potential of a muscle. If the achilles were to hypertrophy it would be because you increased its collagen content, which you haven’t done with the style of training you’ve been doing

Ahhhh interesting never knew that, thanks.

Well I’m a go getter, what exercises or style of training should I start to apply?

Leave your poor calves alone mate

Hahaha well I’ve already seen a difference I’m not doing anything. I’ve just been increasing food and protien and rest. And it’s working when I step on them I feel the calves are starting to fire.

And not now I mean after when they recover. I’m giving them 3 whole weeks of rest more if they need more.

Rest is not the cure-all. You need to go see a physiotherapist, sports physician or at the very least a general practitioner.

Tendons hypertrophy in response to heavy loading, particularly yielding isometrics. Do not jump into excessive volumes of heavy loading too soon, as you run the risk of developing a tendinopathy.

I actually went today the doctor said “nothing abnormal” I told what I was doing. He just said “keep doing what you are doing then”. I like to train and I train extreme and mental at times. I want to make sure everything in my body is 100% ready to go

So do heavy calf raises with a static hold on the bottom right? Or seated calf raises, yes?

Did the doctor do any actual tests on you or just take a subjective history?

No significant between standing and seated calf raises in regards to Achilles loading.

If you really wanted to maximise tendon loading whilst minimising muscle loading, you would do a 30-45s hold in a relatively stretched position, and that would be the whole set

Yes sir, he did an X ray no broken bones anything like that. He isn’t even thinking that a EMG will be necessary. He also took history. I had serve forearm tendentious when I trained them every day and with intensity and volume every day.

Once the doctors did the same they said just tendentious. So what I did was look online stretching so forth. Nothing worked other than leave forearms a lone and stuff my face with nutritious calories while focusing on other muscle groups.

Idk when but I remember one day waking up and that pain was gone fingers were meater and my forearms grew a whole inch. Before they were 14s (curse of small forearms) and they grew to 15s still small really but still good.

Honest to The Lord that is all I did.

Okay the hold got it any recommendations oh how many days in a week or once a week? Just a start up whenever my calves are fully healed.