What should I do if I strain my calf muscles

Calf muscle strain is a problem that is very common during exercise. You must pay attention to the correct treatment after the strain. Do not apply hot compress immediately. Use ice packs instead. Also, massage the strained area correctly to increase blood flow.

1. Muscle strain is an injury caused by rapid contraction or excessive stretching of muscles during exercise. This is common during stretches, pull-ups, and sit-ups. After a muscle strain, there is severe pain in the strained area, and you can feel a cord-like lump formed by the muscle tension with your hand. It is obviously painful to touch, and there is local swelling or subcutaneous bleeding, and movement is obviously restricted.

2. After a muscle strain, immediately perform cold treatment - rinse the area with cold water or apply ice cubes wrapped in a towel for cold compress, then wrap the injured area with a bandage with appropriate force to prevent swelling. While relaxing the muscles of the injured area and raising the injured limb, you can take some analgesic and hemostatic drugs. The bandage is removed after 24 to 48 hours. Depending on the severity of the injury, you can apply blood circulation and swelling-reducing plasters, apply appropriate hot compresses or massage the injured area with lighter techniques.

3. If the muscle strain is serious, such as if the muscle belly or tendon is broken, you should go to the hospital for surgery as soon as possible.

4. Massage Gentle massage can directly increase blood flow. You can rub yourself, but a more effective way to relieve pain is to relax yourself and let someone who knows massage give you a massage. Heat Heat can promote blood flow to the body surface by virtue of the body's natural cooling reaction. Heat can also relieve the tension of injured muscles, thereby speeding up blood circulation and bringing more nutrients to the muscles.

5. The thermal effect of ice compress is often used for long-term recovery after injury, and cannot be used as on-the-spot first aid. Applying heat immediately after an injury can cause swelling of the injured area and lead to further tissue damage. Generally, ice compress can reduce swelling within 48 hours after an injury.